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Name: BOND, Alfred William

Birth Date: 29.12.1893 Hackney, London

Death Date: 2.1.1970 George, S. Africa

First Date: 1921

Profession: Businessman (Uganda and Kenya), farming (Kapkembwa), Kipkabus

Area: Kampala, Uganda, Kipkabus and Limuru Kenya

Married: In Westcombe Park, Kent 30 June 1923 Mabel Ellen Castle b. 4 Jan 1897 Greenwich, d. 21 April 1977 Durban

Children: John Handley (10.1.1927-18.5.1999); Anthony Hayward (13.5.1930 London-13.12.2016 Barkly West, S. Africa); David Cooper (10.4.1933-11.11.1960); Roger Spencer (22.6.1936)

Book Reference: Info from son

General Information:

Information from son Roger Bond: At the outbreak of WWI, he volunteered for overseas service in the Army and was posted to the Western front. He was gassed in November 1915 and after recuperation, he elected to join the Royal Flying Corps (RFC). He was assigned, to No.34 squadron as a fitter, Service no.13917. This unit had a reconnaissance role on the Western front. The squadron remained in this theatre of the war until October 1917, when they were re-equipped and sent to the Italian front (Adagio Plateau) as an RAF unit. In Italy, 34. Squadron was assigned both reconnaissance and bombing roles. They remained here until the end of the war. He was demobilised from the RAF in 1919 with the rank of sergeant. The well known Kenya character, ‘Daddy’ Probyn, at one time commanded his unit.

After the war he secured a job with the UK based Uganda Company, which had various interests in Uganda at that time, including tea, coffee, cotton ginning and the Company held the budding dealership for Ford Motor cars in Uganda. He was posted to Uganda in 1921, where he joined the motor department. He served the Company for a period of 28 years, retiring as General Manager of the Motor Division. In an appreciation written on the occasion of his retirement, Sir Charles Ponsonby MP and one time chairman of The Uganda Company, wrote “......................... ‘ If you want a memorial look around’. The same thing applies to the Motor Department, and in future I am sure all old residents of Uganda will say all this was due to Mr. Bond.”

Outside of work, he was a keen yachtsman, owning an X One Design, Isle of Wight built, yacht called ‘Windflower’ sailing out of the Victoria Nyanza sailing Club at Kaazi on Lake Victoria. Many weekends would be spent racing or cruising on the lake. He was an active member of the Freemasons in Kampala and was Master of the Lodge for a number of years. One of the many philanthropic activities of the masons was to stage the annual Christmas party for the Kampala children. This was held in his garden for many years. On retirement, he decided to try his hand at farming and bought a small farm, (Kapkembwa) at Kipkabus in Kenya. His farm was 150 acres in size. The main cash crop was pyrethrum. In addition to a small area of wheat, wattle bark was stripped for sale to extract tannin for the leather industry. While he was successful in producing high quality pyrethrum, the reality was that the farm was too small to fund his retirement. He was forced to return to the business world, joning Hughes and Co. In Nairobi. He retired in 1964 and emigrated to South Africa to live in George in the Cape Province. He died there on 2^nd January 1970.

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