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FIRST OVERLAND NEWSLETTER 42The 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, and the subsequent 'After
Overland' adventures of the two cars. |
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This newsletter should have been prepared a fortnight ago, but the past two weeks have been pretty hectic with mailing out a very special book — more details coming up. But first, how are SNX891 and the rest of the 'Last Overland' team faring on their journey back from Singapore?
They've now travelled further west than this map from their website
Well, they've long left China and Nepal, and have successfully navigated themselves through the -stans and into Europe. They are due to make UK landfall again early on Saturday morning (December 14th), and there will be a Grand Welcome ceremony at Folkestone Harbour Arm, followed by a Land Rover convoy up to London. I understand that all the places have been taken, but if you're in Folkestone mid-morning, or on the route back up to London, then look out for the three Land Rovers (SNX891 'Oxford' to the fore) on the last stage of their journey.
I'm not going to steal any of 'Last Overland's thunder, but a couple of points from their latest newsletter are worth mentioning. In Nepal, most of the team were suffering badly from altitude sickness, but 'Oxford' soldiered on... in fact, possibly doing better than the two younger Land Rovers! But then the copybook was blotted — first of all there were dynamo problems, and a replacement had to be sourced, and then the notorious curse of the Series 1 semi-floating rear axle* struck. Alex and Nat were travelling along when suddenly the left-hand rear wheel and half-shaft overtook them! Mercifully this was on a wide, deserted road in Turkmenistan, and no harm was done... but if it had been on one of the mountain roads earlier in the journey, it could have been a much different story for them.
[*I can never remember the difference between 'semi-floating' and 'fully floating', and my reference books are in a pile under a tarpaulin in the workshop — don't ask! But I do recall that it was 'First Overland's similar experience that caused the Rover Company to re-design the rear axle of the Land-Rover to a pattern that continued throughout Series production. Philip Ashmole of the British Ornithologists' Union Expedition says that they had the same problem on Ascension Island, too.]
To follow the 'Last Overland' journey online, the social media links are @thelastoverland / #thelastoverland. Alex also has an email newsletter that you can sign up if you click here. The expedition website has all the information you need to follow the team, including their biographies — it's www.lastoverland.com.
I intend to be at Folkestone, and on the convoy, and may post some video footage online. If that happens, there will be another Newsletter with the link. Although there were clearly hitches at the very start, with Tim Slessor's health preventing him taking part in the departure from Singapore, the 'Last Overland' journey itself appears to have been relatively straightforward, and a tribute to those who had the initiative to attempt it. We all look forward eagerly to the eventual TV documentary that Grammar Productions will make. All we hope now is that the industrial unrest which is currently plaguing France won't delay the ferry crossing.
The cover of Adam's book
Not content with repatriating and restoring SNX891, Adam Bennett has been using the year that 'Oxford' has been out of his hands to carry out another project — the book of the original expedition photos! Although Antony Barrington Brown ('BB') was the official expedition photographer, the other team members naturally all had their own cameras, and took their own photos. Many of these have never been published, and Adam (with the help of LRO journalist Peter Galilee) has raided their archives and put together a 118-page spiral-bound book. The colour pics in particular are striking — to put them in a book in the 1950s was expensive, and the colour processing of the day was a bit 'iffy', so few were included. But with the original negatives given painstaking modern computer renovation, Adam's been able to include a number of striking images.
A London bus in Belgrade
This one is a favourite of mine — Leyland buses like these were still running in my part of London when SNX761 'Cambridge' went past me down the Dover Road in 1955, but when the team reached Yugoslavia they found 12 of them outside Belgrade, bought second-hand from London Transport to supplement the local fleet. I'd seen a black & white version of the picture before, but this is the first time I've seen a colour one. 'BB' would take pictures like this so articles could be written and sent back to UK publications to help finance the expedition. The caption to this one says that in the lower picture the bus driver is using Tim's new Bic ballpoint pen to draw a map to help them find their way forward.
Less formal souvenir pictures
But many of the pictures in the book are less formal 'snaps' — these two show where a landslide had blocked the road being built through to Katmandu, and Tim and BB at the highest point (of the Expedition?)... 8162.93 feet on the Simbhanjang Pass. There are many more 'unseen pics' like these. For anyone who's a fan of 'First Overland', this £20 book is a must (and just before Christmas, too!)
I'll make it clear that, apart from a little picture research, I've had no involvement with this book... but I am handling it on Adam's behalf because I have the facilities through my DVD sales. The details are near the top of my Sales page... the link is below.
So as Christmas approaches, may I wish you all the very best for the Festive Season, and a good and prosperous New Year. See you at Folkestone?
GRAEME ALDOUS.
Previous 'First Overland' Newsletters are available here.
To subscribe to this Newsletter, and receive notice of updates, please visit my Subscribe Page.
The 'After Overland' web page is afteroverland.co.uk, and 'First Overland' is teeafit.co.uk/firstoverland.
And a reminder of my DVD titles still on sale, priced at £22 (including postage) worldwide — you can order them via the DVD sales page, where you'll also find the Vimeo download details.