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Name: POWLES, Stephen Howard 'Buster'
Nee: nephew of Lord Howard de Walden
Birth Date: 27 July 1900 Snailwell, Suffolk
Death Date: 19 June 1980 Finkley, Andover, Hants.
First Date: Dec 1924
Profession: GM Estates & Investments
Area: Kitale, Chorlim Endebess
Married: In Chippenham, Wilts. 22 Aug 1929 Barbara Pennington Garnett b. 11 Sep1903, d. 8 Dec 1986 Winchester
Children: Stephen Frank (29 Sep 1930 Edoret-1973 Harpenden); John Garnett (4 May 1934 Kenya-6 Jan 2006 Cape Town); Peter Bignold (19 Feb 1936 Kenya); Richard Pennington (19 Feb 1936 Kenya-19 Oct 2010 Australia)
Book Reference: Red 31, Hut, Peacocks
General Information:
Peacocks - Lord Howard de Walden's farming in Kenya - " It was one of my father's visits in the early 1920s that he made friends with the celebrated Ewart Grogan. Grogan owned a lot of things in Kenya and had actually settled in the country after his walk from the Cape to Cairo in 1897. ………
My father and Grogan became partners, which was not a good idea and lasted a very short time. There was never any animosity between them, but Grogan was the sort of man who was on top of the world one moment and broke the next. The long and short of their parting was that my father found himself with much more land, including the whole ridge above Nakuru as well as Elburgon, and Molo, and various other things such as shares in a newspaper. He had to either cut his losses or try and make a go in the country. He decided on the latter course and so our association with Kenya began.
The newspaper shares became a controlling interest in the 'East African Standard' which was the major newspaper in the country and of course the new land had to be managed. My father soon found out that the biggest danger was dishonesty. An owner who, when there were no telephones, could only reach you at a pinch in 3 weeks, was a sitting duck. He decided to ask a young cousin of ours, Buster Powles, who was then in the Army of Occupation in Cologne, if he would like to take the chance and go out to Kenya. Luckily for our family he agreed and eventually became in charge of everything, a job which he carried out with great success and total integrity until Kenyan Independence in 1963."
Web - Hyde-Clarke - Alice Hammond - Kitale lies at the foot of Mount Elgon. About half way up the mountain Lord Howard de Walden had a large farm. This was managed by his nephew, Mr Powle. Mr & Mrs Powle had 2 children both boys and also had 2 nannies, a head nanny and her assistant. Shortly after we arrived in Kitale Mrs Powle gave birth to twin boys so they had 4 children. We spent Christmas day with them, had turkey, Christmas pudding, mince pies also peaches grown in the garden.
The house they lived in was called Chorlim and is a copy of Cherk Castle in Wales, Lord Howard's home there.