Ceremonial Series 1's

[Lotz-A-Landies]

This is a transplant of part of a thread from REMLR. I hope that it doesn't reject here as well!

There were also some S1 ceremonial Land Rovers in the Australian Army and one of those is still in the Bandiana Museum in Qld (this one is wrongly reported elsewhere as being a S2 Land Rover modified by RAEME (http://anzacsteel.hobbyvista.com/othervehicles/landroverph_1.htm)). These could have been some of the Land Rovers purchased for Queen Betty's second Royal Tour during the 1956 Olympic Games and subsequently transferred to the Army.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/04/1372.jpg
Image Source: ANZAC Steel website (http://anzacsteel.hobbyvista.com/othervehicles/images/lrswb08.jpg)

Diana


G'day All, When Ross. C. was webmaster (some time ago now) he posted a link to this site Anzac Steel in around late 2003, I saw the discrepancy re the title Series 2 when it is in fact a Series 1, I emailed Paul Handel but got no response from him re his glaring mistake/typo error, so after a while I thought to self well others are going to think that you wouldn't know one Land Rover from another cheers Dennis:wasntme:


Interestingly I had an e-mail conversation with Paul not too long ago. He at least admits that his land rover knowledge isn't 100%, but you would think he could at least correct it.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Interestingly I had an e-mail conversation with Paul not too long ago. He at least admits that his land rover knowledge isn't 100%, but you would think he could at least correct it.
I also noted the error and even sent an email with pictures of the Royal Review Rovers in use with Betty in the back. Still no amendment to the site however.

Is ANZAC Steel otherwise an active site or now very content static?

Diana


Last update was when the Abrams tanks arrived. The other thing to remember is that it is mostly an armour website. Although if you look at the bottom of the page on the 4 land rover articles you will see that the pages have been updated on occasion.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

.... There were also some S1 ceremonial Land Rovers in the Australian Army and one of those is still in the Bandiana Museum in Qld ... ....These could have been some of the Land Rovers purchased for Queen Betty's second Royal Tour during the 1956 Olympic Games and subsequently transferred to the Army.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/04/1372.jpg
Image Source: ANZAC Steel website (http://anzacsteel.hobbyvista.com/othervehicles/images/lrswb08.jpg) ...
... Diana
I was just browsing the ARN lists and noticed the anomaly about the ARNs issued to the Series 1 Ceremonial Land Rovers. The ARN lists show the vehicles to be 1958 88" so I was mistaken about the vehicles being used for the 1956 Olympic Games visit. If Betty Windsor rode in a ceremonial Land Rover at all during the games, it likely would have been one of the earlier 80" or 86" vehicles from the 1954 tour.

The interesting issue is the ARNs for the S1 Land Rovers is amongst the 174 series issued to 1969 and 1970 vehicles. It is therefore likely that the vehicles were actually in the Commonwealth fleet from their arrival in Australia to their transfer to the military in 1970. Also likely that they were used in the 1963 royal tour (Image below of 1963 tour).

http://www.naa.gov.au/naaresources/Publications/research_guides/guides/royalty/images/145.jpg
Image Source: National Archives of Australia (http://www.naa.gov.au/naaresources/Publications/research_guides/guides/royalty/images/145.jpg)

Diana


Yes, these ceremonial series 1's are a bit of a mystery, as there are a few in civilian hands in australia as well. Even the army museum bandiana isn't quite sure how they came to be.


I have always been under the impression that the early ceremonial vehicles all belonged to the "Royal Visit Car Company", a Government offshoot formed especially for the visit. This Company was manned by various public servants and I think may have used army drivers. The Vehicles were not military but would have worn "C" plates as was the norm in those days. I believe that the same vehicles were used all over Australia and did a phenomenal mileage just getting in position for their half hour or so public performances. The Company had a fleet of Daimlers, and Rovers and possibly a lot more, as the same vehicles could not have possibly done Wagga (Where I stood for hours for a five second glimpse as a schoolkid) and Canberra on the same day with the travelling conditions and roads in those days! Did those vehicles stay in the country or did they perhaps follow the Royal entourage around the world?
Food for thought
Glen

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Yes, these ceremonial series 1's are a bit of a mystery, as there are a few in civilian hands in australia as well. Even the army museum bandiana isn't quite sure how they came to be.
There were a number of 80' ones purchased for the 1954 Royal Tour and at least 3, possibly more were sold off into private hands, there have been a number of sightings since those days. Two being sold at Auction in Melbourne about 18 months ago and a third known to be in the Monaro region. There was also a door of one in the original royal purple in Allspares in Sydney.


I have always been under the impression that the early ceremonial vehicles all belonged to the "Royal Visit Car Company", a Government offshoot formed especially for the visit. This Company was manned by various public servants and I think may have used army drivers.
Given the chassis numbers for the Army ones and their late ARN, they must have come out of the Commonwealth Car Fleet, (possibly the Royal Visit Car Company) alongside the GG's Rolls Royce etc and all wore a Crown in place of a number plate. I know for a fact that some of the drivers were actually Police, Bobslandies has a print taken during the 1963 tour given to him by a former Police officer who was driving, the Army may have also driven on occasions, my guess being the protocol of the actual event, if a military establishment then an Army driver.

Regarding the disposal, maybe given their infrequent use, probably having had less than 30,000 miles on the clock they were either too good to dispose of or someone in the Dept of Supply thought the Army should use them. Anyone's guess. What we do know is that they are royal review Rovers and they were used in 1963 for the Royal Tour.

It would also be true that RAEME would have converted them from the royal purple to olive drab, and hence the myth that RAEME built the bodies.

Diana

[olmate]

I was looking at the vehicle in Bandiana yesterday. she is beautiful ;)

[pommie]

The 2 ceremonial Series I were auctioned by Shannons in 2006 for 17k and 21k. Nice units:

Car Insurance Australia - Car Enthusiasts - Classic Car Insurance - Shannons (http://www.shannons.com.au/auctions/lot/?id=HC94D8ZYL73CQ9F2)

[Phoenix]

Actually, to add to this, bandiana now has both of the series 1 units, and that reminds me, I was going to chase up a UK source to see if I could tracke the provinence of those 2 units.

[UncleHo]

G'day Folks :)

I last saw 174-696 at Mt.Gravatt Brisbane, in 1998 at the Brisbane Landrover 50th anniversary display at the Showgrounds, it was then returned to the State/Commonwealth Stores on Webster Rd Stafford, when they closed down I believe it was moved to Banyo Stores :)

The colour that is described as "purple" is in fact "Royal Claret" and is only used on vehicles that are part of the Queen's Vehicle Fleet, that is, all her Range Rovers are also the same colour,as well as other ceremonial vehicles in her fleet, there is a first, second and third line of vehicles that are kept at the Royal Mews :) her private personal fleet that she uses on her estates are various colours, these she is/has been known to drive into London or where-ever on private shopping trips;)

Information sourced from articles in Landrover Enthusiast Magazine and family knowledge.

cheers

[series1buff]

I have a book on the royal tour of NZ , Dec 1953 to Jan 54. There are a few pics of a ceremonial 80" ? , it looks as though these were built to standard design , as it has the appearance of similar cars here in oz and around the world. I wonder if one of these was taken on board the Gothic as cargo ? Then unloaded where ever a need arose for its use. Or was the same car transported around to the various NZ cities , where a ceremony was planned.

I had a look over one of these cars at Simpson barracks, Watsonia ,Melbourne, back around 1980. It was dragged out of storage for an army open day . An army parachutist came down in a tree next to our historic military vehicle display. He wasn't a happy chappy. We were amazed at the WW2 vintage 5.5 inch artillery pieces the army still had in service .. they were in 'as new' condition and the crews fired a few with blank rounds .

Mike

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Regarding the 80" Royal Review Rovers. I don't know about NZ or even the Royal Yacht Gothic however for Australia the vehicles (at least 3 of them,) remained in Australia. One of them still exists in the Monaro Region.

Diana

[series1buff]

Going through the 2nd hand books at the Op shop recently, I came across a large volume on the Royal tour of OZ 1954 ? Pictured in various capital cities , is a 86" series 1 with lizzie windsor and phil the greek hanging on .

Now, is it the same car pictured in Hobart, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane ... it certianly looks to be . They would not have 5 different cars !

It's definately a 86", the doors have the recess for the outside handle and the doors are square backed, not angled . The front wings have the 3 seperate panels.

The book had $10 on it, which I feel is a exhorbitant price for a Op shop to charge.
Mike

[ellard]

Hi there

Initally it seem a high price for an Op shop - but its for a good cause...

Wayne

[Phoenix]

That book would be a good investment, did you buy it series 1 buff, and could we borrow it to scan?

also, i've added the chassis numbers of the 2 army review land rovers as well as 2 numbers of other known australian review rovers of the 6 delivered to australia for the 54 commonwealth tour.

I've also added 6 chassis numbers of UK vehicles, and one of a NZ vehicle.

Series 1 Review Rovers -REMLR (http://www.remlr.com/1_80review.html)

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Phoeny

Given a number of factors, like the 86" tubs and the 88" tubs having the same dimensions and fittings as each other, as well as the fact that the 4 Land Rovers specified as "Royal Tour" in Grenville Motors books were sold 2 months after the tour ended.

I wonder if the ceremonial backs were actually removed and stored in 1954, then re-used on other vehicles taken from the local supplies in 1958, then much later being converted into the military ceremonials by RAEME?

Diana

[Phoenix]

Being as the army has no series 1's, I doubt they were built from existing vehicles. Also, their registrations are with vehicles which entered service in 1969, muc much later on.

The information above is from james taylor. I've not plugged the chassis numbers through calvin to decypher what year the vehicles are,.

I noticed your comment about them being sold in may 1954 from your e-mail, but none of the australian ones were 86's to the information I was given. So we aren't out of the woods as yet as to their true identity. However one is a single chassis number from one that was sold by shannons in 1996, and a couple of numbers off the other one.

[LSBob]

The Australian Army in PNG had one ceremonial Land Rover which was used for Prince Charles at Independence and the opening of the new parliament in 1975. I can remember seeing it getting a mechanical overhaul before the event and it had very low mileage and a top quality paint job which I am fairly certain was not the army green. Cannot now remember whether it was a ser 1 or 2 but it was it was an open vehicle. None of my photos at Independence show the vehicle though. Perhaps it was used to take Charles around the Hubert Murray Stadium.

[Phoenix]

I just had another look at the photos that I have, and i'm even more confused now :(

[Lotz-A-Landies]

I just had another look at the photos that I have, and i'm even more confused now :(
You should be Phoeny! :D

All the images of the 1954 I have recently found show an 86" (given that there were no 88" in 1954) although I am sure that I have seen a picture of an 80" Royal Review in a rather poor state of repair. Where was the image and if it were even in Australia I'm no longer sure.

What I am sure about is that there are four 86" Land Rovers in the Grenville books with the notation "Royal Tour" they arrived before the Tour started in early February and yet were not sold to the public until May when all other UK Built vehicles were delivered within days of arrival.

Someone else may have better information than me. :)

Diana

[Phoenix]

I think i've got a photo of that vehicle,. I think it was one of the army converted series 2's.

mm, maybe the vehicles that I have reference to are later built ones for the tour, as James Taylor was veryspecific that 6 were built from kits in australia, he said for the 54 tour.

the Calvin calculator puts the series 1's that I have chassis numbers for (the 2 army ones and the 2 shannons sold) as 1958 models, not 53 or 54 models, just to add to the confustion. the first 8 it pegs as 58, is this wrong, or are we missing a large number of vehicles somewhere later on?

[Lotz-A-Landies]

....mm, maybe the vehicles that I have reference to are later built ones for the tour, as James Taylor was veryspecific that 6 were built from kits in australia, he said for the 54 tour. ...
There is another of those James Taylor references again. :mad: :mad:

Depending upon whom you talk to there are a number of factual errors in that book. Like the one about 2 serarate 1950 number sequences 06100001 through 06109999 and a second sequence 06110001 onwards. If James had chosen to do his research absolutely correctly he would have found that 06110000 was the last vehicle in the first book. In fact vehicle R06110000 came to Regent Motors in Victoria.

What I can do is ask Mike Bishop to do a little research for us, he is in the U.K for a while and is one of the people who has direct access to the archives at Gaydon.

Cheers
Diana

[Dinty]

G'day All, Just reading this thru again,, can anyone tell me when Bandiana moved to Qld........?:D;):p I thought it twas in Victoria LOL cheers Dennis:wasntme:
PS sorry Diana couldn't help it.. tis in your 1st post..:angel:

[Lotz-A-Landies]

G'day All, Just reading this thru again,, can anyone tell me when Bandiana moved to Qld........?:D;):p I thought it twas in Victoria LOL cheers Dennis:wasntme:
PS sorry Diana couldn't help it.. tis in your 1st post..:angel:
Victoria, Queensland, it's not in New South Wales so who cares! :D

Diana

P.S. I guess I have just been dishonourably discharged from the LROCV! :(

[Dinty]

G'day All, Sorry Di,:(:(:( LOL cheers see you at Cessnock swap meet ?? Dennis:wasntme:

[Phoenix]

James taylor reference? Book?? which ook. I've just been talking to James Taylor, not looking at his books.

Seems I've made a mistake here. The bandiana pair, and the pair that were sold by shannons in 1996 are 1958 models for a yet to be figured out (but working on it) Royal tour. The 4 that came to Oz for the 54 tour were some of the UK ones.

Apologies folks, I got a bit carried away..

[Phoenix]

Oh, and somebody mentioned ANZUK review.

here is a photo of a aus army 2a ceremonial. Interestingly with a UK spec bumper.

AWM Collection Record: ANZUK/72/0074 - Singapore. 1972-03. The Royal Pennant tops the flags of the three nations of the ANZUK Force, as Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip review a parade of the ANZUK Force during their one-day visit to ... (http://cas.awm.gov.au/photograph/ANZUK/72/0074)
http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/ANZUK/72/0074

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Wasn't the ANZUK force the one used in the Malay Rebellion and later based in Singapore?

Many of those vehicles were from the UK regiments making up that portion of the contingent.

Diana

[Phoenix]

ANZUK was in singapore and malaysia.

Early on the vehicles were mostly british, but later on more australian vehicels were used. I beieve some of the forum guys on REMLR were there and can give you mroe detail. I do have some accounts to put onto remlr when I have the time.

[Phoenix]

Oh, and I think I actually have a photo of an entry saying that the vehicle in the photo was being sent over.