ALTHOUGH the last 70 years have seen motoring change beyond recognition, one thing has remained constant: John Blanchard’s AA membership.
Mr Blanchard, 90, of Totnes Road, Newton Abbot received a special award from the Automobile Association in the post to commemorate his 70 years of membership.
John began his love affair with motoring as a teenager, driving his parent’s car back and forth in the local garage. Soon after, John got his first car for £50: a 1932 Austin Seven.
Soon after, John was planning his first adventure. In 1952, with a few friends and a budget of £23, John travelled from Lands End to John o’ Groats.The pair covered 2,600 miles and passed through 55 British counties.
Miraculously, the AA wasn’t needed on that first trip, and for good reason. In papers at the time, John explained: ‘My main motive for taking this tour was to prove that the car should not be the subject of derision.
‘In this, I feel I was successful, apart from a few minor mishaps.’
That luck was not repeated in 1998 when John and his friend Roy Barter decided to retrace the epic journey in another Authin Seven for John’s 65th birthday. John managed to borrow a similar Austin Seven from another motor enthusiast from Ipplepen, Ron Peacock.
John said: ‘We tried to follow the original route as much as possible to see how much had changed. The only difference is that we stayed in Bed and Breakfasts rather than camping.’
After making it all the way to Scotland, the Austin failed the duo in Northumberland on the return trip.
‘We eventually limped to a halt. We then had a series of AA vehicles take us home. Because they all had their areas, they just passed us from one to the next until we made it back to Devon.’
Despite requiring the AA’s assistance, the trip raised over £5,500 for Cancer Research.
Since those adventures, road trips have come off the agenda and John now owns a Honda Jazz, meaning he may be driving the AA a little less mad in years to come.
An AA spokesperson said: ‘We are honoured to have such loyal members who have trusted us on their travels for so many years.’
