Thread: Ceremonial Series 1's

Originally Posted by Phoenix

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

Originally Posted by Phoenix

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.

Originally Posted by 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.


Image Source: ANZAC Steel website ...
... 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).


Image Source: National Archives of Australia

Diana

Originally Posted by Phoenix

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.

Originally Posted by zulu Delta 534

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

Originally Posted by Phoenix

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.

Originally Posted by zulu Delta 534

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

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

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

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.

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

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