Source: Mrs Mary K. Macduff Duncan - "He may have been in Kenya before the turn of the century but for dates we have only his medals to refer to:- (Boer War) Paardeberg, Relief of Kimberley, Punjab 1897-98, Somaliland 1902-04. He was certainly in Kenya between Somaliland and World War I being in fighting against Germans on Tanganyika border, before re joining West Kents in France, wounded and invalided out at end of 1918. Arrived back in Kenya 1920. Farmed "Embori " Timau and died there in Dec. 1951. He mentioned being with his Company at Meru, before a D.C. was there. In fact I think raised the first flag there."

Foster - 'In 1920, Mrs S.H. Hickson, who was a V.A.D. throughout the war, arrived at Farm 916 "Embori" with her husband, Lt. Colonel L.H. Hickson, DSO, of the Royal West Kent Regiment (he was known to the labourers as "Keneri Bariti"). He was the original grantee of Embori Farm, which was a 3000 acre plot at that time. The Hicksons, who had married in 1920, anticipated that the first two years would be lonely in their large marquee tent at 8,500 feet. The mid-day temperatures were 75 degreesF but there was always a slight frost at night.

They hoped that some of Colonel Hickson's brother officers from his KAR days would come and visit them. The Hicksons soon found that a number of the soldier settlers who had been offered land were too lazy to come out to Kenya to look at the land they had been allotted. Mrs Hickson hastily wrote to them, especially those whose farms bordered on the Hickson farm, and several accepted the price (Shs. 2/- per acre), which she offered them. Thus she acquired a further 7,000 acres at 2/- and acre. When Colonel Hickson proposed to Sibil, his entire income was a wound pension of £125 per annum.

Sibil came from a fairly wealthy family and she recalls one of her maiden aunts being so upset on hearing that the Hicksons had been living in a tent for two years that she sent Sibil £2,000 to build a house. Sibil's godfather added £500 and Sibil further increased this sum by asking her husband's only sister to sell some of her jewelry which she had left in the UK in her sister-in-law's care. The jewelry fetched £500. Part of the £3000 was used to buy the extra land.

The Hicksons then set to work energetically to build a brick house which nestles behind great bands of trees which they planted as wind breaks. Her walled garden, originally built to provide a suitable place for her baby daughter, Jane's pram, contains today a fine oak tree - planted in the 1920s - and the whole garden remains a living monument to Mrs Hickson's gardening skills.

Mrs Hickson is now (1979) 87 years old and appears to be the last remaining original settler. When Mrs Hickson sold Embori Farm to Mr Bob Wilson in 1962 it comprised about 20,000 acres. In 1970 Wilson sold Embori to a cooperative headed by Mr Kenneth S.N. Matiba - Chairman of Kenya Breweries Ltd. - for a reputed £250,000. Embori is now said to be some of the best barley growing land in Kenya. ............. Once when Col. Hickson was grazing his sheep on the moorlands above the Forest belt, at an altitude of over 10,000 feet, where there was a heavy ground frost each night, a sheep bolted and 300 went over a precipice into a gully and were killed in less than ten seconds. This nearly broke the Colonel's nerve and it took all Will Powys' efforts to persuade him to continue farming. ..... by the 1950s, Mrs Hickson was getting £30,000 per annum as an annual wool cheque. The Hicksons imported a Red Poll Bull from H.M. King George VI's Sandringham Estate. They also imported Belted and Dun Galloways from Scotland.  

Moyse - 1912 - Political Officer, Jubaland left and Major L.H. Hickson took over his functions - he was now in command of troops.

Debrett - Major (retired) Roy. W. Kent Regt. with rank of Lieut.-Col. in the Army; now Lieut.-Col. Reserve of Officers. S. Africa 1900 (despatches), Somaliland 1902-4, European War 1914-19 (despatches, DSO)

Curtis - p. 68 - 'Some Timau Farmers' - 'Lieut.-Col. L.H. Hickson DSO, had Embori Farm (Bori is an old name for the Timau area). He drew it under the Soldier Settlement Scheme and moved on to it with his wife in 1920. The altitude is 8500 ft. and Hickson's African name was Kaneri Baridi, the Colonel in the Cold. A number of Timau farmers on the higher farms used to send their sheep and shepherds up to the Mt. Kenya moorlands for grazing when the grass on their own land was exhausted. This was at 10000 ft. and above, with heavy ground frost during the night. Once when the Colonel did this one of his sheep bolted and 300 others followed it over a precipice into a gully and were killed in about ten seconds.

EA Stud Book 1954 - Cattle - Belted Galloways - Mrs S.H. Hickson, Embori Farm Timau

EA Stud Book 1954 - Cattle - Red Polls - Mrs S.H. Hickson, Embori Farm, Timau

Gazette - 4/11/1914 - Appt. - 4th Battalion KAR - To be Commandant with the Temporary rank of Lieutenant Colonel - Captain (Temporary Major) L.H. Hickson, The Queen's Own (Royal W. Kent Regt.) ……. In addition to his other duties as Officer Commanding Troops, Uganda, Lieutenant Colonel Hickson will take over the duties of Officer Commanding Troops, Kisumu District, with effect from 1st November 1914

Nanyuki cemetery - Lionel Henry Hickson - Plot F15 in / loving memory / of our father / Lionel Henry / Hickson D.S.O. / Lt-Col / Queen's own Royal / West Kent Regt

Gazette - 27/2/1924 - Electoral Register - Hickson, Sibyl Hattie Hermione, Married woman, Nanyuki

Gazette - 26/9/1923 - Voters Register - Kenya Province - Lionel Henry Hickson, Farmer PO Nanyuki