Joan Pawsey Shoucair - An English Woman in the 20th Century Vortex of Change....Part 4

by Glenn N. Holliman

Joan goes to Africa....

She was just five years old in July 1927 when with her mother, Elsie Ward Pawsey, Joan left England and moved to her new home in Uganda.  Her father, Henry 'Herb' Pawsey, former salesman for the famous John Lewis department store in Liverpool, took a position with Mengo Planters in Kampalo, Uganda.

Mangos were and are still a major export of  Uganda and Kenya. The sweet taste and nutritional value of this breadfruit makes it a popular food throughout the world.

 

The journey by sea was from London, England to Mombassa, Kenya, a British colony at the time.  In addition to her mother, her one year old cousin, Terence Francis Sheldrake, accompanied them.  As with her father, Terence's parents, Bert's sister and brother-in-law, had traveled ahead also to establish a new home and occupation.  During the month at sea, the children were closely looked after by Lahsa stewards and spoiled quite a bit. The stewards of Arab descent were believed to be from the island of Luma off the coast of Kenya.

 The Modasa

The ship was the Modasa, a P and O passenger liner launched in 1921 of 9,000 tons.  During its life time, it served mainly on the East Africa and India sea lanes.  The Prince of Wales on his journey to East Africa in 1928 sailed on the Modasa.  After service in World War II, the ship was scrapped in 1954.

After docking in Mombasa, Kenya, Joan's family traveled most of the way by train, the Kenya and Uganda Railroad, for the two and a half day journey to Kampala, Uganda.  The railroad began construction in 1895 in order to provide 20th Century transportation to the heart of East Africa.  Although traveling in luxury, Joan remembers walking beside the under powered train as it climbed slowly up the Kenya Escarpment.   

Below, a photograph from the current Riff Valley Railroad, the inheriting company of the original Uganda Railroad.  

 

The Kenya-Uganda Railroad which began construction in the middle 1890s was not finished until 1931, when it extended to Kampala.  The line was built by the Imperial East Africa Company which administered the territories of Kenya and Uganda until 1920.  That year, the British government took over Kenya as a colony and Uganda as a Protectorate.

Next more life in Uganda....