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Name: TEMPLE-PERKINS, Eric Arnold

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Birth Date: 1890 New Zealand

Death Date: 20 June 1972 Kichwamba, Uganda

Nationality: New Zealand

First Date: 1919

Profession: 27 years with the Colonial Administrative Service in Uganda. Big-game hunter

Area: Uganda

Author: 'Kingdom of the Elephant'

Book Reference: Perkins, Kinloch, Colonial, Kingsley-Heath, Uganda Staff, Chandler

War Service: New Zealand Expeditionary Force

General Information:

Perkins - In Jan. 1940 escorted H.H. the Kabaka of Buganda on safari - he was 16 and killed a buffalo with one shot. Later Temple-Perkins hunted with him many times.  PC - a keen naturalist, author and renowned elephant hunter. He was one of Uganda's great characters. Known affectionately to his friends as 'Purple-Tomkins'. A tall man with a deep booming voice.
Kingsley-Heath - District commissioner and game warden in Uganda before and after 1939-45 War. Survived two bouts of blackwater fever. Ivory and crocodile hunter. Died at 93 at Kichwamba overlooking the Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Chandler - Temple-Perkins wasn't a particularly healthy individual, at various times suffering from blackwater fever (twice), Malaria (constantly), and typhoid. It's somewhat of a wonder that he had such a long career. He was hardly the office-bound type of district commissioner either, and was always grasping at any excuse to grab a rifle and go out on control duties. ……………  As he got older Temple-Perkins mellowed quite a bit and took to hunting almost exclusively with a camera ………. [more]
Colonial - Dep. PC Uganda 1939
Web Eric Arnold Temple-Perkins (1890-1972) was born in New Zealand. After serving throughout World War I with the Royal Field Artillery he joined the Colonial Service; his first posting was as Assistant District Commissioner in Teso, a post he held for three years. In 1922 Temple-Perkins became District Commissioner of Karamoja, however, after only three months he was made Labour Commissioner in charge of the newly formed Labour Department. Over the next (circa) fifteen years Temple-Perkins served as District Commissioner of Ankole (1924-ca.1929), District Commissioner of Masaka (ca.1929-1932) and Provincial Commissioner of Buganda (1932-1934) of Toro (1935-1936) and of the Eastern Province of Uganda (1937-1938). During World War II he was made Director of Security and Intelligence in Uganda. In 1944 he became Resident of Buganda; this was his last official appointment until his retirement in 1945.
Temple-Perkins chose to remain in Uganda after he retired and lived on the edge of the Queen Elizabeth National Park. He had always been interested in wildlife and had been on many safaris to shoot big game; he had also made studies of African birds and snakes. In 1952 he was made an Honorary Warden of Uganda's National Parks. He published one book about his many hunting experiences entitled Kingdom of the Elephant.

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