Lunacy Patients Admission Registers, Lancaster, Gertrude Kuhn admitted 16 July 1893 from Sussex

Passenger Lists 30 July 1922 Miss Kuhn to Shanghai as governess

Ditto 21 Sep 1924 from Shanghai Mrs Kuhn as 'nurse'

Ditto 2 Dec 1927 to Kenya as 'nurse'

Gazette - 28/1/1930 - Probate and Administration - Mrs Gertrude Mary Kuhn who died at Kitale on 17 September 1929

She was shot and killed by Frederick Chater Jack, who thought she was a leopard.

Hilary Munro (granddaughter), 'The Seedsman's Daughter' She was employed in England by Leonard Sutton, the father of May Chater Jack, 'The Bartholomew’s were a very nice young couple.They confirmed all my good impressions about Kuhn. She has been with them about two years and the only reason for parting with her was that
they wanted more of a nursery governess as the youngest was now eight. She came to them when they were in difficulties and Mrs. Boucher sent her down in reply to a telegram for the best nurse she could find, and she has been with them ever since … I mentioned you kept chickens and Mrs. Bartholomew said that Mrs. Kuhn took a great interest in both the children and the chickens and kept accounts of the eggs and fed them under her (Mrs. Bartholomew’s) direction. The only drawback is that she wants £100 a year. If that annoys you very much, I must tell my bank to pay the extra £20 onto your £600 once a year! ...‘Engaged Mrs. Kuhn, sailing by the German boat on December 2nd’, he cabled May on 2nd November and followed up with a letter by airmail as usual.
Mrs. Bartholomew told me that Mrs. K’s husband was not a German though he had a German name, and he died before the war. Mrs. Kuhn had worked in Shanghai and Romania as a nanny. Her father was a doctor. She arrived in Kenya in 1929.

She was often on her own with the children during a week and sometimes for a whole week when Fred and May went to the Muthaiga Club. In September and October, while Fred, May and M.M. were
away meeting Leonard Sutton [May's father], she had looked after the three-year-old twins on her own for six weeks. She never had access to a car and hardly any time off. Between July and end December, she had only three days off –– one day in July, another on Thursday, 8th November, and the third on 24th December. During the year and nine
months that Mrs. Kuhn worked at KK she never went on holiday. She was entitled to a few days off locally, May knew this, but said Mrs. K. didn’t know where to go. Mrs Kuhn was just too indispensable to be allowed time off. Fred and May were busy every day, especially during Leonard Sutton’s visit.

Alcoholic drinks were being stolen and Fred and May didn’t want to
accuse the servants, knowing Mrs. K’s weakness. As a precaution, whenever she and Fred went out in the evening, May locked the drinks away and gave Jim the key. One evening when May and Fred were out, Jim found Mrs. K very ‘muzzy’. They had measured the contents of all the bottles before leaving and the cupboard was still locked, but the levels were down.

One night Fred shot at what he thought was a leopard - it was Mrs Kuhn who could talk and was not unconscious till quite near the end. There were only leg wounds. The Kitale doctor was called. A thigh artery had been severed but as all bleeding was internal there was nothing anyone could have done. The police came at 10:30 am. It was suspected that Mrs Kuhn had killed the geese and the dog the night before. There was a funeral the next day. It turned out that Mrs K had lied about her age. 57 years old and not 49 according to her passport and her father was an inland revenue officer and not a doctor. Details of worrying behaviour now occurred to people and may have proved that she was mentally unsound. On one occasion a child was found under the water in the bath and on another Mrs K. was found lying unconscious on the floor. There was no report of her death in the East African Standard. The magistrate said he could see no manner of doubt that she had killed the dog and geese and was shot while trying to get away unseen and that the report was overwhelmingly in favour of the theory of unsound mind. So no inquest.

Buried in Kitale cemetery (unreadable headstone).