Geoffrey Maurice Swindlehurst 1926 - 1969
Geoff was born on 1st February 1926, at 114 Lancaster Road, where his father was in business as a bespoke tailor. He started his schooling at Deepdale Council School in September 1931. He passed his 11-plus in 1937 and went to Preston Grammar School as a scholarship boy (at that time the School still admitted fee-payers). He had no interest in academic learning and on more than one occasion just stopped going. After the last such occasion (and after the usual domestic discord) he was prevailed upon to attend, on the understanding that he could leave on his birthday. As a result he finished his "formal" schooling without taking the normal examinations and with no educational qualifications at all.
He started his work career at Courtauld's factory at Red Scar, as an accounts clerk, this being merely a stop gap until he was old enough to join the Army. He joined up at 17½, rather than await conscription, in order to make his own choice of unit - the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment (the "Loyals") in which his father and uncles had served in WW1. He rapidly achieved promotion and was soon granted a commission as 2nd Lieutenant. He always had the confidence to break the rules, and always had the effrontery to get away with it. For instance, whilst in training at Lancaster, as commander of a bren gun carrier, he travelled to Preston in it (quite illegally, from both the civil and the military points of view) to visit his parents. He continued training at Lancaster, Morecambe (OCTU) and Northern Ireland, where he lost the hearing in his right ear as the result of a grenade explosion.
He was posted to Africa and managed to visit quite a large proportion of it at army expense. He served in Lusaka in Northern Rhodesia (Zambia), Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Kenya, Somalia, Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and Egypt. His most enjoyable experience was as Company Commander of a Company of the Northern Rhodesian Regiment in Madagascar, following the Allied invasion (undertaken to prevent Vichy France giving access to German and Japanese warships). He also managed a visit to South Africa on leave, where he made contact with a branch of his maternal grandmother's family. He ended his military overseas service in Palestine (with the rank of Captain) where he faced a court martial for arresting his own Commanding Officer (on the grounds of that individual's incapacity!), but was exonerated. He was released from the Army on 11th October 1947.
He was required, under the terms of the Government's Direction of Labour policy, to return to his previous employment as an accounts clerk at Courtauld's. He found this unacceptable and took himself back to Kenya, which had impressed him as the place to live. He got a job in Mombasa with the Dalgety and New Zealand Loan Co, as a buyer of hides and skins, in which he was successful in spite of having no previous knowledge. He was quickly promoted to head office in Nairobi where he had his own office, complete with secretary, a lady by name of Dorothy Blowers, who became his wife. They married in 1950, at the Cathedral of the Highlands, in Nairobi. They lived an enjoyable life with a wide range of social activities. Both of them were keen shooters and both became East African Small-bore Champions. They also gained their PPLs (Private Pilot's Licences).
He did not take kindly to having people tell him what to do, so when he was offered the chance to join the Soldier Settler agricultural scheme, he took it. He was granted 500 acres in the Mau Narok Scheme, conditional upon he and Dorothy undertaking a training course at the Egerton Agricultural College at Njoro. He named his farm Holme Slack Farm, after his childhood home. He and Dorothy lived in Mau Narok for a number of years, during which time Dorothy had 3 pregnancies. Their first child died at 17 days. Their second child was Jane (1956), born with Down's Syndrome, and last was John (1958).
Over time he made a success of his agricultural activities but realised, after Kenyan Independence, that there was no long-term future for European farmers, so in 1964 moved to Nairobi and spent months training for his Commercial Pilot's licence, Instrument Rating etc. He received a good offer for the farm, which he accepted, and took a job with an air charter company, Wilkenair, flying out of Wilson Airport, Nairobi.
He quickly identified a good opportunity associated with the prestigious Mount Kenya Safari Club, on the slope of Mount Kenya, which had been set up by a consortium of wealthy investors including William Holden the American film actor. He entered into an arrangement with the Club which resulted in him resigning from Wilkenair and setting up his own Air Charter business. He bought 2 aircraft: a single-engined Piper Comanche, and a Piper twin-engined Aztec and based them on the airstrip at Naro Moru, very close to Nanyuki and the Club. Working from here a major part of his activities was flying Club visitors arriving at Embakasi (now Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport) to the club and back, in the process developing close acquaintance with some international celebrities. This also enabled him to circumvent the country's exchange control mechanism, which prevented the export of locally-earned money. Certain selected regular visitors arrived without money, he provided the cash they needed locally and they repaid the money into his bank in Switzerland. He was thus able to transfer most of his funds, which enabled Dorothy to live comfortably after his death.
His flying business had a number of other clients, including Barclay's Bank. It was while flying 2 Bank officials (and 1 other passenger) back from a camel sale at Mandera in Kenya's Northern Frontier Province that he (and they) were killed, on 14th October 1969. He was 43. The aircraft, caught in a thunderstorm, was struck by a down-draught of such magnitude that both mainplanes were broken from the fuselage, giving the occupants no chance. The UK Air Accident Report CAV/ACC/18/69 refers.
The wreckage was not located for 2 days. The remains of the bodies, partial and indistinguishable, were gathered together and cremated in a single ceremony in Nanyuki. The ashes were then scattered from the air over Mount Kenya (incidentally by Geoff's deputy, who was himself killed the following week in another accident). Dorothy erected a memorial stone to Geoff in the graveyard in Nanyuki, but subsequently emigrated to New Zealand with the children.
The Aircraft
This aircraft, 5Y-AGC, is the Piper Comanche which was Geoff's first passenger-carrying aircraft, (taken over from Wilkenair, who had purchased it new from the manufacturer), about 1967. The grass is the airstrip at Naro Moru and the cgi buildings behind the aircraft are the Airport facilities. Geoff is to the right, with Dorothy, Jane and John. He was flying this aircraft when he was later killed.
The paint scheme on fuselage and fin matches the School colours of Preston Grammar School.
