Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The scarce Central Africa Medal awarded to Mr W. J. Purkiss, Acting Superintendent at Fort Smith in 1893, where he survived an assassination attempt by Wyaki of the Kikuyu, ‘Wyaki was in the habit of entering the station frequently. One day he paid one of his usual visits. He left what arts he appeared to carry with the guard and went on to the house occupied by Purkiss, who at that moment was washing his face in a wash-hand basin. Purkiss had his back to the door which was open. Wyaki, seeing this, drew out a simi and rushed into the room and made an overhead slash at Purkiss. Fortunately the ceiling of the room, consisting of wooden rafters, was very low and the sword caught in one of the rafters before it could descend. Purkiss immediately swung round, rushed at his enemy and knocked him back against the wall where he lay until the guard dashed in....’

The following year Purkiss was appointed 2nd Class Assistant to the Uganda Protectorate, and was part of an expedition up the Nile to Wadelai. He became ill during the expedition, and eventually succumbed to his illness in August 1894 - ironically, he was buried in the mission cemetery at Kibwezi close to his former attacker Wyaki

Central Africa 1891-98, ring suspension, no clasp (W. J. Purkiss.) officially engraved naming, minor edge nicks, otherwise extremely fine, and rare £1,400-£1,800

William John Purkiss was born in St. Pancras, London in 1861. His subsequent career in Africa is mentioned in various publications, including: Permanent Way by M. F. Hill and John Ainsworth: Pioneer Kenya Administrator by F. H. Goldsmith. The following article that appeared in Old Africa Magazine gives the following:

‘William J Purkiss, a former merchant marine officer, originally arrived in east Africa as an employee of the Imperial British East Africa Company in about March 1891 and was employed on building the narrow-gauge railway to Mazeras—the grandly named Central African Railway. The railway was soon abandoned and some time the following year Purkiss was sent to Fort Smith in Kikuyu as Assistant Superintendent. Following the death of the Superintendent, Robert Nelson, in December 1892, Purkiss became Acting Superintendent.

Before he died Nelson, who had been with the H.M. Stanley expedition to ‘rescue’ Emin Pasha, had managed to infuriate the neighbouring Kikuyu with his aggressive attitude and indiscriminate raiding of their villages for food and cattle. When Sir Gerald Portal passed through the area on his way to Uganda in February 1893 on his Special Mission, he found the residents of the fort living in a virtual state of siege. Anyone venturing more than fifty yards from the perimeter without an armed escort was very likely to be attacked and killed. Purkiss managed to wound and capture an assailant, the Kikuyu leader Waiyaki, who died on his way to exile at the coast and was buried at Kibwezi.

As there was no food available locally Portal was delayed at Kikuyu while sufficient provisions were collected at Machakos for the next part of his journey. By the time Portal reached Kikuyu he was already firmly convinced that the Company was moribund. But he did have good things to say about Purkiss who was trying to reduce the tension and bring about a return to peaceful trading. During his enforced stay at Kikuyu, Portal was much taken by a grey parrot which, as he mentioned in a letter to his wife, kept him company as he wrote. The parrot belonged to Purkiss.

Portal probably passed on his views about the imminent demise of IBEAC, and Purkiss, already deeply disillusioned, is listed as resigning from the Company in April 1893. However, he was still at Kikuyu when Portal passed through on his return journey from Uganda to the coast in August 1893 and when offered a temporary position with the new administration in Uganda he accepted. He arrived at Mumia’s on his way to Kampala in late September 1893. In February 1894 he was given a permanent appointment as a 2nd Class Assistant to the Uganda Protectorate and was part of an expedition up the Nile to Wadelai. He apparently became ill during the expedition and was eventually moved to Eldama Ravine where he failed to improve. In July 1894 it was decided to take him to the coast. He died at Kibwezi, about 190 miles from Mombasa, on 15 August 1894, and, ironically, was buried in the mission cemetery close to his former attacker Waiyaki.

The usual procedure at the time was to sell locally the deceased’s effects, except personal items such as rings and watches, and the proceeds were then used to pay off their bills (in most cases it seems these were for accounts with local traders for alcohol) with any residue being sent home to their next of kin. In this case, however, the Foreign Office appears to have required all the deceased’s effects to be sent to England. Soon the Consul-General at Zanzibar, Sir Arthur Hardinge, was being asked why the effects had not been sent. Purkiss’ father was in frequent communication with the FO and the FO with Zanzibar. This appears to have had little effect on speeding up the authorities at Mombasa as it was almost six months after Purkiss’ death that the effects were eventually dispatched. They included a live parrot.

Why the parrot was sent is unclear, but maybe the months of nagging by the FO may have had had an effect. However, it was later noted by Charles Hobley, another Company man, that Consul Hardinge ‘probably never took his duties seriously’ so it looks as if sending the parrot could well have been Hardinge’s idea. The eight boxes of clothes and curios, and the live parrot, eventually arrived at the FO. The presence of the parrot was quickly noted and an urgent request sent to the next of kin for it to be collected without delay.

There is a rather sad postscript to the story. Keys for two of the boxes were sent, with a request that they be passed on to the family. For some reason these were never given to the family but ended up in the FO files—probably filed away before the boxes arrived. The keys were attached to a sheet of paper and bound into what became FO 107 at the National Archives, Kew, where they still are. Presumably Purkiss’ father had to break open the boxes.’

J. D. Ainsworth recorded the following with regards to Purkiss being wounded:

‘Towards the middle of January 1893 I received a letter from Purkiss saying that the Kikuyu were giving him a lot of trouble, that he had lost some men and the Fort was practically invested and asking me for help if I could render it... We [Ainsworth and party] stopped a short distance from the entrance to the station and Purkiss with some of his men came out to meet us. There was no sign of the enemy that night and next morning it became apparent that they had entirely dispersed. I think the knowledge that outside help could be obtained if necessary made the Wakikuyu less inclined to hostile acts thereafter.... A few month later Wyaki put the final touch on things. It was the custom for the Akari guard at the entrance to the Fort to allow any of the important elders who wished to see the Officer-in-charge to enter but they were required to leave any arms with the guard. Wyaki was in the habit of entering the station frequently. One day he paid one of his usual visits. He left what arts he appeared to carry with the guard and went on to the house occupied by Purkiss, who at that moment was washing his face in a wash-hand basin. Purkiss had his back to the door which was open. Wyaki, seeing this, drew out a simi and rushed into the room and made an overhead slash at Purkiss. Fortunately the ceiling of the room, consisting of wooden rafters, was very low and the sword caught in one of the rafters before it could descend. Purkiss immediately swung round, rushed at his enemy and knocked him back against the wall where he lay until the guard dashed in.... Wyaki was... manhandled and wounded in the head... he was sent to the Coast as a prisoner but died at Kibwezi. Purkiss by this time was suffering from ill-health and on being relieved by Frank Hall, who had recently been appointed by the Company, he left for the coast with the idea of going for a sea voyage. Unfortunately he too became very ill on arrival at Kibwezi and died.’

Sold with a photographic image of the recipient.