Mansel Bryant, Lilian Maud

I recently visited the old graveyard in Kafue and I've put up a page with some more general views of the site.

Here are the other links related to this graveyard:

https://zambiabones.blogspot.co.uk/p/old-cemetery-kafue.html

Here is a stone for Mansel Bryant, Lilian Maud, surviving spouse of William H.O. Mansel Bryant, of Pembrokeshire, Died June 19th 1942


I am guessing this is the person mentioned here  http://www.archive.org/stream/rollofhonourbiog02ruvi/rollofhonourbiog02ruvi_djvu.txt

Of William and Lilian the above link says they had a son who died in Palestine (corrections to OCR )

BRYANT, FREDERICK JAMES MANSEL, 2nd Lieut. 4th (Territorial) Battn. The Welsh Regt, only son of William Hugh Owen Mansel Bryant, of Pembroke, Solicitor, by his wife. Lilian Maud, daughter of Frederick Walker, of Tenby ; b. Pembroke. 24 May. 1894;  educ. at St. Andrew's, Tenby ; Clifton College, and Crystal Palace School of Engineering : obtained a commission 5 July 1915 ; served with the Egyptian Expeditionary Force from Sept. 1916, and was killed in action at Gaza, Palestine. 26 March, 1917. Buried there. Capt. F. S. Thomas Wrote : " He went into action gallantly at the head of his platoon, and led them bravely forward without flinching until hit by a Turkish bullet in the heart. No one could do more than he did, and his example was a grand one." and Lieut. J. Swire Griffiths : " He died a hero's death, and I am proud to think he was my friend ; he went into action— his first fight— as coolly and calmly as if on parade, and in the subsequent operations he was always leading and cheering his men. and upholding the best traditions of the British Army. Unm.

Dutch Reformed Church records

Just in at familysearch.org, some Dutch Reformed Church records from Lusaka!

There are Membership records  which date from 1920 to 1948.
And also the Baptism Records from 1915 to 1971.


Reference is also made to church of origin, including Rustenberg, Kalomo, Broken Hill, Frankfurt, Bloemfontein, Chingola, Waterberg, Umtali, Boksburg, Kroonstad, Enkeldooin, Brakpan, Johannesburg, Klerksdorp, Pietersberg, Middleburg, Zimba, Pretoria, Nkana and elsewhere

Family Names include (this list is not complete, but will contain most of the last names):

For a more detailed index of the baptisms, including maiden names of mothers, see here.

Ackerman
Aldum
Algera
Annondale
Bardenhorst
Barnard
Bekker
Benecke
Berg v.d.
Bineke
Blignaut
Booysen
Botha
Bothma
Boy
Briel
Bries
Brits
Bronkorst
Bruin
Buys
Calitz
Carrebott
Celliers
Christiaan
Claasen
Cloete
Coetzee
Coetzer
Conradie
Cossee
Cronje
Devenish
Dreyer
Dunn
Dykstra
Eloff
Erasmus
Esterhuyzen
Eyk (van)
Ferreira
Fouche
Fourie
Goote
Gravett
Grobler
Groenwald
Harmse
Hattingh
Heerden (van)
Heijstek
Holles ?
Holtzhausen
Holtzhouzen
Houston-McMillan
Jansen
Jonker
Jordaan
Joubert
Kerk
Kloppers
Kock
Kotze
Krause
Kruger
Merwe (van der)
Niekerk (van)
Landsberg
Laurens
Lawton
Leeuwen
Legrange
Liebenberg
Lombard
Loo
Lottering
Maree
Miene
Morais
Munie
Nel
Niewoudt
Oberholsten
Opperman
Oosthuizen
Plessis
Potgieter
Preez
Pretorius
Prinsloo
Pritchardt
Rademeyer
Rensberg
Roden
Roos
Rooysen
Roussous
Runia
Schempers
Schubert
Scott
Shanker
Small
Smit
Smuts
Snyman
Sonnekees
Staden (van)
Steenkamp
Steyn
Stienmann
Stone
Swanepoel
Swaners
Theunissen
Thompson
Toit du
Tonder
Uys
Venter
Viljoen
Viviers
Volskink
Vos
Vosloo
Voss
Vuuren
Waal
Walt v.d
Wat
Watt
Westhuizen
Wet
Wilemse
Wyk
Zyl

Lubwa - Revd Dr D.M. Brown

Before I lose the link, I thought I'd post this pointer to some great materials on Lubwa mission, where David Kaunda preached and worked.

There are some very nice photos and cuttings here, featuring mainly the Revd Dr D.M. Brown, Scottish missionary, as well as a lot of information about Lubwa and other missions at Itete and Livingstonia.

http://www.hamishcurrie.me.uk/dmb/index.htm

Well worth taking time over...

Lusaka School then and now

This is Lusaka's first school house -- probably started in 1908, by the Afrikaaner community -- you can read a list of some of the people enrolled here elsewhere on this blog.

The first picture above is from the national archives, and is included in Richard Sampson's book 'So this was Lusakaas'. It shows the original building from about 1910. Sampson also has quotes from a Mrs Maturin:

There was a tiny children's school at Lusakas kept by several colonial and Dutch girls for the surrounding farmers' children. I can't think how they faced the life, for it has none of the compensations of ours. A mud house, swarming with white ants, which ate walls, furniture, clothes, and everything else; poor food at famine prices; intense heat coming on; practically no society, no pleasures, nothing! 

The pay given them was cruelly insufficient and they got but scant thanks... for [their] heroism.

An editorial appeared in Leopold Moore's Livingstone Mail:

Their house is not fit for the accommodation of cattle...

Almost the first question an intending settler will ask is 'What facilities are there for educating children?' And a really truthful answer would not afford him much encouragement. Be it understood that this is no disparagement on the teaching staffs of the Lusakas and Livingstone schools.

Regarding the complaints the school at Lusaka ... [from the Rev. Geldenhuis of the Dutch Reformed Church]. The former requested.. a site for the school teacher's residence and a grant in aid. The ground was immediately given, but before agreeing to pay half the teacher's salary and to otherwise assist, the Administration sought an assurance that instruction would be given in the English language, as in Southern Rhodesia. This assurance has never been given nor can the secretary get any reply on his letters on the subject. Under the circumstances we feel bound to acquit the Administration of all blame... We are in full sympathy with the stipulation as to language.

Following further comment that the Administration was not absolved from blame by the language issue, by August 1910 the foundation of the Government school had been laid.

By 1916 the building had been considerably expanded and continued to operate in this form until 1959, we are told by the 'Peugeot Guide to Lusaka', when the school moved to its new location, eventually becoming Lusaka Boys' School and Lusaka Girls' School and more recently Lusaka High School.

In 1934 the agricultural show was in Lusaka and former mayor, Jack Fisher, recalled in 1979:

The boarders' hostel was in Zomba road, and the boys taking a short cut across often disturbed grazing antelope. 

There were about 100 students ... dispersed among four or five teachers. The headmaster was T.C. Deacon, a wiry man with a large nose, a cricketer of note, and a disciplinarian of the old school. Any boy who misbehaved was sent to T.C. with a note simply saying 'please give so-and-so six cuts', and T.C. rarely bothered to ask why.

The woodworking class was conducted by T.C. himself, and in 1934 he decided that it should submit an exhibit to the show... My project was a hat-rack -- 40 years ago no home was complete without one. Everyone wore a hat, most often a sun-helmet, some with a flap at the back to protect the spine, because it was generally believed that the tropical sun would cause heat-stroke without it.

As far as I know it was the first and last time woodworking exhibits were displayed ... by any school.

I visited in about 1980 and took this photo, which looks to be contemporary with the previous one from Williams' book. There were people living here at the time, I think government employees.

About 10 years ago, I guess, the place was renovated, I believe funded by students of the school itself. There was a display about the school, which unfortunately I didn't take photos of.

On my return in 2011 I was disappointed to find the gates closed, and the guard off duty somewhere. I managed to raise someone to let me in, but all I found was offices of Zambia National Heritage.  I asked if I there was anything I could see, but there wasn't. Could I see the school register? Unfortunately not. It was  away somewhere, but not on display. Maybe eventually it will be.

There are two museums in Lusaka I know of - the main one (which mostly houses items relating to the independence struggle, but was pretty sparse when I visited it, admittedly some years ago); and Kenneth Kaunda's house. Surely they could have a display in the main museum about the school? About the early properties? About the design of the city? About the history of the various suburbs and how they got their names? About the early inhabitants? About the items held by the national archives?

The new president, Michael Sata, has said that he is going to make tourism a priority. Let us hope that this will mean some progress.

Here's what it looks like now: tidy and in good physical condition, well restored, but really operating for the benefit of national heritage, and not advertised as a place for interested people to visit, or offering anything to see beyond the exterior, if you can get in the gates at all. A shame really for one of the oldest buildings in Lusaka....

References: 
So this was Lusakaas, Richard Sampson, 2nd edition, 1982
Showtime, Dick Hobson, 1979
Adventures beyond the Zambesi, Mrs F. Maturin (as quoted by Sampson; I don't have this one)
The Peugeot Guide to Lusaka, Geoffrey Williams, Zambia Geographical Society, 1983

Robert Moffat family tree

The book 'Robert Moffat, Pioneer in Africa' by Cecil Northcott (1961, Camelot Press) has quite an extensive Moffat family tree in it. Perhaps later I'll add some text notes on the contents of this tree. In the meantime, here it is. I also haven't read this book yet, but it looks good... One of these days. It also has an index; so, lookups offered as usual.

A pioneer's life in Africa (Savory)

This is a very attractively produced, but brief (40 page) account by  Marylee Banyard of the life of TW Savory, 1861-1948, who spent many years in Zambia. It was published by Moorings Press (Canada and Zambia) in 2008.

One can piece together a part of the Savory family tree, but there is only slight mention of other names. On the other hand, the diaries and some other resources from which this publication are drawn are held by the family at Moorings farm, near Monze, and it seems they would be happy to share those with researchers.

The Savory family is said to be of Hugenot origin, and were of some note in Norfolk, where they owned Twyford Village hall. They are also associated there with the Landy Brown family.

Thomas Savory was born in London, England in 1861. His father, Henry James Savory worked in an import/export business, and Thomas encountered live animals shipped to local zoos, which seem to have made an impression on him. 

He travelled to Durban in 1882 via Cape Town, bringing silkworms with him. Later he spent time in Barberton, Johannesburg and Christiana (Transvaal) on gold, diamond and coal fields.

The Jameson raid precipitated a move to Bulawayo in 1897, but the family returned to Johannesburg some time later, before returning to Bulawayo again in 1907. Later the family were offered the Hartley farm in North Western Rhodesia (Zambia) and in 1914 had moved to the Choma area to manage the Moorings farm.

There are some nice photos...

The second one is of the Railway Pioneer Regiment, No. 1 Mess Troop, Bulawayo, during the Boer War. Thomas is in the centre.

Here are the few names...

Butts, Fred (Monze store owner)

Brown, Alice

Brown, G

Brown, Kate (Norwich)

Brown, Revd James

Baker, W.C. (Durban)

Elliot, Mrs (sister of W.C.Baker, Durban, 1880s)

Fitzgerald, Jim

Hajanza, Johannes Branchis (Tonga, Moorings farm worker)

Landy Brown, Charlotte m. TW Savory

Matthew, Dr (Johannesburg)

Maud, Arthur

Meikle, A.

Moreau, Fr. (Chikuni mission)

"Morris", farm messenger Choma

Murray, Mrs

Parker, Irene m. Lee

Raw, Harriet ("Harrie", "Dona") m. TW Savory 1886, first Raws in Natal

Savory, Catherine (?)

Savory, Harry, brother of TW

Savory, Henry James d.abt 1900, m. Landy Brown, Charlotte

Savory, Lee b.1890 (fought in France) m. Parker

Savory, Mary Molly b.1887 Barberton m. Salmon

Savory, Phyllis b.1901

Savory, Thomas b.1937, d.2008

Savory, Thomas Walter b.1861 m.1886 d.1948

Savory, Tommie d.1917, fought in East Africa, 2nd Rhodesia Regiment 

Savory, William, brother of HJ, William H Savory & Co

Scott, Flora Gladys (Kokstad, Salisbury) x Tommie 1917

Souter, Mr

Stephenson, Colonel

Lusaka Theatre Club, 1970

Here is a little tribute to the Lusaka Theatre Club and their production of the Sound of Music in Christmas 1970, the year, we are reminded by the programme, in which Zambia prepared to go metric. We were living near the Anglican Cathedral in Lusaka, but we would soon move to Makeni. I might have been in this production (my brother, Pierre was), but the rehearsals were just a bit too late.

The Concert Orchestra was the 2nd Battalion Zambia Regiment.

Above are some scans from the programme, and here is a list of names of people involved.

Washard Banda
Elizabeth Barr
Gavin Barr
Timoth Barr
Anita Behal
Harry Beeley
Chris Bell
Janet Bell
Nan Bell
Sharon Bell
Ruth Bond
Sylvia Bowler
Ian Brockbank
Gillian Burgess
Tom Burgess

Benita Campbell
Debbie Campbell
Stephen Campbell
Molly Care
Paul Campbell
Peter Cheese
Jane Chipendale
Barbara Cook
Martin Cook

Kerry Dalton
John De Goede
Mary De Goede
Peter Denmark
Pauline Denmark
Pierre Dil
Betty Dowling
Edumund Dowling (producer)
Ted Dowling
Ethel Drever
Heather Drummond
Jean Drummond
Perry Dutfield

Glyn Ellis (musical director)

Bill Fazakerly

Eileen Galloway
J. Glyn (Dr)
Norma Glyn
Patricia Glyn
"Godwin"
Valerie Green

Dorothy Haile
Daphne Hall
Mandy Hannen
Patrick Hannen
Gillian Harries
Brian Harvey
Marcel Harvey
Rosemary Harvey
Ross Hill
Tony Hobbs
Vera Hobbs
Karen Hoffmeyer
Gwynneth Howard
Norma Huston

Mary Jezzard
Anne Johns
Stephen Johnstone
Reg Jones

Dave King
Nicolina Kalulu

Anne Laming
Dot Laming
Sandra Langman
Heidi Lunde

Shirley Mair
Gordon MacQueen
Sandra Manning
Lynn Mayoss
Lt Col. Mibenge (2nd Bn Zambi Regt)
Brett Miles
Terry Miles
Norma Mitchell
Hilary Mear
Timothy Mufibwa
Jennifer Musk

Bruce Nixon

Mandy Philo

Fenella Redway
Veronica Redway
Doreen Rowbottom

Martyn Sadler
Diana Scott
Sarah Scott
Elizabeth Searle
Jennifer Sharp
Eddie Smith
Ted Spain
Richard Starnes
Valerie Starnes
Deborah Stevens

Tony Tiffin (Cartoons and programme design)

Rosemary Van Eck

Janice Ward
Anne Watson
Janet Weller
Alison White
Andrew White
David White
Peter White
Ian Whittaker
Anne Wilkie
Jackie Willday
Marguerite Williamson
Jeff Wilson

Romance and Reality of life in Northern Rhodesia (Kerswell)

Sialwala - a Mutonga headman

This little book was published in London in the early 20th century by Kate Kerswell and tells the story of Revd J.A. Kerswell and his wife Kate's mission in Nambala from roughly 1908-1912.
It's a brief but pleasant read, as usual describing travel from England to the interior and then time at the mission, with the usual stories of snakes, lions, malaria, mishaps and misunderstandings.
They go via Southampton in 1908 and up by train from Cape Town via Kimberley, Bulawayo, Livingstone, Kafue Bridge and Broken Hill (Kabwe) where they stop at the Grand Hotel, 'a number of round huts' with windows covered by calico.
There they meet the Rev. W. Chapman and Ila porters who will carry their luggage to their mission station at Nambala. At a village near Mumbwa they meet Mr A.C. Anderson, 'the official of the Kafue district'. They also meet the grandson of famous missionary Dr Moffat. (Anderson must have died not long after as he is later referred to as 'the late'.)
We hear a little of a local chief, Katumpa and his encounter with a mirror.
The native teacher is Robert Maolosi (from Aliwal North, South Africa).

After some time Chapman leaves them there. They receive a letter from G.E.Butt saying he will visit soon, but he needs porters to bring his bags from the railway station, 113 miles away. Later they join him in a trip to Nanzela where they meet Rev J.W. and Mrs Price.

'Native method of carrying a letter'

Returning to Nambala they meet Rev. W. Comber Burgess, a Wesleyan minister who (declining to take quinine, trusting to God instead) died of malaria in Lusakas that same rainy season (1909).
We hear also of the medical work the Kerswell's carried on at Nambala. Medicine donated by a Mr Calow 'of Redcar' turns out to be useful. We also hear about cases of 'jiggers' and many other events in the lives of Ila people and the mission.




There is a summary of names in the book at the end of this article. 
Machilas, machelas, maschelas...

A reader asked me if I knew what "maschelas" referred to on a postcard. I thought I'd just post a response here.

I think the most common spelling I've seen is "machila", but clearly there will be regional variations in the spelling, and besides, early writers would have spelt it phonetically, according to how they heard it.

Europeans travelling long distances, mostly women and children, would be carried on a machila by Africans, sometimes as far as from the coast to the interior.

Also people who were ill, injured or lame would often be carried this way. Sometimes Africans were carried this way long distances to the few medical stations there were in these days.

It is basically a conveyance that looks like a hammock, usually with a sun-shade, and carried on poles by teams of carriers, who would take turns relieiving one another if the journey was long.

Occasionally one will hear a story of how someone fell out or how many times they fell out that day, and of how all the carriers laughed. Apparently it would be a bit difficult to get used to, a bit sea-sick making perhaps, but also could be quite soporific if the carried person surrendered to it.


Nambala to the Zambesi, depending on which part of the river, might have been 200 miles or so. This was also the way that Kate travelled to Nambala from Broken Hill.

If you do some googling (add some relevant words, like "transport") you will see that this form of transport was also used in other parts of the world, apparently with the same name - so where did the name come from? I haven't researched it. Perhaps someone will comment.

Some names in this book

Anderson, Mr A.C.
Burgess, Rev. W. Comber
Buzande 69
Calow p84
Chapman, Rev W
Chibomba
Chidabufu's 63
Fell, Revd J.R. and Mrs p58, 70-1, 75, 81, 92
Hogg, Mr (Sijoba) p95
Kafwifwi's 64
Katumpa
Kerswell
Maolosi, Robert
Maulusi's  61
Mbula or Mbulu p50-54
Mono
Mukubelu
Mukunkus 61
Naluba's 67
Senachisigili, chief p89
Shamakundi's 65
Smith, Mr & Mrs 64-7, 84
Spencer, Mr T (of South Shields) p76
Tomo
Walker (early farmer) p67
Zamo 69