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Name: SCHOLEFIELD, Stuart Wilfred Jocelyn

Birth Date: 24.12.1868 Ryde, Isle of Wight

Death Date: 29 Nov 1920 Bintrey, Norfolk

First Date: 1906

Last Date: 1920

Profession: Lived in SA for many years before going to EA. Joined Administration and became a DC

Area: HBEA 1912 DC Kitui, 1919 Eldoret, 1915 Eldoret

Book Reference: Gillett, HBEA, Eldoret, Dunkley, Hut, Curtis, Playne, Drumkey, Harmony, Nicholls, EAHB 1907, Leader14, Red Book 1912, Gazette, Red 19

General Information:

Eldoret - Story of the DC, Schofield, losing his false teeth as he and a Miss MacDonald from Elgon came and stayed the night at Burnt Forest. Schofield had had a "thick" night previously and had lost his false teeth. Eventually he went to Nairobi to get new ones and on his return it was cold so he put on his heavy military coat, put his hand in the pocket and there were his original false teeth (story told by O.C. Arnesen) .......….
At Eldoret, above the Pioneer Hotel was a mass of zebra and they broke down any wire fences put up. The DC, Mr Schofield, gave two shillings for every zebra tail handed in. People came with handfuls. The vultures and hyenas could not cope with the carcasses and the place stank. .............
A.C. Hoey says - "It was shortly before the Railway reached Eldoret that we had a very able DC by the name of Schofield, and the district owes much to his early activities. He administered the law from a real common sense point of view, and legal books and the Penal Code did not worry him very much! It was amazing to see the amount of personal disputes among farmers that he was called upon to settle. I remember coming up the road from Londiani when transport arrangements had improved enormously by having a "Gharri" pulled by only four oxen, and seeing a line of convicts hunting in the grass - I stopped and asked the warder what they were looking for, and he replied "Bwana Schofield camped here two days ago, and we are busy looking for his false teeth!""  
Eldoret - Notes on the Early Days in Eldoret by Mrs Dorothy Hughes - " ... had regular parties for the few children in Eldoret, and putting a large bottle of castor oil on the table, told the children they could eat as much as they liked but they'd have to have a dose afterwards …"  
Eldoret - Schofield appeared in his office one day in one gum boot with the other bootless leg covered in mud to the calf. When this deficiency was brought to the attention of his superior officer by K.L. Hunter, it was found that the other boot was stuck in the mud a few yards from the office door.  
Dunkley - Memoirs of K.L. Hunter - 1919 - ADC at Eldoret - " ...... Mr S., an elderly gentleman who had had previous service in Bechuanaland, now Botswana. An early remark to me was that I was very young and would not be much of a companion to him, as he was rather fond of his liquor. And so it proved to be. On one occasion I rescued him from drowning in his soup when I was dining with him - he had overbalanced with his face in his soup plate, and was struggling to recover! On another occasion he arrived at the office with only one gum boot and when I pointed this out, he remarked that he had stuck in the mud while walking to the office and must have withdrawn his foot and left the boot. Would I recover it please? The roads in Eldoret at that time were just bare earth and the passage of a cart hauled by a span of oxen soon churned them into a morass during the rains.
Another time he arrived without his false teeth and his speech was almost inaudible. He related that the evening before he had had rather a thick night at the Pioneer Hotel and had retired to the long drop to vomit and unfortunately his denture had gone down the pit. Would I arrange to recover it? A gang of prisoners was summoned from the gaol, one lowered on a rope, and the next morning my master's speech was audible again! I also learned that once prior to my arrival, my friend the Governor, General Northey had visited Eldoret with his lady. Due to bad roads they were late in arriving and the DC whilst awaiting them had fortified himself with a little gin. When the party arrived, the DC gallantly bent to kiss Lady Northey's hand, overbalanced and fell flat on the ground at her feet. The dear old gentleman was a "character" and used to send a Cape Boy convict in prison clothes to drive a wagon to Londiani to bring his consignment of liquor back to Eldoret. The prisoner never betrayed this trust.
On another occasion when his cook deserted, he instructed the police to find him another. They did so by trumping up a charge against a well-known cook working for the Bank Manager's wife. He was remanded to prison and while there, automatically became the DC's cook!
I remember sitting on the Bench with S. one day, when he was hearing a Somali debt dispute; he told a young Somali witness that he was lying. The witness replied that he was not. The DC was furious and remarked, "You dare to contradict me, take him out of the witness box and give him six, and then he will probably tell the truth." It has been said, may be apocryphally, a Somali tells the truth only when he calls his brother a liar! S. taught me a lot; he was for instance an amazing bird shot, so much so that he shot duck with a 20 bore shot gun, as larger bores made it too easy. I learned that after retiring he was enjoying a beer in a village pub in England when a yokel challenged him to ride a bicycle up a certain hill. The challenge was accepted, a bike was provided and my dear old master is said to have reached  the summit and died of heart failure.
Curtis - p. 118 - 'Eldoret at War' -  ..... Wreford Smith recalls the first days of August 1914. In 1914, when war broke out, Mad Jack Schofield, the DC, sent runners round the district to say that the ultimatum had been sent to Germany. All the farmers came riding in to "64". I managed to move 200 head of cattle across the Nzoia on August 6th, to sell, and get some ready cash. We all made off to Londiani, leaving our farms, and hoping to be back by Christmas. Mad Jack addressed us all and said, "Look, I've got 2 ADCs, quite redundant. Anyway they're no good till they've been shot over. Take them both with you." We didn't get back till the end of 1919.
Playne - Mr Scholefield was born at Ryde, Isle of Wight, on December 24, 1868, and educated privately. He was for many years in South Africa, and came to EA on July 13, 1906. His present position is Chief Inspector of Farms (seconded from Assistant DC). In SA Mr Scholefield was in the Bechuanaland Border Police and British S. African Police Magistrate and Acting Assistant Commissioner, Bechuanaland Protectorate; and Native Commissioner, North-West Transvaal. Military service and decorations: Matabeleland, 1893; Matabeleland Rebellion, 1896; South African War 1899-1902 (twice mentioned in despatches) Matabele medal and Queen's and King's medals for S.A.
Drumkey 1909 - Land Dept. - Land Ranger
Drumkey 1909 - has William Jocelyn Stuart Scholefield
Agricultural Journal 1908 - 'Rapid Allotment of farms in the Uasin-Guishu' by Major Smith, RE. - …….. February 1 1908 - The Director of Agriculture, myself (Director of Surveys) Mr Scholefield, representing the Land Office, Mr Flemmer, the Members of the Rapid Allotment Board, together with Mr Galbraith (District Surveyor) left their respective starting points by rail for Londiani station. 2 February - Reached Londiani met Mr Cox (Surveyor Trigonometrical Branch) Commenced march to Ravine 3 February - Reached Ravine station. Mr Fotheringham's cart with 6 oxen engaged. 8/9 March - Gualgaria river at Nandi border, 110 farms [marked] in 31 days.
Member of Lodge Harmony - Stuart Wilfred Joselyn Schofield
Nicholls - a superb bird shot, was S.W.J. Schofield, DC in Eldoret. Very fond of liquor, he once 'lost' his false teeth down the latrine at the Pioneer Hotel while vomiting. His subordinate, asked to retrieve them, commandeered prisoners from the local jail to do the job for him. Eventually the teeth were found in the DC's pocket. Schofield used to send a convict in prison clothes to drive a wagon to Londiani to bring his liquor supplies to Eldoret; he once fell flat on his face when he bent forward to kiss the hand of Lady Northey, the Governor's wife. After his African cook deserted him he instructed the police to find him another, which they did by shamefully trumping up a charge against a good cook working for the bank manager's wife. he man was remanded to prison and became the DC's cook. Schofield was, however, an exception.
EAHB 1907 - Asst. Collector - Machakos
EAHB 1907 - Bechuanaland Border Police Jan 1891; 1st Lieut. Bechuanaland Border Police April 1st 1896; Captain Nov 1st 1899; 2nd in command, 1st Division, British South Africa Police June 1st 1902; Line Magistrate, Bechuanaland Railway Construction Feb 1st 1896; Resident Magistrate, Ngamiland Jan 22 1897; Acting Commissioner Northern Bechuanaland March 1st 1902; Native Commissioner, Northern West Transvaal June 22 1902; Retrenched on commuted allowance July 1st 1904; Member Central Advisory Committee (Stock Diseases) March 1st 1905; Commanding 'D' Squadron, Northern Rifles Volunteers July 1st 1904; War Services, Matabele Campaign 1893; Matabele Rebellion 1896; South Africa, Siege of Mafeking etc; ADC to Lieut. General Lord Methuen etc. Commandant, Northern Protectorate and lines of communication March 1st 1902; Mentioned in despatches London Gazette, Jan 19 1901 and July 29 1902; Asst. Collector, EA Protectorate June 23 1906
Red Book 1912 - S.W.J. Scholefield - Nairobi - Ukamba Province - Asst. DC at Kitui
Gazette 15/1/1908 - Appointed Secretary of the Land Board - S.W.J. Scholefield - Land Ranger
Gazette 16/2/1921 - Probate and Administration in respect of the estate of S.W.J. Scholefield who died in England on 29/11/1920.
Gazette - 29/10/1919 - Register of Voters - Plateau South - Stuart W.J. Scholefield - DC Eldoret
Red Book 1919 - Uasin Gishu Gymkhana Club, Eldoret - President - S.W.J. Scholefield
Hut has DC Eldoret 1919 - Lost false teeth then found in coat pocket

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