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Name: SPOONER, Thomas John
Nee: Anglo-Indian
Birth Date: 6 Aug 1862 Oadby, Leics.
Death Date: 17 June 1937 Lewes, Sussex
Nationality: British
First Date: 1897
Profession: Uganda Railway, recruited at Mombasa; District Engineer in charge of Railhead
Married: 1. In Mitford, Norfolk 23 Feb 1881 Pleasance Ann Fenn b. 31 May 1861 East Dereham, d. 1952 East Dereham (later m. Henry Bates); 2. In Peckham 1889 Lucy Spooner [sic] b. 1855 Leicester, d. 26 Apr 1921 Bloomsbury, London; 3. Elizabeth P.
Children: 1. Maurice Christmas (26 Dec 1884 Nortall Green, Norfolk-1974 Norwich; Gladys May (Kirk) (21 May 1893 Northall Green-1981 Derbyshire); 2. William (1899 Lancashire-1917 Holborn, London); Emily; 3. six children, including Lucy H., Margaret, and William Thomas John (3 May 1956 Norfolk)
Author: Photo album RCS
Book Reference: North, UJ, Mills Railway
General Information:
Uganda Journal - Vol 22 - The Mutiny Memorial at Bukaleba by H.B. Thomas - ………the accompanying photograph taken in 1901 by Mr T.J. Spooner, District Engineer, of the Uganda Railway Construction staff. [There is an account of some of his lion-hunting adventures in Lieut.-Col. J.H. Patterson's 'The Man-eaters of Tsavo'.]
North - At Naivasha taking photographs of Masai, due to dep. for Bombay by next French Steamer 26/1/1902; (List of Officers who have done good Service during the construction of the Railway …. Senior Asst. Engineer' OG Notice 1/12/1903). On sick leave Feb 1899, returned to work May 1899; Kikuyu July 1899; Railhead May 1900; Visited Luba's 1901; due to be given 3 months' notice July 1901
Mills Railway - 1899 - 30 July brought the rails to Nairobi and Whitehouse reported: "at the beginning of this month Mr Spooner, the District Engineer, returned from leave and resumed charge of the plate-laying division and it is due to his hard work that the record in plate-laying has been made during this month and the good work done by Mr Reynolds last month has been still further improved upon.
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