Hull in print

Dear Hull in print,
During the summer, my husband Brian and I had the holiday of a lifetime. We went bird-watching and animal-spotting in Kenya.
It was more of an adventure than a holiday, and there were ten of us in total, all old friends from the Hull area.
It wasn't until we were home that I read up on Kenya and discovered that a Hull man – John Boyes – was one of the first white men to explore the interior of East Africa at the end of the 19th century.
My husband and I have since spent time researching his life, with the help of the Local Studies Library, and we've found his story to be something quite amazing.
East Africa at that time was a dangerous place for white men, with tribal wars and man-eating lions.
But Boyes, still in his early twenties, managed to trade successfully with both the Kikuyu and Masai tribes, and along the way he helped vaccinate thousands of natives against smallpox.

Portrait of Hull adventurer John Boyes, taken from his autobiography “King of the Wakikuyu,” published by Methuen in 1911

To his astonishment – despite his small part in helping build the British Empire - he was arrested on charges, among other things, of impersonating the British government, because he flew the Union Jack at the head of his caravan, without having any official position.
Ironically, after being acquitted, Boyes was asked, in 1901, to accompany an expedition of the British Army's East African Rifles regiment as a guide and intelligence officer.
Ten years later, after much more trading and travel, he moved back to the Hull area – to Withernsea, where he lived at Kikuyu House (which he'd named after the East African tribe).
He married Helen Frederica Boxall, and the couple returned to Kenya and settled as coffee farmers. Boyes died in 1951.
Hull should be proud of this man, who did so much to open up East Africa, and, like William Wilberforce, brought improvement to the lives of many Africans.
His other adventures, by the way, included as a galley boy on ships between Europe and South America, and in South Africa as a mounted police officer, and fireman on the railways. He also took to the stage as a Shakespearean actor for a year.
We wonder if any of his relatives are still living in Hull, and whether Boyes stores have a family link?

Yours sincerely,

Amy Osbourne,
Hotham Road South

A Poem for Wilberforce
by Doreen. E. Hampshire, of Sutton House Road, Hull

One of Hull's most famous sons
Is William Wilberforce,
He fought to abolish slavery
He's remembered for that, of course.
William attended Grammar School,
where he did well, and had the ability,
along with William Pitt, his friend,
to go to University.
He was elected to the House of Commons,
where Pitt became the Prime Minister,
Wilberforce was a young M.P.
But he definitely was a fighter.
It actually took him twelve attempts
to get the slave trade bill passed,
It was not until 1807
that the bill became law at last.
He still continued with the campaign
To free all those black slaves,
So let's give thanks to William
for all those lives he saved.
He is such a famous person
and never did he tire,
He fought for another 16 years
to release slaves from the British Empire.
He managed to see the second bill passed,
but died a few days later,
Now buried at Westminster Abbeys
Let's celebrate the life
of great debater,
from 200 years ago.

If you have any memories or views you would like to share, write to:
Hull in print letters, The Guildhall, Alfred Gelder Street, Hull, HU1 2AA, or email hullinprint@hullcc.gov.uk


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