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Name: HAGGARD, John George 'Jack'

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Nee: elder bro. of the author Rider Haggard

Birth Date: 11 June 1850 West Bradenham Hall, Norfolk

Death Date: 21 May 1908 Malaga

First Date: 1883

Profession: Soldier and explorer. In 1885 Vice Consul at Lamu

Area: Travelled extensively, Lamu

Married: In Kensington 28 Jan 1886 Agnes Marion Barber b. 7 May 1860 Rastrick, Yorks., d. 31 May 1960 Torquay

Children: Mathilda (1883); Phoebe (11 Dec 1886 Reunion-1971); (Dame) Joan (15 Apr 1889 France-1968); Andrew Rider (29 May 1892 Ditchingham-1976); Audrey (7 Sep 1895 Klanec, Austria-1933)

Book Reference: Gillett, Best, Permanent Way, Freeland, Curtis, Thurston, Burke, Ylvisaker

War Service: Lt., RN (ret)

General Information:

Curtis - Vice-Consul at Lamu from 1884 to 1885, when ill-health forced his retirement. .....extracts  ... from letters to his sister and his mother: 'Since I lost the fever I have been very well indeed - and I think this place is going to agree with me. I am quite alone here, there not being another white man (as far as I know) nearer than Mombasa on the south which must be nearly 250 miles from here ... .....I am more careful in my dress here than in Zanzibar, as I am naturally the observed of all observers - the Arabs and Swahili are scrupulously clean and neat in their person and the lower classes of negroes and negresses are far, far cleaner and neater than the lower classes in England. ..... (from a letter to his mother in May 1884 [more])
Thurston - Unofficial Records - Horniman Museum & Library, London - Papers of John George Haggard - Letters to his family as Vice Consul of Lamu 1883-85 (original letters in Rhodes House)
Ylvisaker - Vice-consul Haggard paid a visit to Witu - the first of any Englishman - in August 1884. He found Witu town in the centre of dense bush which was 3 or 4 miles around and appeared to have been artificially planted for defense. The town was "so securely walled that a cat could not escape," with a stockade of tree trunks completely overgrown by the bush, and could be entered only at the massive gates, which opened jusdt wide enough for one man to pass at a time. The gates were so stoutly fastened when Haggard arrived that it took 15 minutes to open them. ………. Haggard's reactions set the tone for all future dealings of the English with Witu. In his opinion, the best solution would be "to destroy the whole colony as soon as possible, and capture their leaders …."
Best - D.C. Haggard.
Freeland - a huge red haired man with an evil temper. He had held a commission in the Royal Navy.

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