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Name: CLARKE, Henry Trevelyan

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Nee: grandson of Edward Daniel Clarke, traveller and Prof. of Mineralogy at Cambridge

Birth Date: 1869 Boxted, Essex

Death Date: 30 Apr 1938 Winnipeg

Nationality: British

First Date: 1889

Last Date: 1891

Profession: IBEA Co. General Africa Staff - appointed 29th August 1889

Area: At Mombasa 1890

Married: In New York 24 Feb 1892 Rosetta Caroline Nona Bodily b. 1870 Colchester, d. 19 May 1924 Penticton, British Columbia

Children: Lionel Beaumaris (1894-1916, won VC); Harry (1895-1980); Charles Edward (1895-1974); Charles (1897-1985); Muriel Rosamund (1899-1991); Jack Trevelyan (1902-1983); Roy (1907-1990); Ethel (1914-1981); May (1915)

Book Reference: EAHB 1905, North, IBEA, EAHB 1906, EAHB 1904

General Information:

Ancestry, quoting newspaper report) He was jailed for 3 months for receiving stolen goods
North - Shipping Asst. Mombasa 1890; had already left Company 23-8-1890
June Hope (granddaughter): Henry ( Harry) Trevelyan Clarke went to Mombasa from England in 1889 in August on the boat Orient bound for Aden. Where they changed to a British India for the coast trip to Mombasa. He lived and worked in Kilindini, rescuing slaves from ships. Built the 2’8” gauge railway, 1st in that territory, a stone road and a custom house to be used as either a fort or as a governor’s house. Concrete water tanks were built under the house. Met Sir Harry Johnston, Sir Ewen Smith Bishop Tucker, captain Lugard, HM Stanley.
Sir George McKenzie was his administrator in chief. African explorers Jackson, Gedge, and Selous. Natives called him Bwana Magonga (master who hits with his fists) because he often boxed in Freretown against Rev. H.T. Robison. He left in 1891 sick with blackwater fever.
H.T. Clarke The Youth and Adventures of Henry Trevelyan Clarke (typescript): Went to sea as a schoolboy in 1882. Head injury, returned to UK, joined Imperial Brit, E. Af. Company. To Aden, then Mombasa. @I sailed on the 29th of August 1889, on the Peninsula and Oriental boat “Orient” for Aden, where we changed to a British India boat for the coast trip to Mombasa. Mombasa in those days consisted of an old Portuguese fort, built some 300 years ago, and a bunch of Arab houses and native huts.' Learnt Swahili in 3 months. Slaves were brought to Mombasa and put into his charge. '

I had at the time a village of freed slaves to look after. I forget the real population of that village, but I do know that at one time there were 7,000. I think that was the most we ever had. It was interesting to see the different shapes they built their huts, mostly of palm leaves some bell shaped and some square, or at least a native a idea of square, and some of mud and wattle. We always offered to let them go home to where they had come from, but they always said, “what’s the use, there is nothing left of our village”. It was burnt by the slave raiders. Their cattle sold and crops destroyed; and their old people and babies were just killed, slaughtered would be a better word. 'We used to let them live in our village and take care of them until they were recovered from the hardships they had come through and then use them in our work, such as quarrying stone for buildings and road making, laying two-foot eight gauge railways and all sorts of work that has to be done when a nation takes over a wild country such as East Africa was in those days. In those days we lived in tents until we built houses. There were no railways and no settlers. We started everything.' Got blackwater fever and returned to UK.  To Brazil, to Lencoes Diamond Mpuntains. Returned to UK and married. Then to Egypt for the Nile Valley Gold Mining Company. Back to Canada in 1903 and stayed there.

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