A brief guide to Northern Rhodesia

It is well worth trawling the internet archive for content. New material is liable to emerge at any time.
Here is an item relating to early independence (and before) era, online:

A brief guide to Northern Rhodesia  Unfortunately the epub seems a bit messed up - if you want to download it, try the PDF with text, which seems okay and not too large. It's a guide that's short enough to print, if the urge strikes you.

This is a booklet issued by the Northern Rhodesia Information Department and printed in Lusaka in 1960, so comes a few years before independence. It is described as 'a guide for intending settlers, visitors and others wishing to know something about Northern Rhodesia'.

We are told that the first explorer was 'a Portuguese half-breed Manoel Pereira' in 1796. (I find 'half-breed' really offensive, but I'm quoting....)  Pereira apparently crossed the Luangwa and Chambeshi rivers to reach the court of chief Kazembe, who had conquered large areas of land around Lake Mweru. He was soon followed by the governor of Sena (present day Mozambique) Dr de Lacerda in an attempt to open up trade routes, but Lacerda died on the way and Fr Francisco Pinto took charge of the expedition.

Next come two half-caste traders (I wonder if half-caste is the same as half-breed, sigh)  Pedro Baptista and Anstacia Jose, coming from Angola in 1802. In 1832 Major Monteiro and Captain Gamitto return to Kazembe's area, but after this Portuguese interest seems to decline.

We then get an account of Livingstone's time, on his mission of Christianity and commerce, and mention of some of those who followed in his immediate footsteps.

Lewanika with Revd Jalla

In 1893 the African Lakes Company transferred its concessions in
the north of Zambia and into Malawi and Tanganyika to the BSA and in 1900 their span reached further south following their treaty with Lewanika (see right, shown with Rev Adolphe Jalla of the Paris Evangelical Mission, in 1902).

There are sections on the centres of population, living conditions, farming, mining , 'African affairs', tourism and more.

There are also many references to further publications the interested reader could explore.



Here are some more pictures that may be of interest. The athletes here are Gordon Pirie and Yotam Muleya (racing in Southern Rhodesia).







Further mentions go to the Waddington Players (drama society) and their production of "Noah", the Lusaka Civic Centre (these days virtually invisible from the road), a Young Farmers club (not clear where), Regent Street, Kitwe, a rural parish church (unamed) in Abercorn (Mbala), a luxury hotel in Lusaka (puzzled as to which this is! could it be the Ridgeway?), students at David Livingstone Teacher Training college, the agricultural show (must be in Lusaka at this time) and the police motorcyle display team.

Beit Hall, then and now...

Prompted by a contact from a relative of Percy Light, secretary of the Agricultural Show Committee from its early days, I thought it was about time to post my pictures of the Beit Hall, which I visited in October 2011.

I had already done a stretch of gravestone photographing in great heat, thinking to myself about mad dogs and Englishmen, and next on my list was the Hall. I had seen photos of its opening in Hobson's book Showtime, and wanted to see what it looked like now, only having glimpsed it a couple of times from the road. (Kafue still feels relatively open and undeveloped as compared to Lusaka, though the land on either side of the road between the two is rapidly being developed.)

My memories of Kafue are mainly of going to buy hooks for 1 ngwee from one of the few shops, then going down to the river at the Makeni Centre Agricultural Settlement Village (started in the early 70s), where my cousin and I would hook sardine sized fish with our bit of fishing line tied to a bamboo pole, and our 1 ngwee hooks, and a little bread rolled into bait. Great days.

First here is the organising committee for the Agricultural Show in 1925, including the aforementioned Percy Light, who I am told never married, and died in 1941. His mother apparently also died in Northern Rhodesia in 1939.  He was a long-serving secretary who opposed the move of the show to Lusaka, but as we know this was to happen. It appears that he also served during WWI.

This photo from Showtime taken in 1925 includes (back row, left to right) Eddie Kirby, Percy Light, Hubert Kirby (behind Percy), Capt F. Goodson, unknown, M. King, Chester Dean, J Woodrow Cross, unknown, Harry Dunbar, unknown, Alan Girling, Harry D. Frost, (seated)  Capt John Brown, Mrs Mchellen and on the far right Mr and Mrs H W Cross.

Next we have the opening of the Beit Hall in 1931. 

The hall was designed by A.T. Flutter, the Beit Society's architect and cost the Beit Railway Trust £4,500, "a special donation obtained through the good services of Sir Drummond", who also opened the building. The building had a ballroom, entrance hall (seen in the middle below), bar, dining room, kitchen and three bedrooms. One can imagine the "wholly delightful dance... attended by more than 200 people" reported by the Bulawayo chronicle. 

Later Percy Light was to object to the moving of the show to Lusaka. "Development has now reached such a stage, and so much money has in various ways been spent on the property that the mere idea of letting things go even for one year is barely to be thought of...Members south of the river, who are already sufficiently upset over the dates of the show being the 31st of May and the 1st of June, when they will be busy with their reaping and therefore loth to leave their farms, would, it is feared, be definitely aggrieved and possibly completely alienated... Further, to hold a show at Lusaka would be the thin end of the wedge. An annual show at Lusaka would in all likelihood be clamoured for in future years... The Beit Trustees who made a special gift of the Beit Hall... will hardly be flattered... Sir Herbert Stanley could well be disappointed not to be given the opportunity of attending a show at Kafue, having known it in the old days...  In the holding of the show at Lusaka... a leap is being made into the dark... "

And here is the hall in 2011, not looking so different externally (but read on).

This is the area facing the hall, rather dusty and unattractive.

Elections had just been held and there was graffiti on the wall here.

This must be inside the ballroom where the opening was held. The ceiling was in some disrepair, the stage obscured. There was a church choir here practising, and singing beautifully I must say.

And then I went back in March 2016. We met the committee who have some responsibility for looking after this building, having a meeting outside. They remembered us from five years ago! How was it going, we asked. They were short of money, not suprisingly. We suggested they talk to the Beit Trust - why not... The building itself seems to be slowly deteriorating. Here are some more recent pictures.

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

Showtime - The Zambia Agricultural Society

I finally purchased a copy of Showtime: A history of the Agricultural and Commercial Society of Zambia, 1914-1976 by Dick Hobson (1979), which I had been eyeing for some time jealously. A year or two ago a second and updated edition came out, but by the time I realised I wanted it, it was sold out in Lusaka bookshops. The first edition is a handsome hardback though, whereas the second is a hefty paperback.

The book commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Agricultural and Commercial Show, in 1976. (Acknowledgement is made of research carried out by Margaret Dodgson.) There is also some general history of settlement in Rhodesia.

The agricultural show has been held in Lusaka for most of its life, in the grounds opposite the present Manda Hill shopping mall. I used to spend a lot of time on the show grounds, as my father started working there in 1967 as one of the founders of of the Lusaka Nutrition Group. Attending the agricultural show was one of the highlights of the year.

Recently I unearthed some film footage from a Focus on Zambia documentary made in the early 70s, including some of a daredevil motorcycle stunt in the main arena. Nostalgic viewing...

Back to the book:

By March 1905 there were 252 Europeans in NE Rhodesia - 69 civil servants, 39 missionaries, 52 traders, 68 farmers, 24 miners and prospectors.

Mining was not working out well, but cattle could be sold at a profit to the south in Salisbury or Bulawayo. Parts of trips would often take place at night to avoid tsetse fly. However, the farmers lacked real knowledge and badly needed to get some experts in. There were inevitably many failed experiments, including in rubber and silk production.

Of the Old Drift we have:

The only pastimes were drinking and gambling and Mopani supplied both. his bar kept open all night if customers wanted it and an American ran a roulette wheel as long as the liquor flowed. In the mornings African servants would sieve the sand covering the floor, hoping to find tickeys and sixpences dropped by the customers.


Having spent most of my youth in Makeni, I had high hopes of this book shedding light on the origins of the name, but it doesn't really. Perhaps it was known by this name when Europeans arrived. We are told that Boyd Cunninghame bought a farm known as Makeni (40,000 acres!) around about 1910 with John Rudd (p37) and when the administrator from Livingstone toured Lusaka in 1914 his group pitched their camp there.

To the names: not all references are listed in the index, so I've added my own. A summary of the actual index follows this list.

For a few people there are nice potted biographies, but mostly these are brief mentions. There are a few photos of some people mentioned here and a great one of Father Carierre's melodica-playing group, The Rising Stars! Remember them?


The 1976 committee and past staff (list at front)

Anderson, AW (Chairman)
Bowen, PD,
Dean, RL (ODS, OBE, Life Hon vice-president)
Dodgson, Mrs M
Edwardes, PD
Golson, CH
Hall, PR (ODS, life hon. vice-president)
Kabunda, EB
Kayamba, JG
Kelley, AJ,
Lenton, AJ
Loggie, AB (immediate past chairman)
Marston, LJ (past chairman)
Miller, PTS (OBE, life hon. vice-president)
Mwansa, SK
Siwale, KC
Veale, RO (Vice-chairman)
Wallace, DG


Some references that were not in the index

Allan, William (entomologist, 1930) p81
Ayrshire area, p37
Arnold, Simonga farm, photo p22

Baragwanath, Orlando p40
Babcock, Miss p76
Barlow ( Dobson & ) p74
Baxter, Sally p57
Beesley, Mr (Livingstone) p74
Benson, Sir Arthur p32
Babcock, Muriel (photo) p28
Babcock, Roxo (photo) p28
Blue Lagoon area p38
Blyth (farm photo Abercorn/Mbala 1905) p20
Blyth, Charles p41
Bredo p84
Brown, Cpt John (biography) p115
Buchanan, Sir James p39
Buchanan, George (& Susmans) p138
Burrel, Elsie (Mrs Cunninghame) p38

Carden, Cpt John (BSA police) p9
Carlton, Noel p47
Chester, Dean p54
Clarke, Mopani (cattle photo) p28, short biography p32
Cleaver, Hugh p42
Cliff (bandmaster, NRP) p76-77
Clothier, Neil
Collier, Dr R. Stanley p95
Cope (Kafue) p67
Coryndon, Robert p95
Cripps, Lionel (Umtali, 1895) p129

Davey, Tom p10
Deacon, T.C. (headmaster Lusaka School 1933) p87
Delaporte, J.W. (Lusaka) p74
Diamond, Vic (Lusaka) p74
Dobson & Barlow p74
Dos Santos (16th C) p45
Du Boisson ("Dubs") p74
Dunbar, Harry p56

Ellis (brothers from Plymouth) p67
Evans, Bubbles p57
Evans, Mrs Margaret  p81

Fairbairn (NR cricket team), photo, p17
Ferguson (red-hair, from SA, Kafue) p66
Fisher, Dr & Mrs (missionaries) p40
Fleming, Dr Andrew (S.Rhodesia) p95
Fleming, William Gibson & Selina, p39
Fletcher ( & Johnson; Bulawayo) p74

Garlick Mrs (Peggy) Grasmere farm, photo p24, p75
Gaskell p74
Gasson, Mrs (1917, Makeni) p38
Girling, Alan p61
Glyn, Frederic (Baron)
Goleti (servant of de Jong) p14
Gordon, Louis p109
Gordon, Major - short biography - p65
Graham, Mrs p57
Gray, Dolly, photo, p28
Gray, Kitty, photo, p28
Gray, Wyn, wedding photo, p28
Green-Wilkinson, Oliver p39
Grey's farm p42
Grill, Annie p138

Haddon & Sly (Bulawayo) p74
Halcrow, Magnus (1955) p30, 31
Hazard, C.J. administrator from Livingstone p9
Hay, "Tottie" (Bulawayo) p34
Hayman, JM (Indian empire to Rhodesia) p11
Helmore, Revd Holoway (1860) p90
Hermon p74
Hewitt, Alan p39
Higginson ( Rossiter & ) p66
Highfield (Mzaza, 1900) p45
Hobson, P.K. p77
Horner, PK (miner) p35
Howell, (Kafue, 1909) p40

Ingles p71
Jacobs, John (Lobengula's secretary) p138
Jelf, Philip p43
"Jericho" farm p41
Jerominsky (short biography) p135
Johnson & Fletcher (Bulawayo) p74
Jordan, E. Knowles (Namwala, 1906) p93

Kabot's (Bulawayo) p74
King, Ben (Kafue) p74
Kirby (Kafue camp photo) p27
Kirby, Maidie p57

Learmonth, C.L. p36
Le Roux, Piet p86
Lee, Willam (miner) p35
Lewin, C.J. (agriculture secretary 1933) p31
Leyer, Andrew p34
Lindsay, Lizzie (later Woest) p40
Little, Cliff (Bulawayo) p86

Mackintosh, Miss (niece of Coillard) p32
Marais, Mrs p56, p75
Marshall, Hugh p42
McChellen, Mrs p61
McClintock, John ("Honest John", Australian) p133
McKee, David p64
McKee, Peter p64
Meikle brothers (Rhodesia) p9
Michelmore, A.P.C. p84
Middleton, D.G. p129
Miller, PT (Bulawayo, photo) p17, p26
Mills, E.C. (ANZAC) p119
Minberg, Billie (Grasmere farm, photo) p24
Moore, TC (1923) p16
Moore, Leopold p39, 95-6, 109 (previous three chemists died of malaria)
Morris, JAF ("Seamus") p16
Muckleneuk farm, Kalomo (first farm NW Rhodesia, 1903 - Walker) p9
Murray, Cpt Thomas H. p96

Nel, Mrs (Mazabuka) p76
Norton-Griffiths, John p37
Norris, Gerald Chad p85
Oliphant, Effie p74
Orpen, Dr (Salisbury, 1911) p91

Palmer, R.H. (Kalomo, 1906) p93
Papenfus p66
Penny, J.W. (Bechuanaland Border Police <  Australia) p71 (biog)
Pienaar, P. Joubert p66
Price, G. Ward p75
Price, Revd Roger (1860) p90

Rintoul, Isabel p74
Rossiter & Higginson p66
Rudd, Bracken p37
Rudd, John p37, 119

Savory, Guy p76
Shoebottom (Cooper and Nephews co.) p13, p68
Sly ( & Haddon; Bulawayo) p74
Smith "Bongola" (Congo) p138
Smith, Cpt John p29, 30
Smith, Frederick p109
Sonnenberg, Mrs p138
Spring farm (Walker's son Hughie c 1906)
Stent, H.B. (agricultural chemist) p29
Stephenson, Chiripula photo p23
Susman brothers (biography) p137-8

Tambalika p42
Tarry's store p74
Teagle, C.A. p136
Thompson, Moffat p110
Thompson, Oakley p45
Trapnell, p29
Trayner, W. p92
Trayner, William p96
Turnour, Edward (Earl) p39

Vlantis (sisters Calliope, Hester, Cleopatra) p74

Walker (Mazabuka) p77
Walker, Chris (killed by elephant?) p9
Walker's drift p9
Walker, Hugh p9
Walker, Mackie (blacksmith, Choma) p9
Walker, daughter, married ILSLEY, Horace p9
Walton, (Livingstone) p16, p29
Watkins, George (hotel, 1905) p42
Westbeech, George p33
Wilkes, Mrs (photo) p25
Williams, Robert p36
Willis, AA (Kafue secretary) p12
Wood, p12
Woods (vet) p43
Woods, R.E. Broughhall p82
Wulfsohn, Harry p138

Young, Macdonald p129
Zeederberg stage coach (photo) p16

Some names that are in the index!

Adshead. Prof
Anderson, A.W.
Angier, Eric
Appleton, David
Baker, Sir R.
Barker, Meredith
Barnett, Frank
Beckett, Geoffrey
Bentley, A.M.
Beringer, Otto
Birchenough, Sir. H.
Bledisloe, Lord
Blue lagoon ranch
Blyth, Charles
Broomfield, Spencer
Brown, Jack
Burkitt, W.
Carlin, T.C.
Chaplin, Sir D
Clark, Harrison
Clarke, Erica
Clarke, Mopani
Clothier, Niel
Counsell, "Pop"
Critchley, Mrs
Cross, Herbert, Marjorie, Woodrow
Cunninghame, Boyd
Davison, Arthur
Deacon, John
Dean, R.B.
Dean, R.W.
De Jong, J.C.
Dimoline, Major-General W.A.
Doughty, Horacer
Dunn, E.C. (Northern Rhodesia Journal 1964 Vol V p592-4)
Ellison, Gabriel
Evans, Billy
Filmer, Cpt John
Fischer, Jack
Fitzgerald, Lady
Ford, W.P.
Fox, H. Wilson
Fox-Pitt, T.S.L.
Frost, H.D.
Galaun, Abe
Gamwell, Marion & Hope
Gaunt, John
Gibbons, A.H.
Glieman, Orne
Godsell, Sandy
Godson, Cpt Freddy
Goodhart, Herbert L.
Gore-Brown, Sir Stewart
Grenfell, H.
Grey, George
Hailey, Lord
Hall, Percy
Harris, Day
Harvey, Walter
Haslett, Sam
Hasseriis, B.F.C.
Hatchwell, H.J.R.
Hazard, C.J.
Hermon, Major Victor
Hewitt, Alan
Holmes, R.D.
Holmes, R.L.
Hone, Sir Evelyn
Hornby, Guy
Hubbard, Wynant Davis
Huggins, G.M.
Ilsley, Horace
James, C.Gordon
Johnston, H.H.
Jordan, E. Knowles
Kapwepwe, Simon
Kaunda, Dr K.D.K.
Kerby, Dr T.R.
King, Tom p 11-13 and 40
Kirby, E.D.
Krogh, Walter
Lafone, Michael
Landless, Eric
Lane-Poole, E.H.
Learmonth, Cecil L.
Light, Percy
Livingstone, Dr
Llewellin, Lord
Lllewellyn, Sir Harry
Lobb, Gordon
Loggie, A.B. (sr, jr)
Lyell, Dennis
Mclintock, John
McElrath
McFadyean, John
Mackenzie-Kennedy, Sir John
McKinnon, Charles
Macmurgas
Malcolm, Sir
Marrapodi
Marshall, Hugh
Maxwell, Sir James
Maybin, Sir John
Miller, Peter (sr, jr)
Moore, T.C.
Moreton, John & Co Cairo Road, photo
Morton, Percy
Murray, Cpt T.H.
Murray, Charles
Murray-Hughes, R.
Page, Sir Thomas
Pauling, George
Penny, J.W.
Pim. Sir Alan
Potgeiter, J.J.
Puffet, Stan
Rangelely, Henry
Rangeley, Stewart
Rhodes, Cecil J.
Rickett, Charles
Roberts, John
Robertson, Cpt F.B.
Robins, Col
Rodger, Dr Lovell
Rundle, Marjorie
Selby, P.H.
Smith, Ronald and Lionel
Stephenson, Col
Storrs, Sir
Tapson, Guy & Winnifred
Walker, H.F.
Wallace, Sir
Ward, Dr Percy H.
Welensky, Sir Roy
Wienand, Chris
Winterton, Earl
Woest, Ben
Wolverton, Baron
Wood, Rodney
Woolavington, Baron
Young, Major