Barnes - Nairobi South Cemetery - Morris Somen, died 30 Apr 1926 aged 18

Glimpses - Post WW1 - Dozens more Jews made their way to Kenya, most notably the extraordinary Somen family. The Somens had emigrated from Lithuania to South Africa, fallen upon hard times and died young, but not before producing 7 bright children who perforce learned to fend for themselves. In 1924 or 1925 Pauline, the youngest daughter, just 19, answered an advertisement for assistant leader of the Girl Guides in Kenya. And got the position. Shortly thereafter her oldest brother, David, a bright young man who was teaching in the Transvaal, came up to see his little sister. Once in Nairobi he got a job with Education Department, first teaching at the Nairobi Primary School, then rising to become headmaster of the Duke of Gloucester the government secondary school for Asians in Pumwani.

Meanwhile his younger brother Israel Somen, who had been put into an orphanage from which he escaped at age 16, pitched up, and found a job with the Railways. The other 2 sisters, Liebe Somen and Anne Somen, made their way up to Kenya, too, as did their brother Morris. Initially all the young Somens lived together in a house in Parklands and although, as David's son Michael says, "being all strong-minded characters, they fought energetically among themselves, but they always presented an intimidatingly united Somen front to anyone who dared criticise one of them".

Michael Somen, David Somen's son:  The seventh and youngest child, Morris, died having an epileptic fit white playing Rugby at the Railway Club ground in Nairobi. He was 18 and had been a Junior Springbok.  He was buried in the Nairobi South Cemetery in Kenya.