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Name: CASE, William Herbert 'Bertie'
Nee: brother of Noel and son of William Herbert
Birth Date: 14.6.1910 North Elmham, Norfolk
Death Date: 10.7.1987 Malindi
First Date: 1928
Profession: Farmer
Area: Ketai, Gilgil, Ol Kalou
Married: In Nairobi 1948 Mary Violet Rooken-Smith b. 15 Nov 1910 Bloomfield, S. Africa, d. 12 Apr 2002 Australia
Children: Anthony Brian (3.7.1951 Nairobi); Hazel Margaret (Donovan) (11.5.1953) who qualified as a nurse at Edinburgh Royal
Book Reference: Red 31, RS, Hut
General Information:
Bertie and Vi farmed at Ol Kalou until their farm was taken over when they retired to Malindi where they had a house. Bertie died on 8-7-87 and Vi continued to live at Malindi. Hazel qualified as a nurse at Edinburgh Royal.
Bruce Rooken-Smith Vi lived with Daisy Griflin betore meeting and marrying Bertie in 1948. 1927. Bertie and brother Charlie left England by sea; eldest sister Noé (Eaton-Evans) was already in Kenya. 1928 arrived in Kenya with father Charlie William Herbert. He bought 500 acres with a partially built pisa house in the Wanjohi Valley. 1929. Complains of loosing many cattle and no vet in the area. Worked for Fred Chart. Bertie bought 2, 000 acres in Ol Kalou, Kenya on the Malewa River; mixed Farm - Friesian dairy cattle - sold cream to KCC. Large white pigs sold to Uplands. Grew Pyrethrum, a natural insecticide. Monday & Friday was drop off to Ol Kalou railway station of dairy cream and pigs. Also fattened beef cattle on leased land. Vi also farmed poultry and turkeys. Thousands of zebra on property, used a rungu to hit between ears on horseback in order to cull, used to say he didn't have enough amunition to shoot them.
At the outbreak ot WW2, enlisted into the Kenya Armoured Car Regiment, serving in the Abyssinian Campaign. Didn' t much talk about the war, but did mention bumping into a huge body of Italian soldiers. Greatly outnumbered - they only had a few armoured cars - they drove onto the ridge with the lights on then turned the lights off, reversed down, switched on their lights, drove to the top of the ridge, switched off their lights, reversed down. Completed this deception a number of times creating the illusion of a much larger British force, the Italians surrended the next day. Almost shot by British for looting, when in fact they were taking spare parts out of Italian vehicles to keep the Allied armoured cars going. Years later when at the movies at Malindi Golf Club, Bertie started chat ting to another WW2 veteran who had been a pilot, and asked him "why were you bombing us?" Son Tony has his Bertie's medals and the Italian shotgun he brought back from the war - which still works.
Bruce Rooken-Smith Vi lived with Daisy Griflin betore meeting and marrying Bertie in 1948. 1927. Bertie and brother Charlie left England by sea; eldest sister Noé (Eaton-Evans) was already in Kenya. 1928 arrived in Kenya with father Charlie William Herbert. He bought 500 acres with a partially built pisa house in the Wanjohi Valley. 1929. Complains of loosing many cattle and no vet in the area. Worked for Fred Chart. Bertie bought 2, 000 acres in Ol Kalou, Kenya on the Malewa River; mixed Farm - Friesian dairy cattle - sold cream to KCC. Large white pigs sold to Uplands. Grew Pyrethrum, a natural insecticide. Monday & Friday was drop off to Ol Kalou railway station of dairy cream and pigs. Also fattened beef cattle on leased land. Vi also farmed poultry and turkeys. Thousands of zebra on property, used a rungu to hit between ears on horseback in order to cull, used to say he didn't have enough amunition to shoot them.
At the outbreak ot WW2, enlisted into the Kenya Armoured Car Regiment, serving in the Abyssinian Campaign. Didn' t much talk about the war, but did mention bumping into a huge body of Italian soldiers. Greatly outnumbered - they only had a few armoured cars - they drove onto the ridge with the lights on then turned the lights off, reversed down, switched on their lights, drove to the top of the ridge, switched off their lights, reversed down. Completed this deception a number of times creating the illusion of a much larger British force, the Italians surrended the next day. Almost shot by British for looting, when in fact they were taking spare parts out of Italian vehicles to keep the Allied armoured cars going. Years later when at the movies at Malindi Golf Club, Bertie started chat ting to another WW2 veteran who had been a pilot, and asked him "why were you bombing us?" Son Tony has his Bertie's medals and the Italian shotgun he brought back from the war - which still works.
Bertie and Vi farmed at Ol Kalou until their farm (LR3777/178 2002 acres was taken over by Central Land Board for £31,248 in 1965, prior to Kenya attaining Independence. Government was allocating British/Settlers land to Africans as part of the Kenya Land Transfer Programme started in 1964. Tliey moved to Malindi where they already had a property, in land in front ofthe Blue Marlin Hotel.