What ever happened to Baden-Powell's Rolls Royce?
1929
The Scout Movement celebrated its 21st birthday by
holding a World Jamboree at Arrowe Park, England. To
commemorate the occasion, Scouts from all over the World
were invited to contribute one penny towards a gift to the
Founder and Chief Scout, soon to be created First Baron
Baden-Powell of Gilwell. At the Jamboree, the President of
the Boy Scouts of Denmark presented the Chief Scout with a
Rolls-Royce Motor car, which B-P nicknamed “Jam Roll” (from
Jamboree and Rolls-Royce), a caravan, which B-P named
“Eccles” (after the caravan manufacturer) and a portrait of
B-P in oils by David Jagger. B-P used Jam Roll and Eccles on
Scouting journeys until his retirement to Kenya in 1938.

Jam Roll is a 20 horse power Rolls-Royce,
chassis number GVO-40, registration OU 2938. It was one of
the last 20hp chassis to be made. The car was fitted with a
custom made 'D' back limousine body that was made by Page
and Hunt. It was one of only a few bodies made by the coach
builders for Rolls-Royce.
The order for Jam Roll was a rush order
with the chassis card marked "Urgent 6/8 weeks".
The order was placed on the 21 June 1929 and the completed
chassis delivered to Page and Hunt on the 19 July. Further
notes on the Chassis card state "if this car is not
complete by the date of the jamboree R-R to loan car for one
day for this occasion". The car was presented to B-P
on the 10 August 1929, only 50 days after R-R received the
order.
1945
On her return to the UK, following the Founder’s death in
1941 and the end of the second World War, Olave Lady
Baden-Powell gave Eccles to the Boy Scouts Association who
have displayed it since at Gilwell Park. She then sold Jam
Roll into private hands. From then on until 2008 the car was
owned by eight different private individuals, occasionally
being lent to The Scout Association for special occasions
such as the 1957 and 2007 World Jamborees.
2007
Inspired by the sight of Jam Roll and Eccles reunited on
the lawn at Gilwell Park at the 2007 World Jamboree, four
Scouters, including Michael Baden-Powell, a grandson of the
Founder, formed a charitable company with the aim of
purchasing and conserving Jam Roll. Their vision is to
ensure that, once again, she can be seen and enjoyed by
Scouts, to remind them of the link between the Founder and
his Movement.

2008
The company, B-P Jam Roll Limited, purchased the car
thanks the generosity of donors and an interest free loan.
They are now discussing with the Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust
how best to conserve and maintain the car. Among the many
people who have congratulated the company, Derek Twine,
Chief Executive of the Scout Association, said, "I am
delighted that a group of Scouters has succeeded in buying
Jam Roll, ensuring that Scouting's gift to the Founder
remains within the Movement. I wish them well in their
endeavours; to enable part of our history to play its part
in supporting our future."
The Future
We would like to display Jam Roll in a suitable museum
and to make her available for major events around the UK, so
that she can be seen and appreciated by today’s Scouts. To
find out more, to leave your comments or questions or to
enquire about booking Jam Roll for an event, please go to
our website,
www.JamRoll.org or email
enquiries@jamroll.org.
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