Letter from Mrs R. Robbins - Joan Pardo (Remi Martin's secretary) says - Remi Martin was born in Manila, of mixed French-Spanish parentage. Both parents died when he was a baby and his Spanish relations took him to live with them in Madrid, until about the age of 11, when Sir Philip Wigham-Richardson, whose first wife belonged to this Spanish family took him to England and adopted ? him.

He led a normal upper-class life at the family home in Weybridge, went to Rugby, graduated in Mining Engineering at London University. He went to Kenya at the age of 22, in 1928, as a representative of Arbuthnot Latham, merchant bankers, financiers etc. but later went into the land and estate business, established a company called Richardson, Tyson and Martin, which with finance supplied by Sir Philip's company Armadors Finance and Investment Co., bought Baroness von Blixen's estate in 1931, called it 'Karen Estate' and proceeded to divide it into residential plots of not less than 5 acres, build roads and sink boreholes. The price then was about £14 an acre.

He gradually bought more land in that area and nearby Langata, developing it in the same way and became known as "The Baron of Karen". In those days the title deeds contained a clause to the effect that the plots could be owned only by those of pure European descent, or companies all of whose shareholders were of pure European descent.

He served in the Army during WW2, but I think stayed in Kenya and tried to keep the Karen Water supply going in Heath Robinson fashion, being unable to obtain essential supplies from England. As well as being a shrewd businessman he had many other interests. Together with a partner he pioneered the manufacture of natural gas from a source discovered near Nakuru, the company being called Carbacid Mfg. Co. They subsequently formed a companion company for the manufacture of crown corks.

He was a working director of two import-export companies and had a small hire purchase company called 'Colorado Co.' which name I think had something to do with Sir Philip's companies. He was keenly interested in politics, supporting the United Country party, and in local government, being on several committees of the Nairobi County Council for many years. His other voluntary jobs were Hon. Treas. to the Kenya Conservatoire of Music, Hon. Treas. to the Lady Northey Home for children, Hon. Sec. to the Old Rugbeian Soc., Chairman of the Karen/Langata District Ass. He was the guiding spirit in founding Karen Country Club and was responsible, together with a noted golf pro, Alec Kinnell, for laying out the golf course and he held office in the Club for many years.

He had a fine brain, was quick in thinking and moving - almost ran everywhere - and was apt to be brusque in his way of talking and impatient of those whose brain did not work as fast as his. He could be very parsimonious at times, and generous at others, but nothing like so parsimonious as his wife Anna - renowned for her meanness and rolling in money. I once looked after his miniature poodle bitch while he and his wife were away, giving her all possible TLC, daily grooming and exercise, and all he offered me was the precise amount of what her food cost.

Because Sir Philip always drove a Bentley, RM decided he must do the same, of course a totally unsuitable car for Kenya roads. Later he drove a Rolls Royce and had the utmost difficulty in getting repairs carried out. The last one was notorious for breaking down and he once arranged for a Rolls Royce technician to break his journey from S. Africa to England at Nairobi in order to bring the car up to tip top condition. On one famous occasion, there was an eclipse, or some such phenomenon, which could only be observed about 200 miles North of Nairobi. The Rolls Royce broke down on the way and RM had to remain stuck on the road side, while all the Morris Minors and Ford Anglias went gallantly on their way. But he never yielded to advice from all sides to scrap the Rolls and buy a Mercedes.

He was keenly interested in horse racing, owned some horses, hardly ever missed a race meeting and never failed, on Monday mornings to regale me with an account of what a good day he had had at the races on the previous day, despite my ferocious stares. But then, he never backed a loser, equine or anything else.

He had only one child, Philip, by his first wife, Joan, who died of cancer at the age of 55, only a year or so before RM died, I think in 1987.

Karen 50 - In 1928, some two and a half years before the Baroness Blixen's departure, a young man, Mr J.R. Martin, arrived in Kenya to join the firm of Tyson Brothers Ltd. They were agents for the London Merchant Bankers, Arbuthnot Latham & Co. Ltd. who were at that time financing the Karen Coffee Co. Ltd. the company under which the Baroness operated her farm. When, in early 1931, it became obvious that the Baroness Blixen could no longer carry on, Remi Martin persuaded his family in England to put up the necessary finance to acquire the property for development as a future residential suburb of Nairobi.

The contract was signed in Copenhagen on April 1st 1931. Before she left, the Baroness was offered her house and 20 acres, but retorted that she would rather live on one acre in the Sahara than on 20 acres in a Nairobi suburb. ......... In 1931 a company, Karen Estates Ltd., was formed to take care of the operation, with J.R. Martin as Managing Director.

East Africa & Rhodesia - 15/5/52 - Mr J.R. Martin who has spent nearly 24 of his 45 years in Nairobi, is a candidate in the Nairobi West electoral area, with which he has been closely associated for a long period, having been solely responsible for the development of the Karen and Hardy residential estates. In his address to the electorate he writes -  "I was educated at Rugby and the Royal School of Mines, London, and came in 1928 to Kenya, where my family had business interests. My first Kenya home was on the Marlborough estate, then at Karen, and latterly on the Hardy estate. In June 1940, I enlisted as a private in the Kenya Regiment, and at the end of the year was commissioned into the Royal Engineers with whom I served until October, 1945. "I was brought up in the house of a Conservative member of Parliament in England [Sir Philip Richardson - Ed.] who instilled into me that those fortunate enough to have leisure should devote some proportion of that leisure to the service of the public ……….. {more}

Gazette - Voters List 1936 - Jean Remi Martin, Company Director, Upper Parklands Estate and Joan Constance Vale Martin, Married woman, Upper Parklands Estate

First played in the EA Amateur Golf Championship in 1934. Businessman and financier. Founder Member and Debenture Holder of Karen Club in 1937. President 1948/49, 1954, 1969. Captain in 1954

His wife was Lady Captain of Karen CC (Golf) 1939