In the first installment of a series, Peter Swan recalls his service at an exciting time in Kenya's history.

Background
Brought up a Catholic, my childhood was disrupted when two of my school years were spent evacuated away from city life in London to rural Newton Abbot in the county of Devonshire.  My Christian upbringing continued, installing the belief that God monitored my every action, including my thoughts.  Schooling in those days also emphasied that the sun always shone on the Britih Empire.

It was taught in a manner that led us to the patriotic belief that the British Empire was God's Empire.  We believed that our intrusion into other lands was welcome.  In England we were not even taught about the resentment of Scots to union with Great Britain.  The propaganda of the 39-45 war ensured a militant patriotism. 

In 1948, I enlisted in the Army for five years serving alongide war-experienced troops some of whom promulgated the 'wogs begin at Calais' dictate.  Three years of my service were spent in the Far East, mainly in Malaya.  It was in Malaya that, while serving alongside the mainly Muslim Malays, I discovered they were guided by Allah whose omnipotence gave the same guidance to the individual as did my Christian God.  The Malay showed great tolerance of our boozing and a readiness to share a meal with us at all times. Those years in Malaya, however, did nothing to alter my mind regarding the intrusion of British troops into a foreign land.  We appeared to be welcomed in a war against Communists.  Time served in 1953 I applied to the Crown Agents and was accepted as an Assistant Inspector to the Kenya Police.  Propaganda pictures in the British press provided by the Lari massacre shocked readers and it was with this background belief in the divine justice of the Empire that I chose to take up the Police contract.

Fellow Travellers
The BOAC flight from London made four stops and carried ten new recruits for the Police.  We were on two-year contracts with bonuses upon completion.  All of us except a Kenyan-born Briton had military experience; four were ex-Royal Marine Commandos.  We spent the night in Nairobi and were then driven along the unforgettably impressive Rift Valley to Gilgil to join other British recruits of similar ilk for training.  The camp had been a condemned prison and was less than basic.  We were given a modicum of Law and Swahili training as a sop to the United Nations, but we were mainly involved in small arms training and field exercises where we encroached (unnecessarily I felt) into the labour lines of local farms.  At the end of training we were split up and sent to various parts of Kenya.  My posting was to the Meru Reserve.  We were not at this stage told of the recent Chuka incident.

Meru
We were made welcome in Meru, but my wish was to serve on an out-station and I managed to get sent to Kibiricia Police Station serving under two efficient officers who gave me good advice on local matters.  We patrolled the area daily mainly going into the prohibited mile strip around Mount Kenya.  The station staff were of mixed Kenyan tribes and amongst them were those with great bush-craft and tracking skills.  We were, however, inundated with the police headquarters who had demands for all sorts of administrative records.

My spell at Kibiricia came to an end when, called in to Meru, I was provided with a long wheel based Land Rover, ten constables and a map reference to the prospective site of Kionyo Police Station. It was at Kionyo Police Station that I took up cudgels with Brigadier Martin, the local gang leader.

 _____________________________________