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Name: LANDELLS, Lewis 'Jock'

Birth Date: 20 Dec 1896 Edinburgh

Death Date: 14 Sep 1977 Perth, Western Australia

First Date: 1926

Last Date: 1976

Profession: Policeman, tea planter, Kenya Tea Co., sisal planter, High School bursar

Area: Mombasa, Nairobi, Kisumu, Eldoret, Kericho, Kibwezi, Masongaleni

Married: In Zanzibar 1931 Barbara Hoyland Burtt b. 1901 York, d. 21 July 1993 Myaree, Australia

Children: James Scott 'Jimmy' (1939); Jean Norris (1933)

Book Reference: Hut, EAWL

War Service: A Gunner in WW1

School: Burroughmuir, Scotland

General Information:

Letter from son J. Landells - 'My father ... trained in Edinburgh as a mechanical engineer, fought as a gunner in the first World War, and then spent a few years in the Palestine Gendarmerie. In 1926 he went to Kenya as a European Police Constable. While he was a policeman he served in Nairobi, Eldoret, Kitale, Kisumu and I think Songhor. After that he became an engineer on a sisal plantation in Kilosa, Tanzania. This was followed by other stints on other sisal properties. He left that to become a tea planter his first appointment being at Kaisugu in Kericho, working for B.F. Brain. He then transferred to Brooke Bonds, the Kenya Tea Company and worked on various estates in Kericho as the relief manager. ….. While he was in Kericho my father was the Commandant of the then fore-runner of the Kenya Police Reserve ie. the Kenya Defence Force. He was a very good shot. It was during this period of time that my sister and I were born.
My father left Kericho, spent a short while as the bursar of the Kenya Girls High School and then went back to tea, this time in Sotik. He stayed there for several years before going back to his native Scotland to retire.
While he was in Sotik he was instrumental in putting up a tea factory for the Kapkimolwa Tea Estate.
However he found Scotland too cold for his liking so came back to Kenya where he did a variety of odd jobs for some time. Finally he called it a day and went down with my mother to Malindi where they lived in retirement before deciding to come to Australia to live out the remainder of their lives. ….. He died after only a few months, of cancer. ……. My father was a very kind man who was scrupulously honest. He was very clever with his hands and produced two fully fledged marionette shows, Peter Pan and Dick Whittington. He was a good water colour artist and versatile with both banjo and piano accordion. At one time he submitted a weekly cartoon for the then Sunday Times newspaper. He was also a freemason and belonged firstly to Naivasha Lodge and latterly Mau Forest.
Gazette - 13/10/1926 - Arrived on 1st Appointment - Police Constable - L. Landels [sic]
Gazette 15 Sep 1978 probate

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