Skip to content ↓

View entry

Back to search results

Name: GREGORY, Joseph Richard 'Greg' OBE, MA, MD (Dr.)

image of individual

Birth Date: 1897 Kiltegan, Co. Wicklow

Death Date: 5 Mar 1979 Nairobi

Nationality: Irish

First Date: 1928

Profession: Medical doctor. A staunch Roman Catholic and a highly respected doctor in Nairobi. He did a great deal of charity work and, in particular, initiated an adoption society to cope with needy cases

Area: Nairobi

Married: 1932 Lilian Lawson Page - soon drifted apart

Author: 'Under The Sun'

Book Reference: Daphne Ewings, Irish, Mischief, Red 31, Hut, Curtis, EA & Rhodesia, Charters, Who's Who, mini-SITREP XXXIII, Web

War Service: Army Service Irish Fusiliers 1915-19

School: Carlow, Trinity College, Dublin

General Information:

On committee of the Irish Society in 1933
Irish - President of the Irish Society in 1938 and 1946. Came to Kenya to join Dr Burkitt as a third partner in the Nairobi practice. He met Dr Burkitt in London for an interview at which the first question he was asked was "Do you know anything about horses?" because the other candidates did not, and they were all "useless". Having assured Dr. Burkitt that he could ride well Dr. Gregory was offered the appointment. Later on Dr. Burkitt asked if he would like to go to a theatre and thinking of some good entertainment Gregory accepted with alacrity. However the theatre turned out to be at St. Peter's Hospital where they spent the afternoon watching a famous surgeon performing a tricky operation in the theatre there. 'Greg' or 'Joe', as he was known to his friends, was doubtful about going to Africa but he already knew Dr. C. McCaldin who was Burkitt's other partner as they had been close friends when they were medical students in Trinity College, Dublin and Dr. Burkitt was very persuasive so he accepted to go to Kenya. Dr Gregory loved Africa from the moment he sailed into Kilindini Harbour at Mombasa and, as predicted by Burkitt, was to spend the rest of his life in Kenya. He became a very popular member of the social life of Nairobi. He had a great love of the 'Arts' never missing a concert or a play and was a great host giving dinner parties at which his favourite starter was half an Avocado pear filled with Calvados. "If the guests were a sticky crowd that was guaranteed to get the conversation going well before the soup course" said Greg to me many years later and, as I sampled this starter myself, his theory was quite correct. ........ Apart from his medical practice Greg was quite a businessman. He was a great believer in "bricks and mortar" and always advised young people to own their own homes. He became involved in civic affairs in the forties serving as a city alderman for many years and eventually became Mayor of Nairobi in 1953. He also served as director to many companies and was chairman of the Avon Rubber Company for about 20 years. He became President of the Irish Society in 1946 just after the very difficult war period. ...... After a short illness Greg died in the later seventies and was deeply mourned by his many friends. His ashes are buried in my garden facing the Ngong Hills which he loved so dearly.
Mischief - GP to the Muthaiga Club set. ........ visits to Molly Hay, Countess of Erroll, the house smelt of champagne and vomit. Molly's body was covered with heroin abscesses. .......….
Murder of Lord Erroll - Prince Windishgraetz told Cyril Connolly that Dr. Gregory, the GP who had given evidence in Broughton's defence, had claimed that Broughton had confessed the murder to him while he was in jail ....... Gregory had a remarkable memory for the idiosyncracies of his patients; he was also known for his fanciful Irish imagination.
Curtis - p. 46 - story of Dr. Burkitt's meeting with Gregory and employment as a partner
East Africa & Rhodesia - 24/7/52 - Alderman J.R. Gregory, the new mayor of Nairobi, has been in Kenya for about 24 years in medical practice, and has been president of the Kenya Branch of the British Medical Association. He is also a past president of the British Red Cross Society in the Colony, the Irish Society, the East Africa Conservatoire of Music, and Nairobi Rotary Club.
Charters - Dr. J.R. Gregory was not only a popular general practitioner, but also contributed greatly to the administration of the Red Cross and to the adoption of new-born babies ……
mini-SITREP XXXIII - Legion of Frontiersmen - 1940 - A Squadron - Medical Officer
Web - President of Nairobi Rotary Club - 1951-52
Women in Kenya - An Appreciation by Gerald Nevill - "Dear Friends, Looking around this congregation I see folks of every age, the young and the not so young; of every station in life the well to do and the not so well to do; of every race and from every continent of this earth; of every creed and religion that can be mustered - all gathered here this sunny afternoon in March in Nairobi to pay their last respectful tribute to one who perhaps, above all others, has during his long life truly earned that tribute, by his unending devotion to, and love of, mankind and by his eternal and unstinting service to the betterment of the peoples of this world.
He was a great little man, a darling man, they would call him in Ireland the land of his birth; and here in Kenya the land of his total adoption, he will always be remembered as that remarkable little doctor, who was always about with a helping hand whenever any need arose; whether the need was medical, social, psychological, political or just personal, Greg was always there and Greg was always approachable friendly, tactful, analytical when necessary, but above all human and infinitely helpful.
Joseph Richard Gregory was born in Kiltegan, Ireland on 14 July 1897 one of a typical family of 4 and 2 girls. He went to school in Carlow and much later he had a very happy life as a medical student at Trinity College and at the Adelaide Hospital, Dublin being best known perhaps as the wittiest editor that that scurrilous rag know as "TCD" ever spawned.He was also President of the Historical Society and a splendid Runner. In the meantime he had served for 4 years in WW1 - first in the South Irish Horse and later as an officer in the Royal Irish Fusiliers and for many years thereafter he retained as a memento an incredibly heavy Colt revolver of that era. What he wanted to keep it for I never could fathom, for a gentler and less ferocious warrior has never, ever, been seen.
After a few years general practice in Aberdare with a very famous character Dr Banks, he decided to come to Kenya to team up with other famous characters Drs Roland Burkitt and Charles McCaldin whom he joined in 1928. Many stories he told us of those splendid days riding up to Kijabe on a mule because the cars  could not get there; staying for weeks with cases of blackwater to ensure their survival by rest, fluids, Luminal and soda bicarb; dealing with the animal wounds of the "Great White Hunters" and the ills of the Masai and others by Quinine and various Sindanos. And in between he delivered the babies - perhaps some of you here today - took out the Tonsils or Appendixed and attended to the ills of anyone who cared to walk into his surgery.
He toiled away during the long hungry thirties when the farmers could not always sell their produce nor the workers always get a job. The World War came and he was told to stay at home and look after the people which he did day and night, and day and yet he found time also to direct the Red Cross, organise troop shows and entertainments with James Master, and perform a host of public duties. We know how well he earned the inevitable honour of the OBE. He was always everywhere, was known by everybody and to everyone was always the same old Greg. Charming, mischievous, vivacious, helpful, approachable, generous - to an extent many of us cannot guess - and above all human. He understood men, women and children, loved them all, and in return received unbounded lovefrom them all.
In 1932 he married a long-standing girl friend, Lilian Page, but alas the marriage was not very happy and they soon drifted apart; I think he made up to himself the lack of a family by taking just everybody into his heart.
As a doctor he was a legend, he could and did everything that could be done for everybody - The Title "Physician and Surgeon" meant for him that he must strain every medical talent he possessed all the time. He gained his MD by thesis in Dublin was President of the Kenya Branch of the BMA and of the later formed College of General Practitioners, and in his closing years was, perhaps prophetically, Chairman of the Cancer Council. He was firmly convinced of the value of group Practice to the efficient delivery of health care.
His outside interests were just as varied. He had a big hand in the early days growing tea, and a great interest in the Jockey Club; he was for many years a Nairobi City Councillor and later its Mayor; He was a world famous international Rotarian being District Governor of a large part of Africa; he was President of almost everything from the Irish Society to the Conservatoire of Music via Avon Tyres and Buret Tea Co. Including Nairobi Club.
No-one could accuse him of being a typical do-gooder but strangely enough everything he touched did someone else great good.
In our early Group Practice days just after the Second War he formed a Hospital to cater for all races, creeds and kinds, cutting across all Colonial traditions and quite typically named it "The Rainbow Nursing Home" inferring every colour under the rainbow. This was the forerunner of our present multi-racial hospital system. He himself was completely non-racial in his outlook long before this became a popular ideal. Again it was very typical that he was one of the very first to apply for Kenya Citizenship when it was first made available after "Uhuru". All this was part of his liberal outlook and advanced ideas of man's humanity to man.
He was a wonderful speaker, even an orator, and at times an actor, and his services to the EAWL and other societies will be impossible to replace; regrettably he only wrote one little book, but a gem at that, a series of tales mostly about Dr Burkitt called "Under the Sun".
We all urged him to write more so that we could in turn relive with him the sort of fun and whimsy that were so much part of him and which we knew could not last for ever - although he made a very good shot at being entirely indestructible.
His sense of humour was very personal and lightning quick - a few months back as he was leaving this Church with an elderly friend after a funeral service his friend remarked "We seem to meet here very frequently at funerals these days" Greg replied  "Yes I was beginning to wonder if it was worth my while going home ". But now he is gone. Gone to his Last Home. His era is over.
We will look in vain for his pink youthful face with bright twinkling blue eyes and arching puckish ginger eyebrows - all surmounted by a hat, straw in summer, grey felt on wetter days.
That great little man, who, although he looked up to almost everybody physically was in turn looked up to metaphorically by all with whom he made contact.
"Good goods in small parcels" was a favourite quip of his.
We will never see his like again.
From those who are here today and those who would have liked to be here, "Adieu, dear Greg, Farewell".
Gazette - Voters List 1936 - Nairobi South - Joseph Richard Gregory, Box 348, 3rd Avenue Ngong Road, Nbi
Gazette 22 Aug 1980 probate

Back to search results