Plea for info on historic Land Rover owned by Chatteris company Charles Cole

I should like to make a plea to your readers concerning the engineering firm, Charles Cole (Chatteris) Ltd, who occupied the 19C brewery at 49 High Street, Chatteris, in the 1960s.

Since 1985 we have owned a 1948 ‘Pilot Build’ Land Rover, and I am currently writing a detailed history of this vehicle from the time of its initial conception in Easter 1947, right up to today.

According to the Rover Company’s ‘Despatch Book’ records, in the summer of 1948, prior to any production models leaving the assembly line, this Land Rover unveiled the marque in England at the ‘Royal Show’, York, and in Northern Ireland, at the ‘Balmoral Show’, Ulster.

The R.F.60 log book states that Charles Cole (Chatteris) Ltd owned this Land Rover from June 1, 1964 and then kept it until 1978.

In consequence, I would be pleased to make contact with any past employee of this firm, or member of Charles Cole family, in the hope that they might be able to provide information on the firm’s activities, or even remembers this early Land Rover.

By 1986, this vehicle remained the oldest Land Rover still currently in use and in March that year, led the ‘Keep Land Rover British’ campaign’s convoy to 10 Downing Street.

Since then we have driven it up into the Arctic in winter, east as far as Moscow and Istanbul, and crossed the Italian Alps in the footsteps of Hannibal.

More recently it has been used for charity runs on the Continent.

From 1955 to 1985, this Land Rover had four owners in the Cambridgeshire Fens, and I am keen to include each one in this history.

Any assistance your readers may be able to provide will be very much appreciated.

John Smith

Sevenoaks

pontabrost@gmail.com