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Name: EELES, Frederick Harry

Birth Date: 14 Mar 1887 Bradford, Yorkshire

Death Date: 1 Jan 1922 London

First Date: 1915

Profession: Electrician

Area: Nairobi

Married: 1. 1910 Clara; 2. Banns were read in Paddington 12 Sep 1909 Sadie Ladh Rachelte b. 1887 [but no record of marriage]; 3. In Nairobi 15 July 1913 Daisy Alice Aggett b. 12 Aug 1893 East Cape, S. Africa, d. 8 July 1960 Nakuru (she later m. Lionel Carol Ente Griffin)

Children: Marjorie Aggett (Rooken-Smith, then Nye-Chart) (25 Sep 1915 Nairobi-21 Aug 2013 Pietermaritzburg)

Book Reference: RS, Gazette

General Information:

Bruce Rooken-Smith - FHE appears to have been somewhat of a rogue. From UK, he came to Kenya as an electrician to work with EAP&L or EAP&T, and in 1913 married my gran Daisy Aggett (later Griffin) in Nairobi. In 1915, FHE appears to have deserted her before my mother (Marge later Rooken-Smith, Nye-Chart) was born 25/9/1915. A letter from FHE's brother George, addressed to Daisy indicated that FHE had died in London 1/1/1922 in poor circumstances. For reasons best known to Daisy she only handed over the letter to Mum in 1965. Never once during her lifetime did she ever mention FHE to my Mum; anything my Mum gathered about FHE came from her mother's younger sister Ethel Bastard who, after her husband Segar died, moved from Nanyuki and lived for some years with my parents on their farm 'Greenfels' in Lalapanzi, Rhodesia. So we all assumed that FHE had returned to the UK but new information from June Traill (Rooken-Smith) indicates that FHE, a big game hunter, was secretary to Lady Grace MacKenzie and having made a film in Kenya returned with her to USA.  A FHE later turns up in Paris involved with patenting inventions. I find it too big a coincidence that there would be two FHEs in Kenya between 1913-1915 and therefore assume FHE lay low in Nairobi whilst Daisy was pregnant with Mum and joined Lady Grace's entourage, later sailing with her to USA (and animals?)
Gazette - 7/4/15 - Liable for Jury service, Nairobi District - Frederick Harry Ecles [sic], Stanley Hotel
Member of the staff of the EA Power & Lighting Co. for several years; he then worked at the Stanley Hotel in Government Road with Fred Tate. His hobby was amateur theatricals.

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