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   Leonard Batten

  

Leonard Batten

Nickname: Len
House: Nicholson
Year: 1954-1957

Memories of the School:
  • Looking back at my time at Prince of Wales School, I realise it was a marvelous time in my life and how lucky I was to have experienced school life there and the friends I made. I was never very clever (didn’t try hard enough) and not very good at sports but thoroughly enjoyed playing trumpet in brass band. The bandmaster (Jack Lockhart?) was great and allowed us to smoke.
  • I remember the bike rids to Nairobi, the bike ride back to Eldoret after term end with Kim Biggs, Iain Chalmers, Dago Grimwood - we gave up at the end of the Rift Valley (very exciting coming down the rift on a bike at about 2 am). Managed to get a lift on an African bus, our bikes and us went on top with the chickens/bananas, etc. We then caught the train at Nakuru and went our separate ways.
  • Making explosives, home made guns, pineapple 'pombe', our secret camp near the Convent, and making friends with the girls.
  • Barbedwire and lookout towers, Mau Mau times.
  • Camping at Athi River at weekends with Nicky Blunt, Tom Whitehouse and others (memory going) end of term, climbing Kilimanjaro with, Ray Carling, ‘Chura’ Iain Chalmers, Tom Whitehouse (our guide), Dago Grimwood, Kim Biggs and one other. Four of us made it to the top. Others had altitude sickness.
  • Much, much more ----------

    Since leaving School:
  • Kenya Regiment 1958; number 6789, Platoon 2 - motor/earth moving machinery Nairobi.
  • Back to UK early 1960`s - motor engineering two years in Germany,(great time); meet my wife there, and we have 2 children and lots grand children.
  • Back to UK - short stay with BOAC ground maintenance.
  • Then, transport manager for Poclain Ltd, sales and repair earth moving machinery.
  • Then worked for myself, landscaping. Then onto property refurbishment.
  • Now semi-retired and living in France (dept. 85) - still have some interests in property.
  • I am still in touch with Kim Biggs, he is retired with Isobel his wife and lives in Scotland.

    Anyone wishing to contact me, love to hear from you.

    (Registered - 10th Feb 2006)

    • If anyone wishes to contact Len, please e-mail webmaster@oldcambrians.com to obtain his contact details