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Name: WILLIAMS, Arthur Sydney
Nee: son of George Arthur Williams
Birth Date: 12 Jan 1890 Harrismith, S. Africa
Death Date: 28 Sep 1949 Eldoret [but see Barnes below]
First Date: 1912
Last Date: 1949
Profession: Farmer, big game hunter
Area: Tarakwa, 1930 Soy, 1922 Kivuli Estate Soy, Eldoret Lyndock Estate
Married: In Eldoret 20 May 1917 Eileen Mabel Leslie b. 17 Apr 1894 Weenan, S. Africa, d. 28 Dec 1970 Pietermaritzburg (dau of William John Leslie)
Children: Arthur Roderick Leslie (14 Feb 1924 Eldoret-2005)
Book Reference: Red 25, Red 31, EAMR, Red 22, Gazette, Red Book 1912, Barnes, KAD, Hut, Eldoret
War Service: WW1 with EAMR - C Sqdn. 8/8/14 - L/Cpl. 19/8/15; to Scouts 14/10/15; to KAR
General Information:
Red 22 - Capt. A.S. Williams, Hoey's Bridge
Gazette - 7/4/15 - Liable for Jury service, Nairobi District - A. Williams, c/o Ali Khan ?
Red Book 1912 - A. Williams - Nairobi ?
EAMR - Photo - The EAMR Scouts
Gazette 6 Dec 1938 Uasin Gishu Voters Roll
Gazette 29 Aug 1950 probate says he died 28 Sep
Barnes Eldoret cem in ever loving / memory of / Arthur Sydney Williams / husband of / Eileen / and father of / Roddy / died Dec 1949 / R.I.P. 28 Dec 1949 [sic]
Eldoret - Mrs Eileen Williams who lives with her son, Roddy, at Lessos, has told me the following interesting story - "My parents, Mr & Mrs Leslie, decided to make Kenya their home as they had come up in 1910 on a safari and had fallen in love with the country. They waited a year as my sister and I were still at college. In 1911 my Dad came here and bought two farms, so in 1912 he chartered a small German vessel to bring up some of his stock - 100 merino sheep, 20 pure bred cows and bull, 17 horses, 7 dogs, 10 young chickens, 2 kittens, his two daughters and a nephew and his wife. Also two other young men to help him feed and water the stock on the boat daily. This was a big job, as the two young men were too seasick to help, and the heavy work fell on my Dad and cousin. He also brought two wagons, two traps and harness, saddlery, etc. As you can imagine, it was a very big undertaking. Well, at last we arrived at Londiani station. Fortunately there was a nice new hotel there for us to stay in, built of cedar. I can remember to this day the smell of lovely new cedar wood. I believe we had to wait there three weeks before our wagons arrived by goods train from Mombasa. My sister became engaged the very evening our boat left Durban and she was then only 18. The following year she was married to Bennet Mousley. This was in December 1913, and I think it was the Rev Cobham who officiated at the wedding; he must have come up from Nairobi to do this as there was no Padre on the Plateau in those days. ........ (more)
Benson - 1915 - Syd the eldest had already started farming up country with his in-laws. He was to marry their daughter Eileen. On the outbreak of War he joined the King's African Rifles mounted section. Much of his fight during the campaign was to be against starvation and malaria. Waited and waited for his licence to get married but it didn't come from Nairobi so Mr Shaw said "Have the reception and get married afterwards".