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Name: MAJOR, Francis William CMG, ISO
Birth Date: 1863 Leeward Islands
Death Date: 7.8.1923 Woldingham, Surrey
First Date: 1908. Entered Civil Service 1885, served in Trinidad, Gold Coast, Bermuda
Profession: Chief of Customs, EA & Uganda Protectorates, Member LegCo.
Area: Served in EA for about 15 years, Mombasa, 1907 Three Trees Farm Limuru
Married: In Torquay 30 Apr 1895 Eleanor Laura Louisa Pyne b. 1868 Montserrat, W. Indies, d. 1936 Wokingham
Book Reference: Gillett, HBEA, Cuckoo, Permanent Way, KAD, Hut, Playne, Drumkey, Red 22, Pioneers, Medals, Leader14, Red Book 1912, Red 19
General Information:
Cuckoo - 1908 - new Chief of Customs - transferred from Jamaica to relieve A.S. Marsden.
Cuckoo - He was a charming man, and had earned great fame as a batsman in cricket circles of the West Indies.
Playne - Mr Major was appointed Chief of Customs in March of last year (1908), and arrived in the Protectorate on April 9th following. Mr Major, who was born in 1863, commenced his official career as 5th Clerk in the Treasury, Trinidad, in 1885. His next sphere was the Gold Coast, where he was Supervisor of Customs, Asst. Comptroller of Customs, and Asst. Treasurer (all in 1891). Having acted as Comptroller of Customs on various occasions, he was appointed to that office in 1895. In June, 1899, he became Receiver-General of Bermuda, and prepared a scheme (which was approved by the Secretary of State) for the improvement of the financial administration of the Colony.
Drumkey - Apr. 20 1908 - At the Mombasa Club, a number of the members of the mercantile community entertained Mr A. Marsden on the occasion of his departure for Calcutta and Mr W.F. Major, the newly appointed Chief of Customs. The Indian community presented Mr Marsden with a silver casket.
Drumkey 1909 - Customs Dept. - Chief of Customs
Pioneers - Limuru - Three Tree Farm - Margot Howard - We bought Three Tree Farm from a Mr & Mrs Major in 1914. Mr Major met us at the station with a buggy drawn by two horses. It was dark and misty, and he had enjoyed a long wait in Holmes' store, which possessed a bar. He threw us into the buggy and scarmbled into the driver's seat and off we went. One of the horses had been attacked by a lion, had huge claw marks on its back and was terrified of the dark - so were we. It is justifiable to say that there were no roads: only tracks of red mud which became worse during the rains. And how it rained!
Medals - Mombasa Defence Force - No. 9302, Private
Red Book 1912 - F.W. Major - Mombasa
Red Book 1912 - Currency Commissioner
Gazette 15/4/1908 - Arrived on 1st Appointment - Chief of Customs - 9/4/1908
KAD 1922 - Chief of Customs
Gazette - 12/9/1923 - Obituary - death of Mr F.W. Major CMG, ISO, late Commissioner of Customs, which occurred at Woldingham, Surrey on August 7th last