The incredible tale of the Champagne Safari

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When the Citroën Kégresse half-track vehicle is discussed, we automatically think of smouldering hot desert expeditions through Sahara and Gobi, with men wearing khaki uniforms and pith helmets. And, indeed, the famous Crosière Jaune expedition was just that. Or just… travelling by car – even when it came with half-track drive – from Beirut to Beijing in the 1930s was of course not an easy thing. That’s what made this journey so memorable after all.

But it was only recently that we found out about another 1930s expedition, which accommodated Citroën Kégresses. And this one wasn’t about scorching deserts and khaki cotton. The 1934 Bedaux Canadian Subarctic Expedition crossed the wilderness of the other side of the world: Canada`s most northern parts. But the story itself is not one of the heroes and suffering, misery and mystery. It’s the tale of the eccentric French millionaire, big game hunter, explorer and friend of British Royals and Nazis Charles Eugène Bedaux. It was Bedaux who came up with the idea for this expedition being friends with André Citroën too and offering to use the vehicles for a grand promotional stunt, exploring British Columbia. A movie of the expedition was supposed to be made by a large Hollywood-sourced film crew, led by Academy Award-winning cinematographer Floyd Crosby. Bedaux brought along several friends as well as his wife and his Italian mistress. It’s perhaps no surprise this mission was also dubbed The Champagne Safari.

Things started in Edmonton, Alberta on 6 July 1934 after a number of training sessions were announced, albeit not accomplished as the members of the expedition were kept too busy attending champagne parties and dinners. But at least the goal to travel 1,500 miles to Telegraph Creek, British Columbia, was still there, the majority of the route with no trails. The Citroëns – Bedaux had been donated five of them – could surely cope with the rough conditions. But Bedaux decided that a bigger sensation would be created if they were destroyed on film rather than simply making the trip intact. And so, two ended up off cliff deliberately while a third was used in a questionable film shot involving a raft and dynamite, which went wrong. The last two Citroëns were abandoned near Halfway River by which time the team was advised to give up the mission. And so they failed to reach their destination. The original movie was never made although the footage was found decades later in a basement in Paris.

What a story!

Words by Jeroen Booij. Photographs courtesy B.C. Archives.

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