The English press record our adventurous trip!

I  thought that, before I start the story of my life in Rhodesia,  I would include this newspaper cutting which was printed in the Evening Chronicle, the daily paper circulated in the Bath area in Somerset, shortly after our arrival in Salisbury.

As it is difficult to read, this is a reprint.

BATH MAN TELLS OF 8,000 MILES BY CAR TO AFRICA.

Elephant Gave Them Their Most Anxious Moment.

After a road journey of nearly 8,000 miles from Bath, Mr and Mrs Donald Beak, formerly of Fiveways Garage, Batheaston, and their two children are now settling down in Southern Rhodesia.

They went there the hard way, driving in their own Land Rover through France, across the Sahara and on through Africa, to start a new life in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia's capital.

Now they are making their home in a caravan which they had sent on to Southern Rhodesia by sea.  In their hotel just after their arrival Mr Beak said " We decided to emigrate because of the high taxation in England.  We chose Southern Rhodesia because we thought it would be the most pleasant of the places in the Commonwealth, to which we could go.

WIFE'S IDEA

"Going by road was my wife's idea.  We spent six months planning the trip and another six months getting ready.  We started off from Bath on Jan 22 - my wife Dulcie, our son David, aged 16 and our daughter Diane aged nine, and myself."

After crossing France they sailed on Jan 29 to Algiers.  "On Feb 3, we started what we expected would be the worst patch of the journey, the crossing of the Sahara.  It is waste land of every description - mountains and flats, sand and rock, with no sign of life of any kind.

"Actually it was not as bad as we had expected.  The road is a rough track, but it was negotiable for a vehicle like ours.

"We stopped every so often for water, which was available at wells; there was also petrol at pick up points.

"There is a certain amount of traffic across the desert.  Transport trucks supplying the desert villages make a series of patrols and the Foreign Legion forts keep in touch by radio, so travellers are not completely lost."

THE TRUE DESERT

"The true desert is the section between Tamanrasset and In Guezzam - 250 miles of soft sand.  We got across it in 10 hours and had to dig ourselves out only twice.  I got across by simply driving flat out.  For long stretches there was no road at all and we had to drive by compass.

"We stayed four days at the hotel in Kano.  Here £70 was stolen from my brief case in a hotel wardrobe.

"On the way to Fort Archambault we went through Bongor, the most primitive town we saw on our journey,  The natives wore literally no clothes and were still using the disc ornaments which they carry in the lips and ears.  Some were carrying bows and arrows. They were though very friendly and brought us a bowl of milk.  The roads here were fair, but there were many hazards. We crossed the rivers on primitive native ferries and once we had to make a big detour because a bridge had collapsed.

"Once a bridge collapsed under us and we could not get the car free until 60 or 70 natives had come to our rescue.

"We crossed the equator at 6,000 feet and had never felt so cold in our lives.  We did not have a 'crossing the line ceremony' because we were not quite sure where the line was."

After crossing the equator, the party had an experience which they will remember for the rest of their days.

"Driving along a narrow road we suddenly saw the hind quarters of an elephant - 15 feet away"  Mr Beak said.  "He turned around, blocked the road, flapped his ears and raised his trunk; it was an anxious moment. "He started to walk towards us.  We just banged into reverse gear and drove back 150 yards - and believe me, no car ever reversed so fast!

WADDLED OFF

"For 15 minutes the elephant stood and watched us.  We thought of all the stories we had heard about elephants in that part of the country over-turning cars.  Then the elephant rubbed his back on a tree, turned and waddled off.  We decided to make a dash for it.  We drove towards the spot where he had left the road - only to find him touching distance away.  We just scraped past him racing by so as to give him no time to do anything.  It worked - we didn't see any more of him."

Later they heard lions, and saw a leopard crossing the road at night.

OVER THE BORDER

When they crossed the border into Northern Rhodesia they felt they "were getting somewhere".  By now the miles to Salisbury had come down to 3 figures - all the way so far it had been four.

"We crossed the Zambezi into Southern Rhodesia at Chirundu and drove to Salisbury.  When we started the mileage on our speedometer was 5,160; when we arrived  we had clocked up to 12,896 - we had done 7,736 miles" Mr Beak said.

" We didn't have a puncture throughout the journey. We broke three springs, which we replaced, and we replaced a water pump gland; that was all the mechanical trouble we had.  To drive to Southern Rhodesia is a good trip for an engineer, but it's no ride for a novice.

"And Southern Rhodesia, well here we are now, living in our caravan at Coronation park, Salisbury;.  It looks fine - we like it very much.  I am going to get a job and look around" he added.

My Life Before Charente to be continued :-) 

 

The section of my life story during our overland trip is published on Kindle if you should be interested:-

 

See

 http://www.amazon.co.uk/THE-GREAT-1953-TREK-ebook/dp/B008KK0KHU/ref=pd_ys_iyr1

More vehicle problems and fuel at Agadès.

February 10 1953 (Tuesday) Land Mileage 2106

One week out of Algiers and 1372 miles into the desert!   We woke up early, so decided that it would be a good chance to get on our way before it got too hot.   We had been told that it was far easier to drive over the sand in the early morning, when it is cooler and firmer.    We were packed and on our way by 06h15 and by then it was just starting to get light.     We saw a lot of gazelles, which are a fairly small, soft eyed antelope which can run remarkably fast.   

Gazelle

The terrain had changed yet again and Dad had to concentrate more than ever on where he was driving!  One lapse of concentration caused us to have to bring out the sand mats again and we had our daily exercise catching up with a slow moving vehicle!

Sand-mats in use again.

During the process, it became clear that Mum’s head had obviously not recovered completely from the day before, and instead of rolling the mat up, she tried to drag it, thereby collecting more sand which made life very difficult for a short time. I was already in the vehicle and David and Mum managed eventually to catch up and scramble aboard.   The journey continued over patches of very soft sand, with boulders scattered here and there.  

After driving another while, Dad said that something did not feel quite right in the Land Rover's suspension and so, finding as firm a spot as possible to park in, he and David got out to take a look to see if they could find the problem.  The main leaf on one of the back springs had broken, so a decision had to be made what we would do next.   We did have a spare spring with us, but the heat was terrible and with no shade anywhere, changing it would have been extremely uncomfortable.     We continued for a few miles, but Dad was getting worried about the result of continuing and eventually he and David got out and changed the spring in the searing heat.   We decided to push on and reached In Guezzam at 14h30, a place where there was a well; it had no accommodation or fuel, but to our joy, there was some shade!  Tamanrasset had radioed ahead to In Guezzam to let them know when we had left and they were very surprised to see us so soon!  Apparently they expected us to take at least three days to cover that part of the route!   If we had not stopped for Mum's headache, then for Dad and David strip down the water pump, followed by changing the spring we would have been there in only one day.   We managed to get some horrible tasting cold drinks on our arrival, but they were so cold that even the taste could be tolerated! We met an Australian there, who said he was hitch hiking across the desert and was in the process of waiting for the next lorry to come along.   Not the way any of us would like to complete the trip, but we certainly did not have the room to help him on his way!  We often wondered afterwards how far he managed to get.    

After leaving In Guezzam, the sand was again very soft for the next 10 miles with a nasty climb, but after this the track improved with only a few soft patches.   David and Mum had to give a helping push over a few areas, but we did manage not to get really bogged down.   Twenty miles out of In Guezzam, while the road was firm, we decided that it would be a sensible place to stop for the night.

February 11 1953 Land Mileage 2272

We made an early start again, trying to get away while it was still as cool as possible.    The track was very patchy, with some reasonable parts and some very soft areas which Dad had to keep a close look-out for.    The dust was pretty terrible and it got up  noses and into ears; body and clothes became one colour.   We saw several more gazelles, a few camels and what we thought was a silver fox, but it went to ground too quickly for us to get the binoculars out! 

Camel, one of many that we saw here.

There were also a few donkeys wandering around and we saw what we thought to be a very large eagle.   By now the terrain was getting quite scrubby, but there were still a lot of soft sand patches.     We passed a caravan of camels and Arabs who waved us down and they explained in hand signals that they were short of water.   We knew that we were able to pick up water fairly soon again, so we filled up their bowls which they gave to us.   They were obviously very grateful and by way of thanks gave us what looked like very large, wet, white biscuits.   Presumably this was their staple diet while travelling; the biscuits looked anything but appetizing, but we thanked them and continued on our way.   Further along the way, some more Arabs tried to stop us, but we decided that we could not spare any more water as anything could happen and the decision was that we should just keep going.  

As we moved on, the terrain became far more interesting again.   There were certainly a few people around in these remote areas, and there was more to see; however, the track seemed to get no better and, in places, it was extremely bad.    At 16h00 we decided that perhaps we should stop and make camp for the night, giving my father a chance to check over the Land Rover and see that there were no more problems about to surprise us.

February 12 1953 (Thursday) Land Mileage 2475

We had not seen any "frontier" signs, but judging by the large 'bill boards' around - and our trusty AA travel book - we were in French West Nigeria.   The country around us was still constantly changing.     We saw some very large grey birds with long legs and beaks, and thought them to be a species of crane.   These were the first birds that we had seen since starting out in the Sahara, other than what we thought was an eagle a few days earlier. 

Suddenly the Land Rover started to run hot, so Dad removed the thermostat to allow us to complete the remainder of the short distance into the fort town of Agadès.   The note in our trusty Highways Guide said " Hotel, petrol cannot be relied upon.The Commandant of the French Fort will supply aviation spirit if it can be spared". We had a few problems finding our way around the fort, but we finally managed to locate everything and filled up both fuel tanks with petrol.  

Agades

Dad and David checked the Land Rover over thoroughly again, successfully sorting out the overheating problem.  

We were lucky, plenty of fuel in stock.

The town had a small store, where we could replenish some of our tinned food stocks.   While in Agadès, we had to report to the Police and Customs.   It was quite interesting that there was a jail there; all the inmates were sitting outside, under guard, making plaited straw mats; presumably for sale.   Someone had to keep the police in uniforms and food!   No speeding fines here.

Not often we were saluted!

They seemed quite sad that we were leaving so soon.

On our way once more, and there were definitely signs that we were out of the desert; there was a lot more growth in the way of shrubs and small trees.   There were numerous types of very colourful birds flying around, which unfortunately we could not identify, as we had no books in which to look them up!  We managed to spot an ostrich which was with its young, but they were on the run before we could take any photographs.    There were a number of people around and we noticed how much darker the skin colour was here, compared to that further north. The people also wore a lot of beautiful ornaments in their ears, noses and around their necks.   The women wore only very colourful skirts with a complete absence of tops; quite a change from the voluminous robes that the Arab nations wore further North.   It certainly made life very much more interesting, but the one thing that did not change was the terrible dust we had to endure, billowing into the vehicle all the time.   The 'road' was very winding and there were still parts which were very sandy; we needed to keep an eye out for markers, as in places the track just did not exist.   A good reason for the availability of aviation fuel, as most people presumably flew to Agadès by small plane.

There were more and more people around; we passed numerous camel trains and herds of donkeys being sent along the way towards the small towns.   At 15h30, we found a nice little grove of trees just off the road and the decision was to stop for the night.   It gave us a chance to check everything out and tidy up ourselves and the Land Rover.   Two animal herds passed by during the night and we could hear people chopping wood, for what seemed like hours.

To be continued :-) 

I have put this section of my life story on Kindle if you should be interested:-

 

See

 http://www.amazon.co.uk/THE-GREAT-1953-TREK-ebook/dp/B008KK0KHU/ref=pd_ys_iyr1

Vehicle problems!

February 9 1953 Land Mileage 2006

We made an early start to try to get warm (see last post) and so that we could pack the vehicle up again and give it a good check over.     We filled up with petrol and again had to report to the Commandant.  We were led to believe that the worst part of the journey was ahead of us, but we were by now prepared for anything!  

After leaving Tamanrasset, we proceeded through areas of  stony landscape, dry river beds and into a rocky wilderness.  There was a strange mixture of flat topped hills, sharp peaks and rounded domes.    In some places there was gravel, in others, sand and we seemed to be heading from one valley into another.   We had to be very careful not to follow in the tracks of trucks which had  passed by earlier, as one could get stuck in these tracks if the ground was soft.   There were track marker points at various spots, but due to constant sand storms, the countryside kept changing and the markers at times were very difficult to see!  Thank goodness we had binoculars and a compass, as we knew that our route went more or less due South.   We eventually did what we had been warned about, and found ourselves stuck in heavy sand where a truck had driven through! 

Dad digging the sand out, so we could lay the sand-mats down; the latter you can see still rolled up on the front of the Land Rover.

We managed to push the vehicle out, aided by traction from the sand mats and then Mum, David and I had to roll up the mats and make a dash for the Land Rover, while Dad kept moving slowly forward.  If he had stopped, we would have had a repeat performance of trying to get free again.  The exercise was good for the three of us!  

The track surface then changed yet again and we found ourselves on an extremely corrugated section.   The Land Rover danced and bumped its way along, giving Mum the worst headache she had ever experienced.     She was so bad that at 14h00, Dad decided that we should make camp, to give her a chance to rest and recover.    Dad and David put up the camp bed and tried to put it in as much shade as possible; at this time of day, there was only a little shade from the vehicle, so this was not easy!  Mum found a pillow and after taking a couple of tablets with a cup of tea, tried to relax and shake off the hammering that was taking place in her head!

Me looking for interesting pebbles in the sand.

Given the early stop, Dad thought it prudent to do a mini service and change the oil on the Land Rover, which he did with David's help.    I washed a few clothes and generally kept myself amused.  Around 16h00, Dad noticed that there was some water dripping from the vehicle's water pump.   Back to work again, and the pump was taken off and stripped right there in the centre of the Sahara!    New parts (which luckily we were carrying, thanks to Dad's foresight) were installed, but due to the fact that it got dark quite early, Dad and David ended up working by torchlight only.    Neither wanted to leave the final adjustments until the following day, as although it would have been daylight then, firstly we did not want to waste travelling time and secondly, working next day once the sun was up would have also been extremely difficult in the much higher temperatures! 

Just as they managed to finish the job, a lorry came by and the crew asked if we were all right; they pulled off a bit further up the road, where they stayed the night.   Mum by then was feeling a little better and we managed to have a late meal and a fairly good night's sleep.

To be continued :-) 

I have put this section of my life story on Kindle if you should be interested:-

 

See

 http://www.amazon.co.uk/THE-GREAT-1953-TREK-ebook/dp/B008KK0KHU/ref=pd_ys_iyr1

Into Tamanrasset

February 8 1953 (Sunday) Land Mileage 1790

Early start again and by this stage, we allowed only one bowl of water between us for washing.   We took it in turns to start first!   Every two days, each had a chance of clean water either at night or in the morning.   This was not as we would have liked by any means, but water was a commodity that was far more important for drinking.   The trucks were on the move early and were away ahead of us again. 

We climbed out of the water-worn Arak Gorge which was very narrow, with rocky slopes gradually rising up to Hoggar Massif.    This gorge was proof that at some stage in the existence of the Sahara Desert, there had once been a lot of water around!   We carried on along the track, passing a rocky hill which was marked on the map off to the right.   Next a fork in the road appeared in front of us and our trusty Trans African Highways book assured us we were on course; we kept right as we had no intention of bearing left to Meniet, which was off our route.  We passed a dry well and then took another right fork on to Iniker where there was an S.A.T.T. rest house and good water.   Naturally we filled up the water tank, but the well attendant was far more interested in my red gold hair!   At school, I used to hate being called "Carrots" by the nasty little boys, but suddenly it was of great interest and he went and called his wife to come and look at my golden red head.   The hair gained us three eggs and we had a very friendly wave to send us on our way!    

Just after this we found a tree of sorts, which gave us a bit of shade, and we stopped to have a snack and a wash.  How nice it was to have a water tank that was full again!   Proceeding on our way, we passed the Tropic of Cancer at 14h00 and then gradually we started climbing up a mountainous and rocky road.   We passed through a small village with houses built of reeds and carried on climbing.   It was quite a bad track at times,very stony, but the Land Rover pulled on and upwards, crossing everything that got in its way, until we reached Tamanrasset, (when Algeria was under French rule, this place was called Fort Laperrine) at 4480 feet.   It looked and felt as if we were sitting on the top of the world; miles and miles of wide open space was in view!

This appears to be the only photo I have of Tamanrasset.  I would presume this is the main street lined with trees. David on the left in the foreground.

Dad decided that as we could not get petrol, being a Sunday, perhaps this was the chance we needed to break the journey and have the pleasure of staying at the S.A.T.T. hotel.   Joy, we could have a really good wash, as there were basins with running water in the rooms!   We could even each have clean water.   We had a complete change of clothes; the last set could have stood up on their own, being bright orange with sand.   It was even a chance to wash our clothes, as we thought that the heat would dry them very quickly.  Oh to be clean and smelling sweet once more!

The next stop was the hotel verandah, where we could relax with  ice cold drinks; this really was bliss and they tasted like nectar.  Dad moved the vehicle to what we hoped was a safe spot and locked up as well as possible for the night.   Somewhere along the way the trucks had fallen behind us, but at that point they suddenly re-appeared  out of the blue (or orange!).   They also decided to stay the night as they needed fuel the next day, so the dining room was a very busy place that night.   The soup was really not too bad, but the meat that followed was, by the taste of it, the old tough gazelle (no photo!), which we had passed many miles back, had been caught and had toughened up even more by the time it caught us up in Tamanrasset!    This was followed by a dish which looked quite disgusting and smelt no better.   Mum and I turned up our noses immediately, but David and Dad gave it a try only to find they never got past the first mouthful.   Everyone else in the dining room appeared to be thoroughly enjoying it, so maybe this was an Arab delicacy for which our English taste buds needed educating!   Hopefully we would not be around long enough to have to force the issue!  We finished up with apricots which we all thoroughly enjoyed.  

The hotel generator packed up just as we finished eating, so suddenly we were all plunged into darkness!  We stumbled our way to our rooms and made our way to the beds for an early night.   What a night; the temperature dropped seriously and we were all up looking for jerseys and anything to put on to get warm.   We had almost no sleep at all and shivered our way through till morning.   So much for the wonderful night's sleep we were going to get! The Land Rover was five star by comparison.

To be continued :-) 

I have put this section of my life story on Kindle if you should be interested:-

 

See

 http://www.amazon.co.uk/THE-GREAT-1953-TREK-ebook/dp/B008KK0KHU/ref=pd_ys_iyr1