Description
Object description
British civilian assistant farm manager and police officer with Kenya Police Reserve in Kenya, 1955-1957
Content description
REEL 1 Recollections of period as child in Watford and Weston-super-Mare in GB, 1939-1945: story of how he nearly burnt family home down; how his father deserted family; experiences of German bombing and V1 rocket attacks; character of his wartime education. Recollections of period as schoolchild in Guernsey, Channel Islands, 1945-1954: move to Elizabeth College, Guernsey.
REEL 2 Continues: arrangements for move to Guernsey, 1945; flight from GB to Guernsey in De Havilland Dragon Rapide aircraft; presence of German prisoners of war on islands and evidence of those who had attempted to flee; relations with German POWs; run down state of tomato industry; discovery of material left behind by Germans at Elizabeth College; conditions for civilian population at end of war; firing machine gun during visit to German pillbox; freedom enjoyed during school days.
REEL 3 Continues: story of hearing of father's death; further details of family; memories of aunt's husband author Elleston Trevor; his interest in Second World War. Recollections of period as assistant farm manager in Kenya, 1955-1956: background to obtaining employment on Kisima Farm; voyage from GB to Kenya; degree of awareness of Mau Mau.
REEL 4 Continues: initial impressions of East Africa; how British troops on train told him exaggerated tales of Mau Mau; comparison between outlook of white Kenyans and Rhodesians; character of farming family and settler community; physical nature of work and limited social life; security measures taken against potential Mau Mau attack; formal dinning with revolvers; story of shooting wild boar; his native name; question of the colonial relationship.
REEL 5 Continues: opinion of tactics employed by British troops based on farm; incident when he and farmer waited for Mau Mau in flock of sheep; protecting sheep from lion attack; tracking wounded lions. Recollections of period as officer with Kenya Police Reserve in Kenya, 1956-1957: reasons for joining police reserve; tracking role; attractions of bounty on Mau Mau leaders.
REEL 6 Continues: character of Mau Mau and uniforms worn; Mau Mau method of obtaining ammunition; use of hand made guns by Mau Mau; incident of Mau Mau firing hand made gun against him in forest and description of weapon; description of Kenyan forests; historical background to settlement and Kikuyu political activity; nature of Mau Mau oaths; need to de-oath captured Mau Mau; superstitious character of villagers; reasons why he obtained employment at 16 years of age; opinion of Jomo Kenyatta; nature of attacks on non Mau Mau civilians.
REEL 7 Continues: pay; sense of security in villages; description of Indian business class; reaction to sight of pile of bodies crawling with maggots; attitude to his role; question of attitude of British Government to Kenyan independence; how Mau Mau period influenced Kenyans towards independence; misguided policy of dropping leaflets on forests; Mau Mau methods of trapping food and subsequent dangers faced by those patrolling in forest.
REEL 8 Continues: description of tracking in forest; searching for Mau Mau hideouts along river banks; attempts by Mau Mau to avoid detection; signs on vegetation that someone had passed; method of tracking in forest; story of reasons for wanting to claim bounty on senior Mau Mau figures especially Dedan Kimathi; problems of locating Mau Mau by 1956; leaving Kenya for Rhodesia; arm injury and return to GB.
REEL 9 Continues: his reaction to overhearing his old school friends refer to him as a bore on return to Guernsey; benefits of the British Empire and negative elements; differences in European and African culture; story of taking sick parade; superstition amongst Africans; reasons for not wanting to return to Kenya; attitude to having experienced last days of British Empire.
REEL 10 Continues: role played by women in Mau Mau; incident of encounter with heavily laden woman later suspected of carrying weapons or ammunition; use of dead letter drops by Mau Mau; interrogation of captured Mau Mau; role played by women in carrying communications to Mau Mau; attitude displayed by British to women; question of role of women in conflict as later experienced during his travels in East Africa and Far East.