Dorothy Peters is not your usual 87-year-old. Instead of yearning for reruns of Strictly Come Dancing and a flash of Monty Don during a Gardener’s World omnibus, Mrs Peters holds steadfast mechanical skills. Whereas most girls were expected to heed the cultural stereotype and remain home for remedial duties post-WWII, Dorothy instead went to work for Rover on a rather special project.
In July 1946, at the tender age of 15, Solihull-born Dorothy joined the service department in Rover’s Lode Lane factory. Working alongside a youthful team, the adolescents were instrumental in bringing the first Series Land Rovers to life. In particular, Dorothy worked on chassis #16 during off-road trials.