Gazette 17 Jan 1969 probate

Midday Sun - 'If you wanted to explore the mountain, the man to guide you was Raymond Hook, brother of the Commander - naturally called Boat Hook - who kept the Silverbeck Hotel. Both were sons of the painter Bryan Hook, who in 1912 had travelled in EA with his son Raymond and his eldest daughter, and bought some undeveloped land near Nanyuki. Raymond stayed on as a pupil of Delamere's, soldiered through the EA campaign and then settled on his father's land but never seriously farmed it. He came to know the mountain like the back of his hand. Tall, heavily built, tough as an old boot and with a voice soft as a dove's, his nature was a curious blend of the gypsy and the don. He lived like a pig, oblivious of squalor and inured to discomfort, yet could quote in the original Greek pages from Homer or Plato, and had made a study of Egyptian hieroglyphics. Off he would go up the mountain with a bag of posho, and another of beans, loaded on a mule, with a groundsheet for shelter and a thumbed copy of a Greek classic in his pocket, to disappear for weeks on end. ....... Another, and less agreeable, memory was of lunching with him in his dwelling, in which animals were just as welcome as humans. Becoming aware of an unpleasant smell, she enquired as to its origin. Raymond Hook replied: 'Watch where the bluebottles settle.' They settled in a corner on a stinking mess that proved to be a litter of very dead puppies. He became an expert at catching wild animals to be shipped off to zoos, a cruel and heartless business as it seems to me. He was the first man to trap a bongo ...... and sent it to the London zoo - the poor caged creature gave birth to a calf on shipboard. Raymond crossed zebras with horses to produce zebroids, and tried to do the same with buffaloes and cattle, but without success. 'Although he loved his animals,' I was told, 'he didn't look after them properly but adopted a policy that if you had enough of them, it didn't matter much if half of them died. .......... (more - cheetahs etc.) ....….

Surprisingly, perhaps, Raymond Hook married, and Joan, his wife, did her best to civilize him, but with little success. 'He was uncivilizable' was the general verdict. Twin daughters were born. After less than ten years of marriage the parents parted company - Joan Hook couldn't any longer stand chickens nesting under beds, goats bouncing in and out, and snakes under the kitchen stove. Thereafter they lived at different ends of the property, and it fell to Joan to create a farm from the land Raymond had used merely as a perch, and to bring up her daughters. Their father was proud of them in some ways, but ignored them in others - 'he always forgot our birthdays,' one of them said, 'but was most upset if we forgot his.' Yet when they were away at school he wrote them long letters designed to kindle and enlarge their interest in wildlife and their surroundings. When one of them married, he gave her half her mother's cattle as a wedding present. His story ended sadly. He ran out of money, his health deteriorated and, after several months in hospital, he lost the will to live.

Then, in 1968, Joan was found murdered in her house, a mystery that was never solved. The shock worsened his condition, and within a few months he, too, was dead.'  

KFA - arrived in Western Kenya in 1914 via Ol Bolossat and Rumuruti, with a flock of sheep. The journey took a fortnight and only one sheep succumbed to its rigours. Mr Hook settled near the Nanyuki river and made a living by shooting buffalo, whose hides he sold for £10 each to the stationmaster at Muhoroni, who in turn sold them to the tribes of North kavirondo for the making of shields; ....... the money Mr Hook immediately invested in Masai cattle, and thus built up a herd by degrees. Meanwhile he conducted safaris and laid the foundations of a knowledge of the country that served him well in later years when he took to oprganizing climbs up Mount Kenya, seeking spotted lions on Settima and catching wild animals to sell to zoos.

Red 22 - Honorary Permit Issuer

Wheel of Life - Bunny Allen -  …… There were five cheetahs enjoying their kill, a youngish zebra. Then I saw a most spectacular performance from Raymond and his men - a splendid team operation by a group who definitely knew their job. As we approached the cheetah, Raymond's men split up into two parties. One moved slightly left and one, with Raymond, slightly right. As the cheetah showed signs of disquiet, but before they actually started to move, Raymond gave the order: "Charge," followed immediately by "Kimbia tu." Without ado the two parties galloped for their respective sides of the cheetah, which at this stage broke, three to the left and two to the right. Naturally I followed Raymond. I had to see that great man in action, in a sport that he himself created. I noticed that our "Alice in Wonderland" [Lady Alice Scott] was with me. The two cheetah running from Raymond's group got a flying start and continued to outspeed the horses for about 300 yards. Raymond and one of his men, I think Ndirango, came up level with the biggest of the animals. As the tired cheetah shot out under Raymond's horse, Raymond appeared to fly out from the saddle and landed smack atop the cheetah. Now Raymond was no mean weight. He was 210 pounds of solid meat and bone, and I suppose at this stage he was at his strongest. I noticed that he had a large piece of blanket, or some such, wrapped round his arm. This he stuffed right into the cheetah's mouth, by which time Ndirango had arrived to help and I had arrived to gape. In three trices the large animal was bundled up in a sack and tied up with rawhide. In a moment Raymond was on his horse again and after his second cheetah. From a slight distance I observed Raymond emulate the flying trapeze artist three times more. The man seemed immune to hurt. The final cheetah was really an anticlimax. It was a deadbeat that took refuge in a pig hole, and we pulled it out by its tail. So there it was. In about 45 minutes, Raymond and his merry men had caught 5 cheetah.

Pioneers - Raymond Hook - Although I bought my present farm in 1912, at the age of 20, it was not until 1919 when my war service was over that I was able to study the game. ……….. [more]

Gazette - 7/4/15 - Liable for Jury service, Nyeri - A. Hook ? (British) Settler

Gazette - 7/4/15 - Liable for Jury service, Nairobi District - R. Hook

Malcolmson - "He was an experienced hunter and spent a great deal of his time after elephant, rhino and buffalo in the forests of Mount Kenya. But more than that he was a keen naturalist and his whole life was devoted to being with and living with wild animals. …….. Sometimes we were short of food and water as we had to live on the country. Raymond caught a quail one day in his hat and put it into the pocket of his shorts. Three days later he brought it out of his pocket, and remarked, "It must be cooked by now," pulled off the feathers and ate it.

First Wheel - "what a character he proved to be. A great shaggy bearded giant. Raw-boned and rough-shod at first appearance, but on further acquaintance, a very gentle man. One had to measure him by his voice, which was soft, almost quiet, yet full of authority. He was most knowledgeable on so many matters ……… [lots more]

Joelson - pioneer in the Nanyuki area

Gazette - 26/9/1923 - Voters Register - Kenya Province - Raymond Hook, Farmer PO Nanyuki

Gazette 17 Jan 1969 probate