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Name: LIPSCOMB, John Francis 'Jack' OBE

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Birth Date: 13 May 1901 Rockfield, Monmouthshire

Death Date: 12 Mar 1988 Sutton, Surrey

First Date: 1919

Profession: Farmer.Kept pedigree Ayrshires and lived in a cedar log house

Area: Mtarakwa Kinangop, 1925 Sabatia

Married: 1929 Ethel Margaret 'Margot' b. 1901

Children: son (1 Sep 1934 Nairobi)

Author: 'From the Beginning', 'Those Days Before Yesterday' 1978

Book Reference: Beginning, KAD, Red 25, Hut, Red 31, Smeaton, Yesterday, Verandah (as Liscombe)

General Information:

Beginning - came to Kenya not long after WW1. My desire was for a farm of my own but a complete lack of cash made that an impossibility, and now it can be a matter for thankfulness that in my raw youth I bought much useful experience at other people's expense.
By 1923 I had acquired a small portion of land, but another 8 years had to go by before I occupied it, and during that time I went to England and spent some very pleasant and most useful months studying dairying at Reading University. ..…..
My first land was 100 acres on the Kinangop ....... later he rented 1000 acres of unoccupied land.
Smeaton - Lolgorien - I headed down the main strike for Lipscomb's camp ……[story of two rhinos in his camp] … Lipscomb had another adventure story for me. He divulged that on the day after I left him Bolton came over on a visit. He told Lipscomb he was looking for lion, 5 lions to supply skins for his lovely sister. Taking their rifles, and guided by one of Bolton's blood brothers, they went to a place where the bush was thick. Behind a grassy knoll they came upon a family of 5 lions, three males and two females. Instantly the females charged - the female is always more deadly than the male. Bolton fired twice, and twice only. Both females fell dead. The males made off, but as they went Bolton fired again, and again, and again. And one by one the lions fell dead. I was amazed. This was fantastic! "Did you actually see this?" I asked. Lipscomb nodded emphatically. "I did," he affirmed. I shook my head dubiously. This prowess with a rifle was incredible. Either Bolton was a crack shot, an accomplishment which should have been known but to my knowledge had never been mentioned before, or part of his witchcraft was true.
Hut has Lipscomb - 1925 Lolgorien.
Hut - J.F. 'Jack' Lipscomb 1922 Kinangop

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