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FIRST OVERLAND NEWSLETTER 26The 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. |
We celebrate the three greatest Land-Rover Series 1 expeditions with 'Land Rover World', consider the 21st Century problems of crossing Far Eastern borders, and the 'Operation Enterprise' Expedition continues through French West Africa, but has terrible roads and weather to contend with... and a hornet!
I can always tell when a magazine has featured 'First Overland' or the DVD because for a while I seem to do nothing other than put discs into mailing cases and send them off to the far corners of the world — a delightful situation to be in! And the last few weeks have proved that.
Before Christmas I was contacted by Mike Gould, the Editor of LRW ('Land Rover World' ). He was planning a special 'Expeditions' issue of the magazine — much of it would be devoted to modern travel to exotic and remote places, but he also wanted to pay tribute to the three 'classic' early Land-Rover adventures... Group Captain Peter Townsend's round the world expedition; the similar journey by the magnificent Barbara Toy in 'Pollyanna', and (of course) the 'First Overland' Expedition, which showed them all how versatile and dependable the Series 1 could be. This would also allow Mike to give a mention to this year's 'First Overland Second' recreation expedition, being planned by Michael Geary and his student team.
It was an excellent 3-page spread, and it made me realise that although I now know quite a bit about 'FO', I'm far more hazy than I ought to be about Peter Townsend and Barbara Toy. I think a little searching round the old books websites is called for to see if I can plugs those glaring gaps on my bookshelf. So if Mike's article has prompted that idea in more people than me, then he's done his bit to keep our knowledge of the early expedition days alive.
There's also an interview with Sir Ranulph Fiennes and a lot of features on modern 'guided tour' expeditions, vehicle preparation and specialist kit — one wonders how Tim, BB and the others would have fared had all this been available in 1955. Probably no better... and they might have abandoned the whole thing in 'Aladdin's Cave' confusion! If you can't find the February 2010 issue of 'LRW' in your local newsagent, then you can order it through the LRW website.
Actually, this was Mike Gould's final issue as Editor for health reasons — something to do with rusty joints in his lower suspension. He's handing over to Simon Ward-Hastelow, but will still be contributing features to the magazine. Very best wishes to you, Mike.
In the last Newsletter I was able to pass on details of the new pages on the Land Rover Series One Club website dedicated to the plans for a recreation of the original 'FO' expedition later this year, which was the brainchild of Michael Geary and will involve once again young travellers from Oxford & Cambridge Universities. Things are certainly progressing in the Fens because I had an email from Andrew Cleland saying "I spotted a First Overland Land Rover in Cambridge on Sunday — was that one of the originals or a re-creation?" Well, as I was able to assure Andrew, there's little chance of either of the original cars being seen in the UK again, so it was certainly Michael making sure that the replicas are fully roadworthy before they set off on their expedition on September 1st (55 years to the day since the original left London).
And, having visited the Expedition's web pages, I received a very enthusiastic email from Jon Nott, son of the late Henry, who said "What an incredible plan!! Will follow avidly." So let's hope that the spirit of the first Expedition's Chief Mechanic will be watching over the replicas.
Last November I received an order for a DVD from Chris Lambert-Dowell, but delayed including what he said in the last Newsletter for reasons which will become clear — I didn't want to spoil any Christmas surprises. Chris said "I first read the 'First Overland' book when I was 10 (and that was mid 70's). Now I'm older and have my own old Defender — and my own 10-year-old has the bug. He doesn't know about 'FO' yet but the DVD is for him at Xmas. The book certainly inspired me but I've not got round to my own overland trip yet — one day...........". Chris (and son) — I hope you enjoyed it, and that yet another new convert has been gained.
I've mentioned Tony Cantor in the Newsletter before — when he ordered a DVD it was sent to him in the diplomatic bag, as he was 'Our Man In Armenia' at the time. He first got to read Tim Slessor's book when he and his colleagues at our Embassy in Rangoon were encouraged to take their pick of the books in the British Council library when the Council's Burmese office was closed as a result of a little spat with the local regime. The book whetted his appetite for Land-Rover exploring, and he visited many of the places that Tim mentioned (although some parts of Burma were still 'off limits' to foreigners). He's now retired, and "living in deepest West Sussex".
But still travelling to the Far East... after the last Newsletter mentioned 'First Overland Second', he wrote "Absolutely fascinating! I was back in Burma in January/February (2009) and went 'upcountry' there for the first time since 1971. Although it is a lot more open now, the road between Taunggyi and Kengtung, on the way to the Thai border, was (and still is I believe) closed to foreigners. I may be going again in January 2010, entering by road from Thailand, but I have been told by travel agents in Burma that I have to fly after I reach Kengtung. I will be watching with great interest to see whether the new expedition gets the necessary permission." Well, by the time the next Newsletter comes out, we may be able to hear how he got on.
He also wrote of a friend in upcountry Burma who has decided it is time to change his 1939(!) Jeep and is planning to acquire a 1980 Defender. He asked Tony to take him a couple of Land-Rover magazines, one covering the older models and one on the latest ones, so he can get some buying hints. Tony says "He took me around last year to some hill villages, over some appalling roads, and the Jeep was surprisingly effective, if somewhat dusty and uncomfortable. One of the most memorable parts was just after setting off. A motor scooter pulled alongside, with a couple of lads carrying a bucket of water. My friend had forgotten to check the radiator, so they sloshed the water in there and then!" In this country they'd have squeegeed the windscreen, and charged a fiver!
We now have our first Newsletter subscriber from Thailand. Roger Willbourn wasn't exactly a stranger to 'FO', having known Tim, BB and Pat for some time — BB sent him a copy of the DVD when it first came out. But it was Tim who told him about the 'First Overland Second' plans, and introduced him to their website. Following the link there, he came across this Newsletter, and apparently has spent many happy hours (?) reading our back issues.
He's also contacted the 'FO2' team to offer help when they arrive in Thailand. He wrote:
I have an interest in 'All Things Overland' concerning driving from London to Singapore, since I was fortunate enough to have the time to do the same myself, with my good friend and co-driver Iain Cassie, in mid-late 1992, when we drove a SWB LR Defender Tdi from London to Singapore entirely overland (apart from the English Channel!) over a period of about four months. For political reasons, we could not follow the First Overland route and, anyway, we did not know Tim and the rest of the guys at that time — it was only as a result of doing our trip that we came to know them.
With travel through Burma in 1992 being impossible, Roger and Iain's route went north of the Himalayas, and Roger listed all the places that they went through — he said that just typing it out made him feel all itchy-footed again! Their total mileage was 15,000 miles (25,000 km), which was a bit less than the 'original' route as they did far fewer 'side diversions' and were also closer to the Great Circle route for much of the time. As a result of their journey, a friendship started with the original team, and some have been to stay with Roger and his wife Caroline in Bangkok. In March 2006 Roger and Caroline were invited to join in the Kuala Lumpur-to-Singapore drive and the three days of 'celebrations' of the 50th anniversary of safe arrival of the 'FO' team at the Land-Rover dealership in Orchard Road after 6 months and 18-thousand miles. Roger and Caroline are in the centre of this photo, taken outside the legendary Raffles Hotel in Singapore, and to my mind this is the best picture I've seen of the 'FO' team (with family members) 50 years on. The little boy on the bonnet of the Defender is one of Tim's grandchildren! As a Cambridge graduate himself, Roger has contacted the 'FO2' team, writing: |
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I am particularly delighted that Cambridge is again taking the lead in this 'recreating' drive — although I see from your web-site that there are rather more Oxford people involved this time around! I happen to have spent much of my working life in Asia and have lived in Bangkok for the past nine years, so I would be pleased to offer assistance here, should you need it. I would also very much like to meet you all when you get here. For sure, you have some interesting 'diplomatic' issues to resolve prior departure and I wish you the very best of luck. I know from weary experience how difficult it can be to cross national borders with a British-registered vehicle in Asia. We had real fun 'n' games getting from Vietnam into Laos (for example), as I suspect the most recent previous 'Westerners' to drive across the Vietnam - Laotian border before we did in 1992 had been US servicemen in armoured vehicles, sometime in the late 1960s or early 1970s... and I don't think they required visas!
Operation Enterprise
In recent Newsletters, we have been serialising extracts from 'Operation Enterprise' — a report described as 'An account of the gruelling 10,000 mile reliability trial over the Sahara Desert, jungles and mountains, undertaken by the Turner-Diesel Trans-African Test Team.' This was in 1954/5, and they were test-driving (for reasons explained in Newsletter 23) a Turner-powered Land Rover (107" NUK952) across the Sahara to Kenya and on to Rhodesia. The leader, Ken Hill, wrote 'Operation Enterprise' as a record of the event, and has allowed me to quote from it. Now the Expedition moves into French-influenced territory.
The last three days of travel through French West Africa have been over some of the worst roads we have so far encountered with gigantic potholes, drifts and rocks strewn everywhere, the countryside barren semi-desert, not at all inspiring. The last few hours this morning from the border to Kano have been on a comfortable tarmac road by contrast and the land is tidy and cultivated with numerous villages. There is a lot of activity in this part of Nigeria, and it is significant that all the officials to whom we have had to report – Customs, Immigration, Health, etc. – have been Africans. I have not yet seen a European official.
A welcome clean-up
We are staying at the Government Rest House and reveling in soap and water, having had our first shower for over a week and shaved off seven days' growth of beard — mine was half-inch or so long and jet black. I called at the London and Kano Trading Co., but have to go back tomorrow as all the Europeans were out on various jobs. It will be necessary to spend two/three days here to go over the vehicle thoroughly, clean out the inside and repack to some order. The shaking of the past few days has played havoc with the packing, it being impossible to keep anything in one place for five minutes. No less than for the vehicle this has been a test for we three, both mentally and physically, and I have no hesitation in saying so.
At Maidugari
We are remaining here at the rest house — the journey here was somewhat longer than I anticipated, the usual route is approximately 300 miles, but due to bad weather conditions we made several detours and covered 476 miles. The countryside is becoming more tropical in character with villages dotted here and there by the wayside. They are neat and tidy and constructed from thatch with woven basket work palisades surrounding them; at each corner is a larger hut with a door back and front, and it is at these points that one must enter into the main compound. The natives are peasant type and very friendly, rushing to the roadside to wave as we pass.
Two main incidents come to mind with this particular stretch of the road. Firstly, we had a hornet in the cab about mid-morning when we were cruising along about 35 mph. I was driving at the time and do not think I have ever moved so fast, the vehicle was out of gear, skidded to a stop broadside across the road, doors flung open with occupants falling over themselves to get out. The brute held reign for several minutes before we could drive it out and proceed. It was fortunate none of us was stung as their stings can be very painful.
Later in the day, whilst negotiating a diversion on the route, we struck a hidden tree stump and badly bent the two steering drag links and as a result had an excessive right hand lock, but virtually nothing on the left-hand side. This promised to be embarrassing, but we subsequently travelled 168 miles in that condition without further mishap and spent this morning straightening them in the vice which we have fitted on the front bumper. What luck to have it, otherwise we should be waiting for new links from Kano because there are no facilities here whatsoever. We struggled and sweated for hours to get them straight and have now made quite a reasonable job of it.
Dangerous Journey
Left Maidugari this afternoon having hung around the Post Office waiting for a cable until 2.30 p.m. We fuelled up early morning after finding a private transport operator who kindly sold us 40 gallons. The Shell points as advised by London are not correct, and even the Kano agents slipped up on Maidugari. The distance to Mora is 94 miles and we arrived at 8.30 p.m., averaging a speed of 18 mph. Did I say the desert was difficult? It is child's play in comparison to this part of the world once the rains start.
We encountered four bridges completely demolished by the onslaught of water with huge crevices opening up in the banks where the earth was breaking up. At these points we were compelled to find fording places or lay down logs of wood to form a base, the vehicle surpassed every expectation, being more like an amphibious vehicle than a motor car. I would not have believed anything could pitch and climb at such acute angles and stay on four wheels. The track for most of the way resembled a river bed more than a road, and as darkness fell we ran into patches of 200/300 yards of deep slimy black mud and water with evil-smelling swamp on either side. There it was necessary for Jock Allum and Crosby-Jones to get out and walk across in the headlamps' light, then I drove over with the reduced weight, being the lightest.
In one vile spot, the water stretched to either extremity of the road and walking was out of the question. We thought we could see the end of the water so decided to have a rush at it. I am accustomed to this sort of thing in East Africa, but I have never had such a struggle, it was as though the mud was inhabited by some malignant spirit who tugged at the wheels, the steering wheel thrashed back and forth like a live thing and the stench from the swamp was overpowering. But the combination of engine power and four wheel drive was unbeatable and we reared out on to firm ground, shaken but triumphant. Shortly before the incident we passed a convoy of lorries bogged down, they had taken three days to travel 50/60 miles. We have completed Customs formalities and are now camped on the veranda of the local offices, the rain has stopped for the moment.
Treacherous roads
Up before dawn this morning and on the road by 5.30 a.m. There has been some rain during the night. The road to Maroua, 40 miles from Mora, was undescribably bad, we took three-and-a-half hours to cover this stretch. It was a repetition of the previous evening with washed-away bridges and landslides necessitating long detours into the bush. The part of the original road that was useable was scattered with rocks and tree trunks wedged into great fissures opened in the earth by subsidence of the under soil. This, in conjunction with the long stretches of soft muddy water, put a considerable strain on both engine and vehicle, and both behaved magnificently. Later on, the route improved somewhat and we arrived here early evening. The sky is heavy with black rain clouds and vivid flashes of blue lightning repeatedly blazen the scene accompanied with peals of deep thunder, boding ill for the state of the track tomorrow.
In the French Cameroons
Left Garoua early morning for N'Gaoundere. Despite the rain the previous evening, the road was fair, although pools of water had collected and were very deceptive in depth. The countryside was pleasant with plenty of green bush and quite large trees. The road runs through a game reserve for many miles and native life and villages are non-existent. The only game we saw were half a dozen baboons darting through the trees at our approach. It will have to be a pretty courageous animal to await our arrival, or a very deaf one. Shortly after N'Gaoundere the route climbed steeply to something like 3,000 ft. and the scenery became transformed to a beautiful emerald green with bush vegetation. The rain had recommenced and the sky was leaden. It was difficult to appreciate we were in Africa, the air became cold and as the rain pattered on the windscreen we could have been driving through English countryside. The roads in this part of the world are red murram earth which packs down well and in the dry season forms a surface as smooth as tarmac ; it does not absorb water but becomes very greasy when wet. We had some difficult moments and only four-wheel drive prevented us leaving the track on occasions. We are stopping the night here in the local rest camp. I intended to make for Baboua tonight but the maps completely misled me, showing the particular distance as 93 miles, when in fact it is 192 miles, so my calculations were right out.
It is dusk now and the last glimmers of light have almost sunk in the West; the atmosphere is cool but damp and patches of ground mist are swirling in little hollows down by the native village. I can see their pointed thatched huts in the flickers of the fires and hear the beat of a drum and murmured chanting of a local song. Here comes the rain once more so we will retire to a little warmth — two blankets are called for tonight.
In the next Newsletter the Expedition moves into French Equatorial Africa, where the roads and the rains are no better... and they nearly get struck by lightning!
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In the meantime, I've come across a picture of the vehicle, posing outside the offices of the Turner Motor Company Paris agents, Aubry et Simonin. This was posted to a very interesting thread on Turner Diesel engines on the LR Series One Club Forum. As ever, if I've inadvertently offended anyone's copyright by reproducing this, then I apologise, and will remove it. Note the side locker, the auxiliary tanks on the cab roof, and what appears to be an oil cooler on the front bumper. And I think I recall reading somewhere that the canvas tilt over the load bed was actually covering up a more secure metal unit to keep their belongings safe. But despite various appeals via the Southern Africa Land Rover Club to see if anyone knows the ultimate fate of NUK952, nothing seems to be forthcoming. Is it still lurking in a village somewhere in Africa? If it comes to light, it will (of course) be reported here. |
Finally, I'll remind you that we can all keep abreast of the latest developments of the 'First Overland Second' Expedition by visiting their new www.firstoverland.co.uk website, being hosted by the LR Series One Club. And if you have memories of an expedition (preferably in a Land Rover) that you'd like to share, then please contact me.
GRAEME ALDOUS
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