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John Walsh
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John Walsh
| House: |
Rhodes |
| Year: |
1940-1946 |
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I was in Rhodes House, and "Pansy" James was our Housemaster - I never knew his first name.
"Bush" Forrest was the acting Headmaster during my last year, standing in for Mr. Astley
(too frightening a man to have a nick-name - I received many a caning from him and am no doubt
the better for it!). Our Head of House was, I think, Nicholas Swan from Eldoret - part of the
family of Swan Maximus, Swan Major, Swan Minor and Swan Minimus (Nicholas, James, Peter, and
Solomon).
Rhodes was "cock house" for, I seem to recall, 3 of the 4 years I was there. I wonder if the
beautiful silver cockerel which graced the cock house table at their victory feast (served by
the prefects - great stuff!) is still at the school? (Note from Webmaster: Yes, I believe it is
still competed for at the School. In the 1970s it was presented to the House gaining the best
O-level results)
I left PoW with my Cambridge School Certificate, went to England and joined the army. I was in
the second intake (1A) into RMA Sandhurst after it reverted from being an OCTU (Officer Cadet
Training Unit for temporary officers) back to its status as the training academy for regular
officers. After commissioning, I was posted to Egypt and then, six months later, re-posted to
Kenya. I resigned my commission and happily took up civilian life in various capacities
until the Mau Mau uprising, when I was called into the Kenya Police Reserve and served in Nyeri
and vicinity until I quit and went to Tanganyika. I worked with the British East Africa
Corporation until my marriage to a teacher there, directly after which we left for England and
Canada. I have been there ever since, having a great career as an insurance broker in Winnipeg,
Manitoba retiring to Nanaimo on the West Coast 3 years ago (2000).
I was in the 1st XV School Rugby Team during my last year at PoW and was a sergeant in the OTC
there. After I left the army and before I went to Tanganyika, I played for the Kenya Harlequins
Rugby Team, and for a while, whilst I was in Dar-es-Salaam, I played on their 1st XV. My sports
interests in Canada changed to squash and raquetball, and I'm still pretty much 100%
athletically fit, I'm glad to say.
I was born in Mombasa and brought up in Limuru for the first nine years of my life,
after which I lived in Tanganyika until I went to England. I am still fluent in Swahili, as it
was, in effect, my first language, and have occasion to enjoy using it once in a blue moon when
I happen to meet a fellow East African.
From an e-mail to Webmaster (who attended Nairobi Primary in his youth) on 2nd Jan 2004:
I was at the Nairobi Primary, too, with classrooms located beneath the "Heifer Boma" up at
the end of Delamere Avenue. We boarded in wooden dormitories across from the Girls' School.
I well remember the Australian Blue Gums lining the hill up to the school.
(Registered - 1st October 2003, updated 2nd January 2004)
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If anyone wishes to contact John, please e-mail webmaster@oldcambrians.com
to obtain his contact details
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