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Name: SOAMES, Cecil Tudor (Capt.)

Nee: 7th child of Frederick William Soames, Soames Brewery, Wrexham, bro of Frederic Evelyn Soames

Birth Date: 19 July 1895 Wrexham

Death Date: 29 Oct 1938 London

First Date: 1914

Last Date: 1936

Profession: Took up land in the Songhor area where he grew coffee and pyrethrum, and latterly also had a farm 'Marindas' at Molo where, in addition to raising cattle and sheep, he grew wheat and essential oil plants - lavender oil.

Area: Farm 1471, Kiptegat, Songhor, 'Marindas' Molo

Married: Mrs Estrith Inglesby Middleditch b. 1896 Kensington (later m. John Hoste Henley 1903-1957)

Children: No children

Book Reference: Cranworth, Gillett, Nellie, Over my Shoulder, KFA, Bovill, KAD, Red 25, Red 31, Hut, EAMR, Garden, Red 22, Web, Racing, Burke, Rift Valley

War Service: Served with EAMR - E Sqdn. 8/8/14 - 27/3/16 - To KAR in WW1 (despatches twice)

School: Winchester

General Information:

Gazette 15 Nov 1938 probate
Gave much of his time and talents to public bodies designed to help the economic progress of Agriculture in EA. He was also a director of the Kenya Cooperative Creameries.
Nellie - (1934) - 'Cecil Soames arrived to stay after a District Council meeting with a Creamery one next day. He looks beastly, but one knows that no good gardener could really be, and his dogs are very fond of him.' ...... 'John Henley has recently married Cecil Soames's wife, so C. Soames doesn't think much of Henley's pyrethrum drier. Nor do I really, it is so small and the pyrethrum a bad colour.' ...... 'He is such a super gardener and so generous about plants .….'
Over my Shoulder - Director of the Land Bank
KFA - Pioneer of pyrethrum growing in the Molo area
Hut - Director KCC
Garden - '....Molo to see Mr Cecil Soames' scent farm, some 9000 feet up in the highlands, among scenery exactly like our rolling Sussex Downs. The air is crisp and cool, daffodils and plums grow where at Sotik one will find tropical oranges and moon-flowers; Mr Soames's house is extraordinarily comfortable and hospitable in the manner of the Old Country and his gardens take one straight back to Britain. He grows geraniums and large acreages of lavender ...... There, on his large estate of 6,000 acres among wide views, Mr Soames runs his own still for extracting the oils; and essential oils are not by  any means the only diversion he gets from his land; he has a large dairy herd, fine pleasure gardens, he loves dogs and sport. He is experimenting; and I think that must be the greatest of all the Kenya sports.'
Red 22 - Honorary Permit Issuer
Racing - Owner of 'Sunspot' by 'Sundial' - 'Remember' - 1929 - Mrs C.T. Soames
Racing - Owner of 'Sunhill' - 1929 - Mrs C.T. Soames
Racing - Owner of 'Suntime' - 1929 - Mrs C.T. Soames
Racing - Owner of 'Resthea' - 1930 - Mrs C.T. Soames
Rift Valley - Member of the Rift Valley Sports Club - Jan 1929 - Elected - 18 Jan 1926 - C.T. Soames
Gazette - 12/11/1919 - Register of Voters - Lake Area - Cecil Tudor Soames - Farmer - Songhor
Red 25 - Honorary Permit Issuer
Cranworth - Capt. Soames and John Fraser were inseparable companions and the keenest of sportsmen, especially where anything connected with a horse was concerned. .......... He served throughout WW1, but died on his tobacco farm in Nyasaland soon after the conclusion of peace.
An outstanding polo player, with a handicap in S. Africa of 7 if not 8, unquestionably the best we had in Kenya. ... with the loss of an arm which he suffered in Mafia Island soon after the outbreak of WW1 saw all hopes of future polo vanish.
 

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