He set it to the Windovers coachbuilders to convert it into a station wagon with room to sleep two in the back.
As a pilot from World War I and a Knight of the Realm, Campbell commanded the military police contingent of the Coats Mission whose job it was to evacuate King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, and their immediate family from London in the event of German invasion from 1940 till 1942.
As it happened the car was mostly used by Britain’s biggest pop star at the time, George Formby, who bought it from Sir Campbell and used it as a camper while touring the Allied fronts and entertaining the troops during WWII.
Rather than letting his custom built Mercury go to waste Campbell sold it to Britain’s highest paid musical performer, George Formby, who was off to embark on a 53 day ENSA tour (Entertainments National Service Association) in August 1943 to perform for the troops in Italy, Sicily, Malta, Gibraltar, Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, and Palestine.
The vehicle was modified by the REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) prior to departure, they gave the car a new military livery, larger wheels and tires for use on sand, and partially painted windows to reduce the sun’s glare.
https://silodrome.com/sir-malcolm-campbell-mercury-eight-overlander/
No comments:
Post a Comment