General Cucumber or known to others as just the land rover which has been the image of sea scouting at the 13th Southampton city scout group since 1984 when it was recognised the group needed a vehicle suitable for towing then an old transit van.
General Cucumber was apart of the commonly Known series Land Rovers, to distinguish them from later models are off-road vehicles produced by the British manufacturer Land Rover that were inspired by the US-built Willys Jeep. In 1992, Land Rover claimed that 70% of all the vehicles they had built were still in use.
I, II, III Series models feature leaf-sprung suspension with selectable two or four-wheel drive (4WD); though the Stage 1 V8 version of the Series III featured permanent 4WD. All three models could be started with a front hand crank and had the option of a rear power takeoff for accessories.
General Cucumber went on the first scouting voyage under the new 13th Ventures Scout Leader Geoff Johnson who remembers “setting off for a fortnight trip to Scotland. I had driven it about 2 miles before we set off for Glencoe. The party included such important people as Ian and Anne Rutherford who were then only Ventures. We made it as far as Leyland when the radiator blew. It was Saturday evening and I managed to find a site where we could camp for the night. A few frantic phone calls from the nearby Pub (no mobiles then) located a place that sold Land Rover spares – open for one hour on the Sunday morning. We filled all the water carriers and any other receptacles we could find and with frequent stops managed to get to the warehouse some 12 miles away. We bought a new radiator and with Ian’s expertise fitted it. That evening we camped wild on Rannoch Moor and were eaten alive the next morning by hoards of midges. The Rad held and we had probably the most adventurous fortnight of my Scouting career. When I got back the Group moaned that I had spent £70 on buying a new radiator. For all I know it’s there to this day. There are many other stories to tell but I don’t think many beat that”. Geoff also adds “I don’t think that when they bought it would give them such good service and this was due greatly to Jim Rutherford’s determination to keep it running”.
It is was great sadness that’s after its 30 years of service to scouting and its 10 years service to The Dorset Health Authority prier joining the 13th scout group that the land rover has now been sold on but over all the Land rover has serviced both of owners so well through all the good times and bad And has always been there to assist at the majority of events even if it had to be towed out by a Vauxhall Kadet, which is a car the same size as a ford fiesta, due to being stuck actually in mud on a weekend away in North Wales.
So from the 13th Southampton City Scout Group and Southampton City District we shout B! R! A! V! O! BRAVO and Farwell to our trusted steed and know it will serve its new owner just as well as it has us.
CHEERS GENERAL CUCUMBER!
At about 100 kilometres away from the Africa Regional office of World Scouting, in Nairobi, stands PAXTU, the last residence of the Founder of Scouting, Lord Baden Powell. Towards the sunset of his fulfilled life, the Chief Scout of the World had chosen to retire at the foot Mount Kenya, in the area of the Central Highlands Region, in Nyeri.
Scouts of all ages celebrate the anniversary.
