Some surprising encounters on duty in Africa

MY parents moved to Llanelli from Holyhead in 1932 when my father, the Rev W M George was appointed Minister of Caersalem Baptist Chapel. We lived in Heddlys, 101 Dillwyn Street.

My father came from North Pembrokeshire and, after graduating from Bangor, lived in Rhyl and Holyhead. My mother, Catherine Margaret George, after graduating from Aberystwyth, taught for some years before her marriage.

I was a pupil at Bigyn school until 1934 when I went to the County (Grammar) School. I sat my school certificate and higher certificate there and then went to the University College of Wales Aberystwyth, graduating with Honours in Geography.

In 1943, I joined the RAF as a Navigator and served in Canada, USA, UK, India, Malaya and Indonesia.

On demobilisation, I studied at Pembroke College, Cambridge and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) before joining the Colonial Administrative Service in 1948 and being posted to North Borneo where I worked until 1966.

In my early days in North Borneo, while my parents lived in Llanelli, I used to spend part of home leave (every three years or so) in Llanelli and I was married there in 1955. However, when my parents retired and moved to North Wales, my visits to Llanelli became infrequent and I lost touch with most of my contemporaries.

When I arrived in North Borneo I found a country devastated by the war.

It had been occupied by the Japanese between 1941 and 1945 and was only reoccupied by Allied forces after heavy fighting and bombing. Its towns were largely destroyed and its economy was in ruins.

My early posts were in the interior, most of which was hilly and covered in thick jungle.

As there were very few roads, travelling was either on foot or by river.

Much of my time was spent visiting the small and often inaccessible villages to settle local problems and disputes and occasionally acting as a magistrate.

It was a simple but happy life, working with a very friendly but backward people.

A fact of local interest. In the mid-1950s I was stationed in a small district town in the interior of North Borneo and two of the research workers at the local agricultural station were from Tyisha — Hywel Williams and Peter Thomas both from Caswell Street.

Peter became an United Nations Consultant and is now living in Australia.

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