Lang's Library Recollections

Here is an original colour 1942 movie.

At the end of out Bambino trip around the world Bev and I drove the Alaska Highway. Still pretty remote in parts but nothing dangerous. A fabulous trip past glaciers, frozen lakes and vast Spruce and Birch forests.

 

 

This guy, Bagnold,  had an amazing life, and he lasted until 1990. He was still publishing scientific papers into his 90s. He designed the famous sun compass and founded the LRDG. He spent three years in the trenches in WW1 . He wrote books , a real explorer, academic, soldier, and NASA used him as an advisor. There is a range of hills on Mars named after him. 



 

The first really long range vehicles into Libya were conducted by the Australian Model T Fords. The Long Range Desert group 25 years later several times thought they were the first vehicles into an area before coming across the Australian tracks.

This clip is a long way off telling the full story but a start.



This book is a wonderful read. Dozens of photos and descriptions of the Australian Libyan desert  and later adventures when they joined the Light Horse against the Turks. They were can-do guys!

 

 

 


 

Today is ladies day. First is Aloha Wanderwell.

In 1922, 16 years old Idris Hall a Canadian girl whose father had been killed in WW1 and was currently rebelling at a Ladys" Finishing School school in France answered an ad from adventurer "Captain" Walter Wanderwell (actually a Polish seaman, traveller and one-time spy, Valerian Piecynski). He had started the Work Around The World Challenge with his wife in a Model T but they split up fairly early and he needed a new focal point for his highly publicised adventure.

So in a deal that would see him in jail today or in the Epstein Files, he took on 6ft tall but only 16 years old Idris as his female focal point, renamed her Aloha Wanderwell, and they set out to in their Model T Ford to be the first couple to really cover most of the earth in a circumnavigation. PR was the name of the game and Aloha was not only a tall good-looker she played it terrifically, mixing with Kings, Princes and Generals all along the way. They covered deserts, jungles and mountains. Got involved in Asian wars and arrested or awarded medals according to the whims of each country.

In an incident that almost seems a fitting end, after 10 years breaking records of exploration on every continent. poor old Walter was murdered on the schooner he and Aloha had bought to continue their adventures. Aloha lived to a ripe old age of 90.She remarried and continued to have adventures, make travel movies and books into old age.

A great, entertaining read.
 

 

 

 

 


 

           

Here is a beaut movie by Aloha and her husband on a South American adventure.

 

Here is her story in Australian Wheels
www.whichcar.com.au/news/aloha-wanderwel...ive-around-the-world
 

We were talking about Citroen Kegresse vehicles in Australia. Found this:

 This car was trialed to take tourists to Cradle Mountain. The vehicle was a Citroen- Kegresse. The photographs were taken near Waldheim and appeared in the Weekly Courier, April 24th 1924. A bit different to the transport options today. The last photo shows Gustav Wiendorfer in the second row on the left.

Lang wrote:

Today is ladies day. First is Aloha Wanderwell.

In 1922, 16 years old Idris Hall a Canadian girl whose father had been killed in WW1 and was currently rebelling at a Ladys" Finishing School school in France answered an ad from adventurer "Captain" Walter Wanderwell (actually a Polish seaman, traveller and one-time spy, Valerian Piecynski). He had started the Work Around The World Challenge with his wife in a Model T but they split up fairly early and he needed a new focal point for his highly publicised adventure.

So in a deal that would see him in jail today or in the Epstein Files, he took on 6ft tall but only 16 years old Idris as his female focal point, renamed her Aloha Wanderwell, and they set out to in their Model T Ford to be the first couple to really cover most of the earth in a circumnavigation. PR was the name of the game and Aloha was not only a tall good-looker she played it terrifically, mixing with Kings, Princes and Generals all along the way. They covered deserts, jungles and mountains. Got involved in Asian wars and arrested or awarded medals according to the whims of each country.

In an incident that almost seems a fitting end, after 10 years breaking records of exploration on every continent. poor old Walter was murdered on the schooner he and Aloha had bought to continue their adventures. Aloha lived to a ripe old age of 90.She remarried and continued to have adventures, make travel movies and books into old age.

A great, entertaining read.
 

 

 

 

 

I  guess we all need to remember that people had a lot more adventure much younger than people do today

I thought I was pretty grown up at 16 years of age
I have never heard of this lady before but she'll definitely require more research 

Thanks Lang