Never-before-seen photographs documenting the first ever motorbike crossing of the Sahara have emerged 84 years after they were captured by two pioneering British women.

Theresa Wallach and Florence Blenkiron rode their 600cc single-cylinder Panther motorcycle - complete with sidecar - from London to Cape Town in 1934.

On the way, they crossed the Sahara - reportedly without a compass - and were the first people to ever complete the journey on a motorbike.

Theresa, from Stowe in Buckinghamshire, was a keen mechanic. At one point she was the only female student on Northampton Polytechnic Institute's engineering course.

As the duo's bike suffered serious mechanical failure, her expertise came in very handy. She even rebuilt the entire engine.

The pictures will now be sold at Toovey's Auction House in Washington, West Sussex, after being found in an 'unassuming Union Jack box'.

They are expected to sell for between £500 and £800.

The women - Florence left and Theresa right - are pictured posing with their precious motorbike as locals they met during their adventure stand behind them. Toovey explains: 'The bike features very heavily throughout, and I guess that's the star of the show because it was the first crossing of Africa on a motorcycle. It's a fun one, it's got a lovely side car written with the venture on the side, it's a pretty old bike.

The women can be seen getting their bike off a makeshift raft used to transport it across a waterway during their African voyage. Toovey said: 'It's quite an important crossing of Africa and these slides are a fascinating archive. Its only bits and bobs but think they're really interesting.

On the way through Africa, they crossed the Sahara (shown in red) - reportedly without a compass - and were the first people to ever complete the journey on a motorbike. The journey was an extraordinary adventure for its time - not least as the pioneers were women

Theresa Wallach (pictured on her bike riding alongside cattle) and Florence Blenkiron rode their 600cc single-cylinder Panther motorcycle - complete with sidecar - from London to Cape Town in 1934.

Theresa, from Stowe in Buckinghamshire, was a keen mechanic. At one point she was the only female student on Northampton Polytechnic Institute's engineering course. As the duo's bike suffered serious mechanical failure, her expertise came in very handy. She even rebuilt the entire engine. The pictures will now be sold at Toovey's Auction House in Washington, West Sussex, after being found in an 'unassuming Union Jack box'. They are expected to sell for between £500 and £800.

Theresa kept a diary during her travels and later recounted the journey in her book, The Rugged Road, which was illustrated sparsely by stills captured from video footage. However, no actual pictures existed at the time - but it has now emerged that Florence Blenkiron kept her own photographic diary. Pictured: One of the recently discovered pictures showing the motorbike and a sign post for Uganda and Kenya.

The journey across Africa began in Algiers, Algeria before crossing the Sahara and moving into Niger. The women then moved east through Uganda and Kenya before heading south to Victoria Falls and South Africa. They ended at the continent's base, in Cape Town.

The pictures will now be sold at Toovey's Auction House in Washington, West Sussex. Nick Toovey, 38, a specialist in paper collectables at Toovey's Auction House, said: 'They all came in an unassuming Union Jack box. Within this box there was Ilford Special Lantern Plates, and on that had a little old-ish inscription for Mrs Kingaby, which is the married name of Blenkiron, the other lady on the motorcycle.' Pictured: Florence Blenkiron with two Africans she met during the journey.

Toovey added: 'They were lovely slides on their own, but obviously then we realised their importance of documenting this crossing across Africa.' Pictured: The bike being worked on among harsh terrain in Africa. The slides will be auctioned off at Toovey's Auction House on the afternoon of January 23.

In total, 66 slides will be auctioned off in one lot, which is estimated to go for between £500 and £800. Toovey continued: 'We've got a collection of 66 slides, all photographic slides, along their journey - the crossing of Africa 1934 and 1935.' Pictured: A rough road made from timber bears the motorbike's weight.

A GB sticker displayed on the back of the motorbike as locals stand in front of it. Toovey explained: 'There all sorts of different views, there are a really good mixture - not many of the ladies though because they were taking the photos rather than being in them.

Florence Blenkiron shakes hands with a woman she met during her extraordinary adventure. Toovy explains the lack of pictures featuring the two women: 'They weren't taking selfies with their camera back then. The ladies are there, but they're not the main focus of the photographs.

Florence Blenkiron can be seen posing behind the duo's motorbike. Written on the sidecar are the words: 'Cape Town to London Expedition.

Toovey said the pictures are the best quality images from the adventure. He added: 'They've been undiscovered - someone wrote a book but didn't have these images. Although we had the cine stills, they are not as good quality as these. Although they are small glass slides, about 2x3in, so the quality when you blow them up isn't amazing but it's better quality than the cine.

Toovey (pictured) added: 'There's a lot of history in there, not just the topographical. You're seeing Africa about 80 years ago, and all sorts going on. Nothing revolutionary, it's a snapshot, a window into the past.

The boxes of glass slides showing the photographs taken by Theresa Wallach and Florence Blenkiron on their huge adventure across Africa.

Theresa Wallach released a book - The Rugged Road - documenting the adventure. Above is the book's cover, showing the duo's route.

Sourse: dailymail

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