Pages For this Section
Winnie, her life in Kenya.
Barnoldwick to - where?
Leaving England
First Impressions
Eldoret
Kisumu
Trip to England
Parties and Picnics
Home Leave
War Years - the last years in Kisumu
Nairobi
Post Script
Winnie's Cook Book
image: Winnie crosses \"The Line\"
Before leaving England for Kenya, there were a number of preparations to be made. Not only was it necessary to plan a wardrobe for a sea trip and the tropics, but a number of injections against yellow fever and other lethal tropical diseases had to be done and they could make the recipient feel quite ill. Many years later, Frank avoided injections or vaccinations both for himself and his family as he was convinced that syringes and needles in such programs left much to be desired and with care, diseases could be avoided. Those requiring a medical certificate, such as small pox, Frank would wipe off the serum as soon as the certificate had been signed. In 1928, he was still keen enough to keep to the rules.
image: Winnie with a friend.
For some reason, he and Winnie had all their teeth removed and dentures fitted. It could well be that Winnie, who had been very self-conscious of her "buck" teeth, hoped the fitting of dentures would give her a smile she had denied herself for many years. Winnie's recollection of this was pretty gruesome as the Dentist came to the house and the "operation" took place in the kitchen! There must have been dentists in Kenya in 1928, but maybe they were few and far between. Later, a Dentist by the name of Maurice Williamson also left Barnoldswick for Kenya and had a practice in Nakuru. During the 1930s he visited Kisumu approximately every six months and hired a room in the Kisumu Hotel. For treatment, patients sat upright in a dining room chair and if there was to be an extraction, Maurice and patient would meet at the European Hospital and a whiff of chloroform made an extraction a painless operation.
Winnie's mother, being a tailoress, had always encouraged her daughters to make their own clothes and it is possible that Winnie made all her clothes for the sea trip and tropical life she anticipated. Her wardrobe would have included a topee and a double felt hat, bought in Gamages, as the tropical sun was considered dangerous.
It was soon time to leave and they sailed on the British India Steamship S.S. MANTOLA early February, 1928. The sea trip to Kenya would be approximately three weeks long, sailing through the Mediterranean Sea, the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, down the East coast of Africa to Mombasa, the Kenyan port.
The S.S.MANTOLA was a small ship and not stabilized like the present day ships, and Winnie suffered badly from seasickness. Frank, a second class official, was only entitled to a second class cabin. Protocol was much adhered to and officials were not allowed to travel above their rank. First class officials were usually educated at British Public Schools, and Oxbridge. They were in administration or the judiciary and their ultimate career ambition was to be the Governor or at least in the New Year's Honors List!
The S.S.MANTOLA did not have two berth second class cabins, so the newly weds were separated. Frank was in a cabin with two other men on the boat deck, whilst Winnie was in a cabin with two other women. One was not at all friendly, but Mabel Coultman, traveling on her own with her two year old son, made Winnie feel welcome. The voyage was undoubtedly more taxing than the trip to the Isle of Man. Winnie was so seasick that she saw little of her new husband until they reached Port Said, the first port of call at the entrance to the Suez Canal.
The ship, on entering the harbor, was soon surrounded by a fleet of rowing boats with merchants shouting against one another, to attract the attention of the passengers. They were selling brass- and copperware as well as rugs, small pieces of furniture and fruit, both dried and fresh. Youths, ignoring any danger, would dive into the water to retrieve coins thrown in by passengers.
The "gully-gully" man, named after his magic incantation, was always a popular attraction in port. He would come on board to perform his acts of magic and would attract a large audience. Dressed in long flowing white robes and wearing a red fez (a uniform adopted by the late Tommy Cooper) he would set up his table and lay out a set of brass cups. With a sleight of hand he could produce day old chicks from eggs, bunches of flowers from his pockets, or make things disappear to re-appear again, from behind a passenger's ear. All this delighted children of all ages.
Winnie and Frank went ashore at Port Said and walked along the white dusty streets, with the palm trees giving shade against the hot mid morning sun, to the bazaar and there they bought a small carved black table featuring the head and trunk of an elephant on each of its three legs.
The ship sailed the same evening, to continue its journey down the Canal. It had been cut through the desert and there was a silting problem caused by the bow-waves of the ship washing down sand from the canal's walls. As a consequence, the ship had to travel very slowly in the center of the waterway. To allow ships to pass one another, the Canal had been cleverly routed through a series of natural lakes, which were used as passing places. Winnie was fascinated with the constantly changing scenes as if she were turning the pages of the Arabian Nights.
Once through the Canal, the ship continued south through the Red Sea, which must be one of the hottest places in the world. Aden was the last port of call before going out to sea and sailing for Mombasa.
It was customary for passengers and crew passing over the Equator for the first time, to be initiated at a "Crossing the Line"? ceremony. This was performed before King Neptune consisting of fun and games with a ducking in the swimming pool. Winnie was thus initiated and became a "Citizen of the most Royal Domains of the Southern Seas" on 15th February 1928.
