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FIRST OVERLAND NEWSLETTER 14The latest news of the 'First Overland' DVD, based on Antony Barrington-Brown's original film footage of the 1955 Oxford & Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition from London to Singapore. |
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The 'First Overland Roadshow' has had its second outing — the first one was a 'rehearsal' with the Whitby Area Classic Vehicle Club a few weeks ago, but on May 10th I faced an audience made up of Royal Television Society members, and customers and staff of Lloyd Land Rover in Carlisle. Cameramen Ted Parker and Mike Hairsine were also there. We watched extracts from the DVD (and I told them some of the behind-the-scenes stories), with the new 2007 Defender model behind us to contrast with the vehicles from half a century before. It's not up to me to say how wonderful the evening was (!), but one of my RTS colleagues has written a review which is in the Reports section of the RTS website. I certainly enjoyed presenting the event, and would be very happy to do so again to your Rotary/Women's Institute/Land Rover Club/Whatever group. Preferably within easy travelling distance of the North Yorkshire Moors, of course... but if the expenses are right I could consider further afield. I've always wanted to visit Japan again! |
I also hope to be at one or two shows this year, with a rolling 'half-hour-show, every-hour-on-the-hour' telling the story behind BB's remarkable film footage, and getting the memories of the Expedition team onto DVD. More details of dates etc in this Newsletter as they are fixed, but I'll certainly be in the Land Rover section at the Masham Steam Rally in Yorkshire on Saturday July 21st, and maybe on Sunday 22nd as well. Having a bit of a struggle to sort out a suitable 'outdoor cinema', but we'll get there in the end — I really need one of those 107 Station Wagons with a screen on the roof that used to operate in remote parts of Africa!
I've been most impressed at the stories that I've been told by people who have bought the DVD. Gareth Foster lives in SE London (in a road that I used to visit as a kid because my parents had friends there). He wrote:
My interest in First Overland was sparked because I did an overland (mostly) trip to Singapore in 1970. I started with a friend and we took a train to Harwich and the ferry to Holland. From there we hitch hiked to Munich where we pooled our money and bought a 1962 Merc 220. We collected it in the rain, persuaded the dealer to change a dodgy tyre, and set off after a brief test drive.
We were not well equipped — three rusty spanners, a screwdriver, and a jack was our entire tool kit. We drove to Salzburg where we slept in the car outside the youth hostel which was closed. The fuel consumption was disappointing and when we woke there appeared to be a slight smell of petrol. We pushed on into Yugoslavia where we filled up with cheap petrol and then discovered our first problem, a slight drip coming from under the fuel tank. It was a leaky flexible connection but we had to push on to a Mercedes dealer in Belgrade to sort it out. After that fuel consumption was normal.
Our route took us into Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan. Some of the roads were rough but nothing like those on First Overland. We had numerous punctures and problems with the exhaust but we made it to Afghanistan. As taking the car to India involved lots of paperwork (and money) we decided to sell it in Afghanistan. It proved difficult however, as lots of others had the same idea. We ploughed on to Quetta in Pakistan and sold it there.
We traveled on by bus and train to India where we spent about 6 weeks. We also visited Nepal and Ceylon. It was not possible to travel overland through Burma so we reluctantly had to fly from Calcutta to Bangkok. From there it was plain sailing — after seeing Thailand we took a train to Malaysia where we were able to hitch hike again to Singapore.
In Singapore we got a ship to Fremantle, Australia, where I found work in iron ore mining in Port Hedland, whereas my companion got into bauxite mining in Gove. It took us seven months to get to Australia and after that I didn't see my friend again for until two years later back in England.
Another customer told me a wonderful story of his own more recent journey from London to Singapore.......... in an E-type Jag! Admittedly he didn't attempt the Stilwell Road, but went round 'the pretty route' through China (now more politically possible than it was in 1955, whereas the route through Burma (Myanmar) is now the opposite). One might wince a bit at the prospect of making such a journey in a 33-year-old car of such iconic status, but apparently once you've grown to ignore the scraping noises from underneath, it was actually quite a sturdy and capable vehicle, and it certainly turned heads on the route!
May 19th was the Annual General Meeting of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society (which is a UK-based organisation — typically British!) As those of you in the UK who watched Victoria Wood's programme on BBC TV recently will know, the DHR's carriages are painted deep blue. The maroon livery that was current when BB filmed there on New Year's Day 1956 was apparently only short-lived, and consequently film footage of maroon rolling stock is rare, and Society members are quite excited at the DVD. Not one to miss a promotional opportunity, I supplied a special DVD of the Darjeeling section of the journey — it was featured at the AGM, and was very well received. Quite a few copies of the DVD were sold — I should have supplied more, but I really didn't think that chuff-chuff enthusiasts would want to buy 2+ hours of DVD just to watch 3 minutes! I won't be so modest in future.
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Page 10 of the July issue of Land Rover Monthly (available in the UK from June 1st) has a review of the DVD, with a chance to win one of 5 copies. James Watson (the Editorial and Production Assistant) has written some very kind words. |
Finally, as well as the UK, the 'First Overland' DVD has now been sent to 22 countries — Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Republic Of Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, USA. To all those of you for whom this Newsletter may seem very far from your homes, please be indulgent, and accept our thanks for keeping the flag flying for the world's favourite British 4x4.
GRAEME ALDOUS
Previous Newsletters are available here
Link to the 'First Overland' Home Page
