Thread: 1954 Royal Review 47160049

Originally Posted by 123rover50

Thanks for the kind words.
Gee time gets away. October since my last post.
Been out of action with a buggered back again. The discs are disintegrating but on pills that seem to have deadened the pain a bit so am getting around now.
Started sewing up the rear seats to try and get the back done .
Pics later.

Did you find out any more about your knee, can they fix it ?

Originally Posted by 123rover50

Photos of the tour show Police drivers except for Queensland which shows Army.
Can anyone identify the uniform, colour of the beret, regiment etc from this photo?

Keith

That shot shows one of a select few drivers who were selected from various RAASC units (predominantly the RAASC school) and especially trained to form the Royal Visit Car Company for the 1954 visit.

Whilst studying various photographs of the use of the Company vehicles, you may note two different uniforms worn on separate occasions and this was dictated by the formality of the event. (either dress "blues" or standard Khaki drill.)

This Company not only operated the LandRovers that this forum is interested in but also a fleet of cars (Daimlers/Humber Super Snipes), as well as trucks used for the transport of luggage; which if you imagine the scale of the events held across the country, plus the staff involved and also the variety of different types of functions the Royal Party attended, you will visualise as being slightly more than the normal suitcase per person!
One or two original members of this elite Company still survive today and are members of the Army Transport Association.
I have taken the liberty of contacting one of the original drivers involved and he is only too happy to answer any questions you may have on the subject should you contact him. Just remember that he is an even older phart than either you or I, so make allowances and you should get the info you require. (See PM re contact details)

For further info see; Neville Lindsay's book "Equal to the Task" where a short description of the Unit is given on page 106. (About halfway down the paragraph)


The Uniforms you see in the photo from the book is standard army "Blues - Walking Out" uniform (Formal gear). If you look closely you may note a red stripe down the side of the trouser leg as well as a red band around the cap. In a black and white shot the uniform is easily to mistake for a Police uniform but when seen in colour there is very little similarity.

This diagram is taken also from "Equal to the Task".


Berets were navy blue and the cap badge was the RAASC badge which in turn was based on the Order of the Garter.

Hows that for a selfie? Excuse the fluff, it hides away for years at a time nowadays.
You may have some difficulty finding a RAASC badge as the Corps was disbanded in 1972 and replaced by the RACT. Similar shape badge but they have lost the "Order of the Garter" (which to the youth of today means very little!!)

This Unit was raised and based in Sydney and all operations and logistical planning was carried out from there. Vehicles were despatched to the various areas as they were required, as were the staff, and as the Royal party flew from centre to centre (eg in NSW; from Sydney to Canberra then Wagga and Lismore etc.) the vehicles and staff were "leapfrogged" in advance to these areas. When she arrived at an airport, a car and driver was there to meet her, or in the case of a showground visit (as in the case of Wagga Wagga where I lined up as a tacker) a Landrover was dispatched, as well as a truck or two for the Royal Party's luggage - Massive logistical organisation just in that alone). This was duplicated in every state the Royal Party visited. (With a bit of investigative detective work and endless searching and dating photographs, you may be able to ascertain at what points of the tour your vehicle was actually used for the purpose it was designed.)
Most Country Area visits were centred around larger cities/towns where rail access was available, and this made it easier for, firstly transferring kids from outlying districts to travel to the centre and secondly allowed these vehicles to be ferried around the country in advance by the same means.
This Company provided the Transport for HRH all around Australia at all her stop-over points.
Hence the number of vehicles and staff required for the short visit.
Looking forward to seeing the finished project.
Regards
Glen

Thanks Glen. Great info.
Shows I was wrong in assuming the other uniforms were police. B&W photos in the books dont show the red stripes and band around the hat.
Keith

Rh corner seat

Both corner seats.

Pulled the glass from the old rusty frame ready to install in a better one.
For those that dont know, it is possible to date the glass with the Triplex code etched in.
On the logo the letters T,R,E,X, represent the four quarters of the decade.
Our is in the 50,s so a dot above the R means the second quarter or April, May or June.
The word TOUGHENED has a dot under a letter representing the year of the decade. No dot is 1950, a dot under the T is 51 etc.
In my case the dot is under the U meaning 1953.
The dot for the quarter is over the I where it is not supposed to be, so could be an R or an E.
Most of the dated bits on this 54 model are dated mid 53
These are LHS and RHS screens.
Its amazing to think that after all these years roo shooting etc , the original glass is still intact.

24 Feb 1954 - Sleek cars for the Queen "williams land rover"&searchLimits=

stumbled across this article about Royal vehicles for the tour, thought it
may interest you and spark some more movement in the thread
(I'm getting Royal Review withdrawals!)

Thanks Digger, I missed your last post, dont know why as I go into new posts each time.
Anyway, I am back into it again. Got some other stuff out of the way.
Wet last weekend so spent both days carving this flagpole out of some stainless then polished it.




Keith