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Name: WILSON, George CB

image of individualimage of individual

Birth Date: 13 May 1862 Scotland

Death Date: 12 Dec 1943 Tunbridge Wells

First Date: 1888

Profession: Second in command of Lugard's caravan expedition to Uganda, he became Sub-Commissioner of the Uganda Protectorate in 1894 and Acting Commissioner, Uganda in 1904.

Area: Uganda

Married: In East Twickenham 20 Feb 1900 Clarissa Adelina Humphreys b. 4 July 1877 Islington, d. 5.7.1958 Eastbourne; 2. Swahili from Mwembe Tayari, Mombasa. There was also a Maasai wife and a Zanzibari wife.

Children: 2. Edward; there were also at least another two children by African mistresses in Mombasa

Book Reference: Gillett, Hobley, Ainsworth, Permanent Way, Watt, Moyse, Cranworth, Purvis, Fitzgerald, Tucker, Debrett, EAHB 1905, EAS, North, EA Diary 1903, Drumkey, Kiewiet, UJ, Nicholls, EAHB 1904, EAHB 1907; info from Benny C. Kings (descendant)

General Information:

See Wikipedia entry by Benny C. Kings: 'George Joined the Uganda Service in 1894 and was in civil charge of the Protectorate during the outbreak of the Sudanese Mutiny. He was appointed first class transport officer then the 1st class assistant of the Uganda protectorate on 30 August 1894.[2] Was the sub-commissioner of the Buganda Kingdom in 1895. Also Was the acting commissioner and the commander in chief of the Uganda Protectorate and the consul-general (5 November 1897 - 29 January 1898). Was awarded the C.B. on 2 January 1899. He was the Chief collector for Bunyoro (10 March 1900 - 17 November 1901)[6] and was the deputy commissioner of the Uganda Protectorate at Entebbe, government house (1 April 1902 - 1904) and deputy governor of the protectorate[3] (2 December 1907 - 1 March 1909). He was H.M. - His Majesty's commander in chief and acting commissioner of the Uganda protectorate (1904-1906) and (27 April 1907 - November 1907). Was a fellow at the Royal Society of Arts and a silver medal recipient since 28 June 1907.' Moved to Australia when he was five. Joined Lugard's caravan on 6 Aug 1890. 'For a while Mr Wilson was with the Scottish Industrial Mission at Kibwezi where they met up in Mombasa tasked with taking back control of Fort Dagoretti on 19 September 1891. Lugard, on his way back to the Coast in August 1892, found George at work on the Mackinnon Road, which was being built by the Mission at the cost of Sir William Mackinnon. Wilson joined the Uganda service on 30 August 1894. He soon made his mark as officer in charge of Kampala station. He demonstrated effective leadership, and was hence placed in charge of the protectorate region during the Sudanese Mutiny in September 1897.'
Hobley (road upcountry) 1892 - the work was carried forward as far as Kibwezi by Mr G. Wilson.
Ainsworth - (Fort Smith) - 1890 - 'George Wilson was left in charge and had with him a number of porters and askaris. Lugard and the remainder of the safari proceeded to Uganda where they arrived during Dec. 1890. Wilson built his station and endeavoured to make friends with the neighbouring Wakikuyu. In a few instances young men and women made the acquaintance of some of the station askari and porters. Amongst these was a youth by name Kinanjui. In the neighbourhood there resided a local Chief named Wyaki who unfortunately took up a hostile attitude to the station. His men in several instances molested the station men and 5 of these were killed. Wyaki also resented any Wakikuyu being friendly to the white man and such "friendlies" were at intervals assaulted. Matters appear to have become serious and Wilson appealed to Mr Leigh at Machakos, about 40 miles distant, for help. For some reason Leigh failed to respond, with the result that Wilson decided, early in 1891, to evacuate the station and retire to the coast. ..........   An enquiry regarding the loss of the station was held at the Coast. All that could be done, however, was to accept Wilson's explanation. (He was dismissed from the Company, as Lugard records with indignation). Leigh's conduct was difficult to understand, for had he gone to Wilson's assistance things might have been very different.
Permanent Way - Employed Wa-Kamba on the construction of the road between Tsavo and Kibwezi ....... he often had as many as 120 of these natives working daily under the supervision of Swahilis. ............................ he had supervised the making of the Mackinnon road, from Mazeras to Kibwezi, and joined the Government of the Uganda Protectorate as an Assistant Administrator in 1896.
Moyse - 1897 - sub-commissioner at Kampala. ................ Lugard built the post at Dagoretti, where he left George Wilson and 40 men. The Kikuyu proved hostile and Wilson had to fight his way out.   
Cranworth - 1906 - Uganda - Acting Commissioner, Mr Wilson, a splendid type of the old-time official and Administrator. His native name was "Bwana Tiari"  [Mr. Ready]
Fitzgerald mentions a Mr Wilson as at Melindi in 1891 - this could have been George Wilson or Norman Wilson or D.J. Wilson  
Tucker - Officer in charge of Kampala Fort in Oct. 1895  
Debrett - formerly a Dep. Commr. in Uganda Protectorate; acted as Commr. and Com.-in-Ch. Uganda 1897-8, 1904-5 and 1905-6
EAHB 1905 - G.P. Wilson - Deputy Commissioner, Uganda. IBEA Co. General Africa Staff - appointed January 1890. Sub-Commissioner, Uganda Protectorate, Aug. 30th 1894; Deputy Commissioner, April 1st 1902.
The African Standard - 26-2-1903 - Invited to the wedding of H.R. Phelips & Miss Jacquette Edith Lambe in Mombasa (Mr George Wilson, CB, and Mrs Wilson)
North - IBEA Co. - working amongst ex-slaves & coastal tribes near Mombasa 1889; joined IBEA Co. Jan 1890; 2 i/c to the Capt. F. Lugard on expedn. to Uganda, dep. Mombasa 6/8/1890; left in charge of new fort at Dagoretti, ill Oct. 1890; Withdrew from Dagoretti & returned to coast, dismissed by Company for disobeying orders; worked at EASM, Kibwezi; apparently reinstated by Company & working on Mackinnon road 1891-2; with the Sir. G. Portal "Special British Mission" to Uganda, dep. Mombasa Jan 1893; Appt. direct to UP; Appt. 1st Class Asst. UP 30/8/1894; Transport Dept.; arr. Uganda 4/11/1894; Port Alice Dec 1894; Acting Commissioner, Uganda Kampala at March & Sept. 1895; Kampala Jan 1897; Acting Commissioner when F.J. Jackson wounded during Sudanese mutiny Nov 1897; dep. Mombasa for Europe 27/9/1899; Hoima May 1901; Sub-Comm. Unyoro Oct. 1901; Appt. Deputy Comm. Uganda 1/4/1902; Acting Commissioner UP 8/9/1904; 'A man I have no wish to see again or have any dealing with - the man is nothing less than a double faced cad' (F.J. Jackson, FO 2)
Kiewiet - 1892 - Road from Kibwezi to Tsavo - 30 miles of road constructed by George Wilson in 1892 …. 1893
Kiewiet - Lugard built first Company station at Dagoretti in Oct. 1890. …. George Wilson placed in charge ……. Evacuated station in April 1891. Wilson was dismissed from the Company's service - unjustly according to Lugard ….. On the grounds of arbitrary treatment of the natives - [Note 2, Mackinnon Papers, 23 Jul 91, Adm. To Co.] - Lugard placed the blame on the misbehaviour of passing caravan porters. The abandoned station was burnt down and had to be rebuilt later in the year on a new site renamed Fort Smith.
Uganda Journal - Vol. 2 No. 2 - Further Memories of Uganda by Sir Albert Cook - George Wilson … commonly known as "Tayari", still happily with us though long retired, what an adventurous life he lived - from industrial work at Kibwezi in connection with the Scotch Mission to being Lugard's right-hand man at Dagoreti, and finally on several occasions Acting Commissioner of Uganda. He richly deserved his CB.
Uganda Journal - Vol 22, p. 186 - Group photograph of Uganda officials November 1907.
Uganda Journal - Vol 20 (1956), 210 - The Wilsons of early Uganda by H.B. Thomas - George Wilson was born in Scotland, but was taken to Australia when 5 years old. From here he made his way to East Africa in 1889, joining the IBEA Company in January 1890. Lugard was associated with him before leaving the Coast for Uganda, and formed a very high opinion of him. He was very successful among the Kikuyu, but the Company terminated his employment. For a while he was with the Scottish Industrial Mission at Kibwezi; and Lugard, on his way back to the Coast in August 1892, found him at work on the Mackinnon Road, which was being built by the Mission at the cost of Sir William Mackinnon. Wilson joined the Uganda service on 30 August 1894. He soon made his mark as officer in charge of Kampala station. He showed great gifts of leadership when, as Acting Commissioner, he found himself in civil charge of Uganda on the outbreak of the Sudanese Mutiny in September 1897. For his services he became CB in 1899 (not CMG as UJ 17 (1953), 110) He played a leading part in internal affairs during the next few years. He was a witness to the Ankole Agreement, signed 25 January 1901; conducted the enquiry into the murder of Mr H. St. J. Galt in Ankole in 1905; dealt with the recalcitrant Bunyoro chiefs in May 1907; and was in charge of Busoga famine relief measures in 1908. He retired as Deputy Commissioner 1 March 1909; and died at Tunbridge Wells 12 December 1943, aged 81. An excellent portrait of George Wilson appears in Trevor Ternan's 'Some Experiences of an Old Bromsgrovian', 1930. He is immortalized as 'Bwana Tayari' - Mr Ready. Though the name was singularly appropriate to his character, it was almost certainly a happy recognition by his African followers of his habit of prefacing exhortation with the cheerful interrogative, 'tayari?' For an appreciation see Sir H.H. Bell 'Glimpses of a Governor's Life' 1946.
Uganda Journal - Vol 23, p.173 - George Wilson and Dagoretti Fort by H.B. Thomas - Ernest Gedge's diary on way to Coast in 1891 -  28 March - Reached Dagoreti about 4 pm. Found Wilson well and also a few letters. Camped men outside the fort which is well built. Had dinner and talk with Wilson. He has had several scrimmages with the Wa-Kikuyu here. Martin's caravan appears to have done a lot of harm according to Wilson's account. 29 March - Sunday - In the morning Wilson asked me for some men to go to help him recover 2 of his men who had been kidnapped by the Wa-Kikuyu, men sent down with the mails. He and Auburn went off. On their return a bloody tale of treachery was unfolded. The Wa-Kikuyu had most foully murdered them, men who had always been Wilson's friends. Wilson reported the whole country up and seeing the natives coming in great crowds over the hill. I called all the men inside the fort and made ready. Altogether 5 of Wilson's men were scuppered. Two escaped, one with an arrow wound. The Wa-Kikuyu were in great force and we had little or no ammunition. Two Pangani men {sc. From a Swahili caravan which had joined Gedge at Naivasha for protection through Masailand} were also killed by them in the evening down at the water. The whole thing is very serious and Wilson's position is no longer tenable. Had we had ammunition it would have been easy work to hold the fort, as it is we had to decide to retreat and take Wilson along with us as he would inevitably come to a bad end if left with only his small force and no ammunition. Sat up nearly half the night and a strict watch kept but the natives held off however shouting out defiance and were in great crowds all round at nightfall. Their treachery is beyond belief, The very man Lugard made a treaty with is the very man who has done all this. The situation is simply this, Wilson is in danger here and I am only able to convey him away, not having ammunition to stay and defend the place - besides I have my own work and owe a duty to my own caravan. 500 rounds of bad cartridges is not exactly an efficient quantity for standing a siege. It is most unfortunate but entirely the fault of the coast people for not having placed a proper amount of ammunition in Wilson's hands. The steel boat which is here will have to be left. 30 March - Everyone on the alert all night but no attack took place. Very busy burying such gear as we could not carry. Got away in good order at 7.30. I took the lead with my safari. Then came Wilson with the cattle. After him the Pangani caravan, Auburn bringing up the rear. Five minutes after leaving the natives were into the fort in crowds and set it on fire. Marched very slowly, our strong well-formed line was too formidable. After a weary march reached the forest. Here we had poisoned arrows shot at us, 2 fell close to me. Camped outside the forest making a good boma. ……… [Machakos] 4 April - said good-bye to Wilson and Brown and moved off.  [Lots more information on why George Wilson retreated from the fort] Leith who was met by Gedge near Tsavo on 14 April can hardly have reached Machakos before the end of the month when he seemingly took over charge from A.T. Brown.
Ainsworth (pp. 18-19) clearly designates Leith (he speaks in error of "Mr Leigh") as the non-co-operating officer in charge of Machakos who denied ammunition to Wilson. Nevertheless Wilson must have scraped together enough men and supplies to enable him to re-occupy Dagoretti - perhaps with Sudi in company; and here on 13 June Eric Smith found him with 29 men doing his best to re-build the devastated station. Smith counselled Wilson once more to abandon Dagoretti, and together they reached Mombasa on 16 July 1891 - whereupon the Company terminated Wilson's employment. A private letter from Jackson among Gedge's papers dated Lamu 28 August 1891 suggests that his dismissal followed aspersions made "through spite" by Bateman and Leith. It seems clear that it was not in disapproval of Wilson's conduct in the abandonment of Dagoretti. ……. Within a few weeks Wilson had been engaged by Dr. James Stewart, the leader of the Scottish East African Industrial Mission party, and with them he left Mombasa early in September 1891. He was still employed by the Mission when in August 1892 Lugard on his way to the Coast met him between Kibwezi and Tsavo at work on the construction of the Mackinnon Road.
Nicholls - Dagoreti - After a stockade was built, Lugard pressed onwards to Uganda in November 1890, leaving George Wilson, an Australian he had found teaching freed slaves in Mombasa, in charge at Dagoretti, with 30 Africans to support him. Wilson was visited in January 1891 by Captain Eric Smith, of the 1st Life Guards, a man sent inland by IBEAC to explore a route for a possible railway. It may have been the behaviour of some of the men in Smith's caravan which poisoned relations with the local Kikuyu, for on 30 March Wilson felt it prudent to retire from Dagoretti fort, a wise move as the Kikuyu then overrran and burnt it. When new supplies arrived with a caravan led by George Leith, who took over Machakos from Bateman, Wilson reoccupied Dagoretti but soon left it and joined Smith on the way back to the coast. There he was dismissed from the Company - according to Ernest Gedge, for 'seduction, and flogging a man to death' on the evil report of the blackguards Leith and Bateman.
Purvis - called "Bwana Tayari"
Daniel Wilson - Facebook - History in Progress Uganda - Shared by Daniel Wilson: 'Looks can be deceiving. Sir [he was not knighted] George Wilson was a deputy commissioner in Uganda for many years before he assumed all administrative duties as the acting commissioner in early 1906. He also happens to be my great grandfather. While I'm not proud of this photo because of its appearance of colonial oppression, he married my great grandmother, a Swahili woman from Mwembe Tayari in Mombasa, at a time when whites mingling with Africans was a taboo. In spite of the criticism he must have endured for marrying a black woman, he still followed his heart. This photo does not represent the real George Wilson. It was more a function of his position as a Commissioner for the British Government in Uganda at the time. Now you know where the Wilson family (large family stretching from Kenya to Uganda) got their name from.'
According to the 1939 England and Wales Register he was living in Tunbridge Wells with his wife Clarissa at that time.
Lugard's Diary Wilson is a capital fellow and seems to be fortune’s favorite. Eldest of nine and a happy home. Discoverer of a coal mine and working director, he was very well off. Swindled in this and badly treated by the Regiment he had raised and was Adjutant of, he chucked it up and came to Africa with his brother. And in love with his wife thoroughly. She is coming. Things do not weigh on his mind. Very good looking, extremely taking, he was a favourite on board and is the same here. His men adore him and his manner with them is admirable. Always chatting and laughing - if anything too much so – but they’ll do anything for him. His fight with the Masai was a first rate business and shewed immense pluck. Practically he stood alone against 300, and then rallied 5 men to him, and finally recovered most of his things, killing a number of Masai and only losing one man.

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