Background
Stratton was born to Undecimus and Margaret Stratton in 1868. His father, a solicitor, was named "Undecimus" after his own father and there is no evidence that any of them was an eleventh child.
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Undecimus Stratton
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Along with Ernest Instone, he took over the management of the depot under the name, which later became the automobile dealership Stratstone. Stratton"s close friends would call him Eugene, or "Gene" for short. A notable runner and rugby player, Stratton read for a law degree but did not continue into the profession.
Instead, he bought land with money he had saved and built a brewery on the property.
Stratton was a pioneer motorist who bought his first car, a Daimler, in 1898. Stratton declined, and Rolls started C. South. Rolls & Company with Claude Johnson.
In 1905, Stratton, Rolls and Frank Hedges Butler set a balloon altitude record of 7,000 feet (2,100 metres). Upon seeing the stranded motorist, Stratton stopped his Daimler and offered assistance.
Jenkinson was impressed by Stratton and by his motoring knowledge.
At the time, Jenkinson was looking to replace the head of Daimler"s London depot, a particularly sensitive position because of the royal cars. Taking the position, Stratton soon found himself having to select better royal chauffeurs and mechanics. In 1911 he spent some weekends at Sandringham tutoring the new Prince of Wales on the workings and driving of an automobile.
Stratton and Instone took charge of the Daimler showrooms at 27 Pall Mall, naming the business Each morning at eleven a butler in morning suit brought oysters and champagne to the directors’ rooms.
One of Stratton"s last services for King George V was to convert one of His Majesty"s large Daimlers into an ambulance to carry him to Bognor, Sussex, to recover from a feverish cold in early 1929. Stratton died on 12 July of that year after a short illness.
King George V and Queen Mary, upon Stratton"s death, expressed their "deepest and most heartfelt sympathy" and stated "it is a source of the greatest regret.. that they will never be able to avail themselves again of the invaluable advice and assistance has given them for so many years."
The following summer, the future King Edward VIII rented Stratton"s house at Sunningdale from his widow. In 1930, Stratton"s successors and Instone bought out Daimler"s interest in and renamed the business Stratstone Limited.
