In
October 1975 I was working for an expedition company called Quest 4
or Q4 based up in Oundle near Peterborough, England. The company was
expert in organising expeditions to various parts of Africa, especially
the Sahara. In addition they were sometimes called upon to supply vehicles
with driver/mechanics, I was such a person.
I was duly dispatched off with an expedition prepared Land Rover to
meet Wylton Dickson in London (Eaton Square) as he had hired my services
to go to Algeria to try to find an aeroplane (The Southern Cross Minor)
that had crashed in South Eastern Algeria (the Tanezrouft) in 1933.
There were two Land Rovers involved, mine and the other one owned and
driven by Keith Schellenberg.
As mine had twelve seats I took the Australian film crew and some other
passengers which, including myself and Wylton made ten people, their
luggage and the necessary food supplies in my Land Rover, quite a heavy
load including all the fuel!
We left central London, drove to Dover and crossed on a ferry to Calais,
then on to Paris where we stayed the night. Because I knew I was going
to be working in West Africa after this expedition I went to the Mali
Consulate to obtain the necessary visa. In the morning we left Paris
and drove to Marseille, arriving at approximately 1am in the morning.
I believe we stayed in Marseille for two nights and Wylton & I met
an old Legionnaire who confirmed the existence of the plane due south
east of Reggane (Algeria)
We then crossed the Mediterranian to Algiers on a ferry. On arrival
in Algiers we stayed a night to stock up with extra supplies and to
confirm we had the correct documentation for the journey, originally
permission had been given by the Algerian Minister for the Interior.
As everything seemed in order we then continued our journey south out
of Algiers and stayed the night in an hotel in the moutains near Blida.
We continued on through Laghouat before stopping for a night in Ghardaia.
In the morning we drove on but stopped to film the market in El Goléa
before proceeding to Timimoun for the night.
In the morning we continued on to Adrar where there was a meeting with
the Chief of Police before going through to Reggane to establish a base.
From Adrar onwards there was no diesel and so we filled every container
possible. Out of the total of 14 people on the expedition only 9 were
allowed to then drive south to search for the plane.
Because of the political situation with Spanish Sahara and the closeness
of the Mali border we were instructed to took for the plane “ONLY
ON THE WEST” of the Trans Saharan route.
After we set off due south we made the first night’s camp at the
ruins of Poste Weygande (Balise 250). In the morning it was decided
to go approximately 45 degrees SOUTH WEST and then strike back to Bidon
Cinq to form a triangle to search within. We could then grid search
the desert by driving 1 kilometre in one direction then 1 kilometre
in another direction, both Land Rovers to be approximately 1 kilometre
apart. On the roof of each Land Rover there would be a person standing
as an observer (lookout) to try and spot for anything unusual. The Tanezrouft
there is totally flat with no distinguishing points at all, so anything
spotted would need investigation.
As I was young, tall and fit I elected to stand on the roof of my Land
Rover as an observer, with Hamish Moffat as the driver, Wylton then
went up on the roof of the Schellenberg recovery Land Rover. On the
17 November 1975 at approximately 2pm I spotted something in the far
distance and as we got closer it became apparent that it was a wreck
of some kind. When we were nearly on top of it we spotted a piece of
engine cowling that showed us it was probably the Southern Cross Minor!
We then waited for the other Land Rover (Schellenberg’s) to arrive
before finally arriving at the crash site. I soon found and photographed
a shoe (believed to be Bill Lancaster’s) which we buried and said
a prayer for him followed by a minute‘s silence.
We then proceeded to take the aeroplane to pieces & put the engine
(still with clean oil in the sump, the only damage was a hole in the
block where an engine mount had torn out) inside Keith’s Land
Rover and the fuselage frame and wings on the roof of his Land Rover.
We then proceeded back to Reggane via Bidon Cinq I believe. .....
On arrival back in Reggane we were duly summoned and discovered we were
in A LOT OF TROUBLE!
The chief in charge of Reggane had told us to go south west of the trans
saharan route and somehow he had found out that we had searched and
recovered the plane from the south eastern area not that far from border
with Mali!
Our passports were confiscated while he considered what to do, all this
despite the fact that we had obtained permission from the Minister for
the Interior for Algeria to search for the plane! After a night under
house arrest in an empty building in Reggane we were sent back to report
to Adrar!
In Adrar the plane and all the film equipment was impounded whilst “Le
Chef’ decided what to do with us!
Wylton and Keith then decided that most of the people could “disappear”!
So Wylton and I then went off with a Land Rover full of people back
to Ghardaia airport (very modern at the time) where I believe they flew
out to Italy (Brindisi airport?) and home!
On our arrival back in Adrar (where the plane and film equipment and
Keith, Hamish Moffat and the two Australian film crew were waiting)
there was the most enormous fuss going on...
“ Where are all the people?” said the Chief
“We don’t know, they ran away” we said!
He was very angry and told us to drive to Algiers to report and surrender
our passports again where we could be ‘detained’. We had
to leave all the seized items with him, possibly forever!
We then began the drive all the way back to Algiers, but I believe on
the way Keith and Hamish decided to fly out of Ghardaia airport! Then
there were only four of us!
Richard Marks, John Stainton, Wylton and I soon arrived in Algiers and
Wylton quickly got us booked into the Aletti Hotel before we reported
to any of the authorities. After that he (Wylton) had to go to the authorities
to sort things out but the two film makers were allowed to leave to
fly back to UK So now there was just Wyton and myself... ...
The following day Wylton announced that the authorities had reprimanded
him for not listening, “all was forgiven and we could have the
cameras & film equipment back but not the aeroplane”... yet!
Wylton then proposed that as ”he had an urgent business meeting
in London and everything was all ok again ” I should drive alone
to Adrar to pick up the film equipment and “if you get into trouble,
here is the business card for the Second Secretary (Ghassan Zarifey)
of the Australian Embassy in Algiers and he will help you if you need
it!”.
That night I was sitting alone in the restaurant of the Aletti Hotel
wondering just what sort of trouble I had got myself into to even contemplate
doing the journey to Adrar and back on my own!
After a couple of days wandering about in Algiers I decided to leave
and drove south on the same route as before to Adrar and back, BUT I
THOUGHT I COULD DO IT WITHOUT STOPPING!
Then I did stop...! The first was at the hotel in Timimoun on the way
to Adrar, I then collected all the equipment but not the plane and set
off back. Wylton had previously mentioned Fort Mac Mahon which was near
the route, so out of interest I visited the site of the fort, took some
photographs and slept under the stars there in the deserted Legion fort.
I then continued all the way back to the Aletti Hotel without stopping!
The only thing I can remember is torrential rain as I was driving towards
Laghouat (according to the locals, the first time it had rained for
many years’).
After recovering from the longest drive ever I made contact with Gassan
and went out to the Embassy to meet him. He then arranged my return
to England via Paris (where I stayed one night).
I left the Land Rover in the underground car park of the Aletti and
took a taxi to Algiers Airport with all the film cameras etc. As I was
checking all the baggage in it became apparent that there seemed to
be something wrong..... .... I immediately panicked and telephoned Ghassan
Zarifey who just said “do not worry, wait there, DO NOT MOVE!”
(Don’t forget I was only 25 years’ old!)
After about half an hour a line of official looking cars arrived at
the airport, I thought it was for someone special... It was... Me! The
head of Air France office Algeria, Gassan Zarifey accompanied by their
assistants marched through the airport doors towards me, all my luggage
was taken away by stewards and I was escorted across the tarmac directly
on to a waiting Air France flight to Paris!
