The Last Overland Expedition, an expedition taking after the original one from 1955-1956, has finally completed its journey. A 19,000 km road journey from Singapore to London, which could be said as a reprise of the original expedition which did London to Singapore (i.e vice versa route). It journeyed through 23 countries and it will be documented into a TV documentary series scheduled for release sometime in 2020.
The expedition team consisted of eight people had basically recreated the Oxford & Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition (The First Overland), undertaken from 1955-6. Albeit in reverse order. This Last Overland expedition started off in Singapore, entered Malaysia - which we promptly covered and did a video off the 1955 Land Rover used in both expeditions - you can see it here. The expedition crossed to Thailand, Myanmar, the frozen plateaus of the Himalayas and Tibet, as well as many other countries, including Nepal, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and across the Bosphorous into Europe. (They even briefly crossed the border from Tajikistan into Afghanistan.)
The expedition team was multi-national, it consisted of folks from the UK, France, USA, Belgium, Indonesia and Singapore. By the time they reached Folkestone, the point of entry for The Last Overland Team into UK. they had an Arrival Party, hosted by Goodyear, marked the penultimate stage of the journey to bring home the original 1955 ‘Oxford’ Series One Land Rover that was used in The First Overland.
This Last Overland Expedition version 2.0 was headed by award-winning film-maker Alex Bescoby and Expedition Manager Marcus Allender. The multi-nation team included Singaporean Larry Leong and Nat George (from the UK), grandson of Tim Slessor (a member of The First Overland). In attendance to receive ‘Oxford’ and the team back to the UK was one of the three surviving members of The First Overland: Tim Slessor, now 88. Alongside him were also the Expedition’s key supporters, Singapore Tourism Board, Jaguar Land Rover, Opihr Gin and AKE Group, as well as members of the public.
There was a gathering of Land Rovers assembled from across UK and Europe also present to welcome ‘Oxford’ to Folkestone at the Folkestone Harbour Arm. Jaguar Land Rover also brought out the New Defender where it waited to greet the ol' gal Oxford and the team. The new Defender was brought out in a specially designed one-off Oxford & Cambridge Expedition livery. You can see the New Defender in the opening pic as well as the photo above.
After the welcome party in Folkestone, the team set off for their final destination which was the Hilton Park Lane in London. The finish line was symbolic as it was mere meters from the start line of the First Overland Expedition in 1955-56. The expedition was welcomed by the High Commissioner of Singapore, Her Excellency Ms. Foo Chi Hsia.
From left to right: The Last Overland team members, members of The First Overland expedition, and a main supporter of the expedition, Marcus Allender, Thérèse-Marie Becker, Alex Bescoby, Patrick Murphy (member of The First Overland expedition), Tim Slessor (member of The First Overland expedition), Foo Chi Hsia (Her Excellency, High Commissioner of Singapore), Larry Leong, David Israeli, Nat George.
According to Alex Bescoby the very old but rebuilt to original standards (with the exception of a transmission which had an overdrive gear) 64-year-old Land Rover managed to long journey. It managed to handle tropical thunderstorms, minus 20 C temperatures and even altitude at more than 5000m above sea level. The Oxford managed to conquer it all. It traveled through Nagaland to Tibet, from Turkmenistan to Serbia.
The original plans was for Tim Slessor (3rd from Right, below) to accompany them on the trip, unfortunately, Mr Slessor came down with illness when he was about to leave with the expedition in Singapore. At least he managed to see them off and also see them return in the UK.
From left to right: The Last Overland team members and Tim Slessor, Marcus Allender, David Israeli, Dr Silverius Purba, Alex Bescoby, Tim Slessor (member of The First Overland), Nat George, Thérèse-Marie Becker.
According to the news we received, The Last Overland was not one without challenges. One incident was where ‘Oxford’s’ back wheel fell off while Alex & Nat were driving at 70kmph in Turkmenistan, severing their brakes entirely. Luckily no one was hurt, and after some major repair work, Oxford was soon back on the road. Of course, an epic journey isn't smooth sailing all the way.
Despite the challenges, ‘Oxford’ managed to complete the journey back to UK, helped by the expertise of the team, including the team’s Indonesian doctor and mechanic Dr. Silverius Purba, as well as from remote support of Adam Bennett, ‘Oxford’s’ restorer, who delivered replacement parts through post.
The humans on the journey were also put to the test. The team was presented with a different set of challenges, including when extreme altitude, temperatures and various diets took a toll on their bodies. These involved the occasional food poisoning episodes, frigid temperatures and even needing to rely on supplementary oxygen while coping with altitude sickness at certain points of the journey.
While ‘Oxford’ and the team of eight have safely made it back to UK, the expedition does not end here. In the pipeline to tell the incredible story of The Last Overland are a TV documentary series in the making, aimed for broadcast in 2020 Alex's team at Grammar Productions, and a book written by him sometime after that.
The Last Overland has been an interesting expedition for us here to document. We did witness their KL part of their journey and we did get to see the old gal, Oxford. Quite a remarkable vehicle for a remarkable and memorable journey.
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