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Name: ANSORGE, William John (Dr.)

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Birth Date: 6 Apr 1850 Krishnagur, Bengal

Death Date: 31 Oct 1913 St. Paul de Loanda, Mauritius

First Date: 1894

Last Date: 1899

Profession: Medical doctor

Area: Port Alice

Married: In Islington 1881 Mary Matilda Ely b. 17 Oct 1852 Rochester, Kent, d. 1 Mar 1938 Bexley, Kent

Children: Gerald P. (1885 London); Ethel Dora Mary Louisa (1883); Eric Cecil (6 Mar 1887 Willesden-1977)

Author: 'Under the African Sun' 1899

Book Reference: North, BEA, UJ, Chandler

School: Royal College, Mauritius; Pembroke Coll., Cambridge

General Information:

North - 'Mauritius pensioner' (FO 403); Visiting hospital at Kilwa Jan 1894; advertising in the ZG for patients at 'The Hotel Angleterre', Zanzibar 7-2-1894; Temporary appt. Medical Officer UP 3-3-1894; dep. Mombasa for Uganda 19-3-1894; Port Alice Dec. 1894; various trips from Uganda to Mombasa and back again; end of appt. to be transferred to Southern Nigeria 6-10-1899. BEA 1 p.11 - The Reverend E. Millar, MA, BSc, FRZS, FRGS - The Man and His Stamps - by Roy Dunstan - ……. 1895 Uganda - The Government at that time was apparently in the hands of a certain Dr. W.J. Ansorge. This singularly ineffectual individual in his book complains that he was single handed and had to combine administrative, military and medical duties and that 'inter alia' he was paymaster and postmaster.
Uganda Journal - Vol 22, p. 97 - Obituary of Michael Moses - ….. [1897] - There was one other European official at Masindi, William John Ansorge, a civilian medical officer and the author of 'Under the African Sun' (published in 1899). Like so many of his contemporaries in the Uganda service he was from time to time called upon to perform another role than that to which he had been appointed. For a while he had been in charge of the fort at Kampala. He was considerably older than Dugmore and his previous administrative service and his knowledge of the habits and ways of thought of his Sudanese patients made him a useful mentor to his younger and less experienced commanding officer.
North - 'He is an awful old ass and obnoxious in many ways' (Moffat, RH)
He was a collector - three birds and many fish are named after him
 

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