Remembering a road trip of a lifetime - 66 years on

A historical photo showing the four men - John Everest, John Willmore, Peter Taylor, and John McQueen - on a stop off in 1959Image source, SUPPLIED
Image caption,

The group decided to drive to Sri Lanka instead of a more traditional method of transport

  • Published

In the summer of 1959, four young men set off on a road trip halfway across the globe that would shape the rest of their lives.

While their goal of emigrating to Australia wasn't unusual back then, their choice of transport - a second-hand 1936 Ford V8 - made the journey across continents and time zones truly remarkable.

They set off from Luton Town Hall on 30 June, armed with little more than youthful ambition and a few hundred pounds between them.

The group - John Everest, John Willmore, Peter Taylor, and John McQueen - eventually sold the car in Sri Lanka (then known as Ceylon), making a £50 profit that helped fund their final leg to Australia.

Sixty-six years on, Mr Taylor, now 90, has been recounting how illness, mechanical mishaps - and keeping a tight rein on money - helped forge the adventure of a lifetime.

'I was tight-fisted'

Four men pose in front of their second-hand Ford motor car in June 1959, for a photo that was taken outside of St Monica's Avenue in Luton.Image source, SUPPLIED
Image caption,

The adventurous group from Luton and Harpenden set off on 30 June 1959

The group purchased a "well looked-after" former chauffeur-driven car to start the journey, and from there, the adventure unfolded.

"We had luggage on the top, in the backs, on the floor," Mr Taylor recalls.

"You weren't comfortable, but you got used to it."

Mr Taylor, a retired statistician, was appointed the group's treasurer, managing their fast-dwindling funds.

"I was very tight-fisted," he laughs. "You had to be. We had to get there with the money we had."

But his strong head for numbers ensured the group - who were all from Luton apart from Mr Everest - had enough money for food and other essentials along the way.

The rest of the crew self-appointed their roles for the trip: navigator, mechanic and, importantly, someone in charge of food.

'Fantastic mechanic'

A historical photo of a Ford V8 and two men digging it out of a muddy fieldImage source, SUPPLIED
Image caption,

Their second-hand car was adapted for long-distance travel - but mechanical issues were inevitable

They first drove through France, Italy, and Greece, eventually reaching Turkey and plunging into the heart of Asia.

Nights were spent sleeping in the car, camping in tents by roadsides, or in rest houses for travellers.

The heat didn't always agree with the car's engine though.

"When it was really hot we travelled during the night," Mr Taylor says.

Mechanical issues were inevitable, but they usually found some way of continuing their journey.

"He always managed to find somebody to help out," Mr Taylor says of their mechanic Mr Everest, who was from Harpenden.

"He was fantastic."

'Decent people'

A historical photo of local villagers in India helping push the Ford V8 motor car up a flood-hit roadImage source, SUPPLIED
Image caption,

The group faced many challenges as they crossed deserts and mountains - even enlisting locals help push the Ford V8 through floodwaters

On their journey, the group was met with extraordinary kindness. "We were often given accommodation by decent people," Mr Taylor remembers.

"Particularly the Pakistanis - I found them very friendly. In places like Lahore and Multan, we got on very well with the locals, even some quite wealthy people who looked after us."

The journey wasn't without hardship.

All four men lost weight and battled bouts of dysentery. "It's quite natural," Mr Taylor shrugs. "You just have certain types of dysentery, I suppose."

They visited embassies in each country to collect letters from home, a lifeline of connection in a pre-digital world. From there they penned updates to their family, and their progress was printed in the local press, which gave them the moniker "The Luton Wanderers".

Fellow crew member John Willmore reported in a "Ceylon or Bust" column that conditions were often tough.

En route to Lahore, he wrote: "The petrol just evaporates, and temperatures have reached over 120 in the shade."

'We made 50 quid'

A hand-written account of petrol and oil costs for the 9000 mile journeyImage source, SUPPLIED
Image caption,

Mr Taylor, who had a head for numbers, tracked expenses, noting the group spent £119 (around £2,400 today) on petrol and oil between Luton and Sri Lanka

And despite the car's age, they completed the journey without major breakdowns, replacing all four tyres and improvising repairs with whatever materials they could find.

After almost 13 weeks, the best part of 9,000 miles on the clock, and dozens of memorable photos taken on Peter’s Kodak Brownie camera, they arrived in Sri Lanka, where their road trip ended.

Remarkably, they sold the car to a local for £115, having paid just £65 for it back home.

"Believe it or not, we made 50 quid on it," Peter chuckles, despite it clocking up 9,000 additional miles.

From there, the band of friends continued their journey in the more usual way - by boat - to Australia.

Peter points to Lahore on an atlas, remembering the warm hospitality him and his friends received. Peter is wearing a red t-shirt and glasses in his living room, which has a patterned carpet.Image source, Eric Johnson/BBC
Image caption,

Mr Taylor said the group received warm hospitality during their journey, especially through Pakistan and India

For decades, Mr Taylor's story has been retold to family and friends, including Steve Nicholls, the son of Mr Taylor's cousin.

"Pete comes to see us quite regularly," Mr Nicholls' wife Kirsty says. "It's always nice to hear his stories. We're very proud of such an amazing achievement."

Asked whether modern cars could survive such a journey, Mr Nicholls is doubtful.

"Oh definitely not. The mechanics now are all computerised," he said.

"You can't fix them at the roadside like you could with the old ones."

He admits no one in the family is planning to capture the same spirit of adventure as their globetrotting relative.

"My daughters love to travel," he adds.

"Whether they'd drive 9,000 miles is another thing, but what Peter did is truly inspirational."

Mr Taylor, on the other hand, still dreams of the road.

Asked if he'd do it again, he said: "I'd love to - if I was that age again."

Peter Taylor, who is now 90, poses in a red t-shirt for a photo in his living room in front of family ornaments and photos. Image source, Eric Johnson/BBC
Image caption,

Peter says he recommends travel and adventure to "broaden" one's perspective of life

Get in touch

Do you have a story suggestion for Beds, Herts & Bucks?

Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, external, Instagram, external and X, external.