THE British Red Cross and Defender have marked a significant milestone, celebrating 70 years of partnership supporting communities in crisis around the world. This enduring collaboration has reached over two million people in over 50 countries, utilizing more than 500 vehicles. To commemorate this achievement, a unique project has been unveiled: a mobile museum housed within a specially converted Defender 110 plug-in electric hybrid.
This innovative museum, possibly the smallest in the UK, offers visitors a glimpse into the history of this impactful partnership. “The mobile museum tells the story of 70 years of supporting communities in crisis around the world using the Defender,” explained a representative. Inside, artefacts, photos, and audio guides bring to life the humanitarian work carried out from 1954 to the present day.
The exterior of the vehicle features a visual timeline of the partnership, showcasing its global reach across various conflicts and disasters. The museum tour highlights key moments, such as the 1954 mission where the Red Cross deployed four nurses to remote Kenyan communities, each equipped with a specially adapted Defender ambulance converted into a mobile clinic.
Other exhibits detail the organization’s humanitarian efforts in Ethiopia during the famine of the late 1970s, featuring a crucial medical kit used to treat those in need. “Another exhibit explores the British Red Cross’s humanitarian work in Ethiopia between 1978 and 1980 during a famine caused by a devastating drought followed by a plague of locusts,” the report elaborated.
The museum also acknowledges the Red Cross’s work closer to home, showcasing artefacts from major UK floods between 2007 and 2013, where volunteers provided aid in one of the largest domestic emergency relief efforts since World War II.
International efforts are further highlighted with exhibits on the relief response in the former Yugoslavia during the 1993 conflict, displaying children’s drawings created amidst the crisis. The devastating impact of Hurricanes Hanna and Ike in the Turks and Caicos Islands in 2008 and 2009 is also documented.
A unique feature of the museum is a statue of a rescue dog from REDOG in Switzerland, representing a Defender-funded search and rescue project. This project trains disaster search dogs and rapid deployment teams, like the one deployed to assist in the 2023 Turkey earthquake.
Paul Amadi, Chief Supporter Officer at the British Red Cross, expressed pride in the longstanding partnership and its impact. “We’re delighted today to launch our mobile museum to tell the story of the partnership and showcase the impact we have had over seven decades. We look forward to the future of our partnership and continuing to be there for communities in crisis.”
Mark Cameron, Managing Director of Defender, echoed this sentiment, highlighting the vehicle’s role in delivering aid in challenging environments. “Since the first model — a Series Land Rover — joined the Red Cross fleet in 1954, the capability of our vehicles has been used to deliver humanitarian aid in conflict and disaster zones around the world.”
He added, “The launch of the mobile museum showcases Defender’s capability in a very different way, and we hope it can raise awareness of the invaluable work made possible by our enduring and unique humanitarian partnership.”
