Published in the Nyasaland Journal 1967
William Alexander Maxwell was born on 27th May, 1883 in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. He followed in his father's footsteps and served an apprenticeship under him as joiner and carpenter.. After completing this he we irked for eighteen months as a joiner and carpenter for Mitchell Bros., a Glasgow firm of contractors who were then engaged on the Cairn Valley Railway at Dumfries. He left them in November, 1902 and came to Nyasaland, working for the African Lakes Corporation, Ltd. as a carpenter and miller from ,January, 1903 to June, 1907. - Later he began planting cotton in the Nyungwe area of the Karonga lakeshore. During the First World War he was a Lieutenant Quartermaster and Tramp trt Officer for the Nyasaland Field Force, and fought in the Battle of Karonga. After the war he resumed cotton planting at Nyungwe where he lived on his estate for the rest of his Ile died in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Blantyre on 21st .January, 1963. So far as is known he only once re-visited Scothuid, in 1924, when he travelled via Abercorn and Albertville and returned via the Cape
These notes have been compiled from a few old personal documents and two notebooks containing duplicates of correspondence written mainly between 1908-1914 which were found amongst his effects. Apart from some other records written by Lt.-Col. G. L. Baxter and Commander E. L. Rhoades, and a mass of much later business correspondence, no other papers appear to have survived the lire which burned out his house in 1961.
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DURING his early days Maxwell appears to have been a general handyman for the A.L.C. From February, 1908 he worked at the Ruo Ginnery and Sawmill at Chiromo, repairing the baling press and fitting the sawmill with an engine which he had earlier operated during a brief spell at Chinde. He also repaired the 'Henry Henderson' which seems to have been one of the early paddle steamers. On 13th June he wrote about one of his tasks to the Agent, A.L.C., Chiromo:-
"I have examined the rikshaw for sale belonging to Mr. Copeland and find it to be in good condition. The upholstery (Hood and cushions) need overhauling but this can be done at little expense, all other parts are in perfect condition."
In 1909 he travelled quite extensively and in May wrote from Fort Johnston to Mr. Bowes, Transport Dept., Mandala (Blantyre) on the condition of the Lirangwe Rest House and the Matope-Liwonde Road of which he said, "This is being hoed from both Matope and Liwonde ends but will be at least two weeks or it is finished, after this is done it will be quite good for Machila travelling."
He then went to Kota-Kota on the 'Queen Victoria' and in June reported to the Superintendent Engineer, A. L. C., Chinde about the difficulties of obtaining a site for new buildings:—
"I arrived at Kota-Kota on 17th May and found the Agent was out on his round of store visits, and as he had not previously been advised of my arrival no instructions were left re-site for building. I applied to the Resident but could get no particulars beyond Mr. Lemons whereabouts, I sent off a runner advising him of my arrival and he returned to Kota-Kota on the 21st. I then learned that although he applied to Mandala for permission to buy or lease a plot for new buildings in October he only got his reply granting it while on or about a week before my arrival. We at once made out an application for plot of land in the new Township which is situated on the ridge in line with the District Resident's house (rough sketch enclosed). This is not the plot which Mr. Lemon originally fixed on as under the circumstances we thought it much better to take the Township plot so that there should be no delay in negotiations. Immediately after making the application we started work on the building and at time of writing it is half-way up windows. No doubt this is a bit risky but much better than waiting untill the matter is settled especially as there is little fear of much competition for land in Kota Kota."
In a second letter in July he wrote:—
"Since writing you last we have heard that our application for plot of land has been returned to the Resident in Kota Kota Zomba being unable to locate it. All particulars as to where it was, who drew out Township plan etc., etc., were supplied and again returned to Zomba. Yesterday the 5th inst. the Resident received a wire asking him to send on Official Survey Map containing said plots, this we suppose explains the delay and means that they do not have a copy of map at Zomba."
The application was soon aproved and the building completed. In October Maxwell sent a plan of it from Fort Johnston to the Clearing House, Mandala which shows a bedroom and sitting room each 18 feet by 16 feet forming a centre block which was surrounded on all sides by a khonde 8 feet wide into which was built at different places a dining room and bathroom. The house is shown as being 100 feet from the "path to Lozi seldom used" and a note says the "Nearest Public Road about 1000 yards off and about same distance to nearest Native Huts in village."
In February, 1910 Maxwell was in Fort. Johnston repairing numerous buildings. He writes, this time to the Manager, A.L.C., Mandala. mentioning Keiller's Buildings, some of which were occupied by Mr. Wenham. He was also "superintending 'Monteith' and Barge repairs in Mr. Cunningham's absence" and "All spare time spent in office assisting Mr. Green with Transport work etc." Some idea of the size and importance of Fort Johnston at that early date is shown by the fact that the African Lakes Corporation then possessed there a transport store, rice store, bulk store, four passenger rooms, a mess room, store and office and a native store. In passing it is worth noting that Fort Johnston is probably the first example of town planning in the country. The township was planned by Sir Alfred Sharpe personally and laid out in his instructions by Commander Edmund Rhoades.
The following October, after a ulendo in the Chombe area (Mount Waller) Maxwell went to Vizara Rubber Estate, Nkata Bay where for the next nine months he was engaged in building work. He generally obtained his supplies from the A.L.C. depot at Fort Johnston, making only occasional reference to their depots at Karonga and Bandawe and the headquarters at Mandala. A typical order is one sent from Vizara in October, 1910:-
"Stores Dept. Fort Johnston.
Please supply
1 case soap (Sunlight preffered)
14 lbs Ideal flour
1 bottle chutney
1 „ L & P sauce (Large)
1 „ Bi Soda
2 Tins Biscuits (Fancy)
50 No. 4 Shot Cartridges
6 Yds Khaki Drill
2 Pkts Candles for Lamps
I should be glad if you will send me 14 lbs Ideal flour or if none 14 lbs Hungarian by every Queen until further orders." The same day he wrote another order which is indicative of the times:—
"The Agent, Fort Johnston.
Dear Sir
Please supply at your earliest a complete outfit of Crockery, Cutlery, Table Linen, etc., etc., necessary for Mess of Mr. Cruickshank and myself.
& oblige.
Yours faithfully,
Wm. A. Maxwell"
This order was duly supplied and drew the following report from Maxwell on 23rd November:—
"The Agent, Fort Johnston.
Dear Green,
The furnishings have arrived but the following are a bit ancient and we would be glad to have them changed.
1 Coffee Pot (Very old and much too large)
1 Frying Pan (Would take about two hours to heat up)
1 Slop Basin (cracked half way round)
1 Soup Ladle ? ? ?
We will return these by next steamer.
Yours faithfully,
Wm. A. Maxwell
P.S. Don't be so hard hearted-1 Knife, 1 fork, 1 spoon, 1 Plate, 1 Tea Cup etc. if we should happen to have a breakage what are we going to do in this out of the way hole.
W.M."
From Vizara he went to Vua near Nyungwe where he began growing cotton, which was to be his primary occupation for the rest of his life. He worked for the British South Africa Company for £30 per month. He also seems to have had private cotton interests because he worked in partnership with David S. Alexander. At that time there was a barge service operated by A.L.C. for the carriage of goods and food between Karonga, Vua and Mlowe. In October, 1913 Maxwell was on ulendo in the north-eastern part of Northern Rhodesia. Alexander instructed McKenzie, the A.L.C. Agent at Karonga, to send stores up to him, and amongst his instructions stated, "The pay of carriers will be about 6/6d and 3 yds or 3 lbs of salt. Please poso boys and charge to his account....... Give boys a pass and invoice and say goods will be cleared at Mpika. Tell boys not to go to Fife, but travel from Nyala direct to Chinsale."
Cotton was already quite a thriving industry on the Karonga lakeshore. The Ngara Ginnery was then owned by the British Empire Cotton Growing Association. The crop was shipped by the A.L.C. to Fort Johnston on the `Guendolen' and sent thence to Port Herald where is was rebated for export duty before being shipped to the United Kingdom where "(it should be) disposed of to best advantage without undue delay." Between 22nd April and 4th June, 1914 Maxwell and Alexander supplied to the ginnery from their land atVua 910 bags of seed cotton with a net weight of 62,567 lbs. On three further occasions up to 5th August they sent another 101 bags weighing 6,207 lbs, making a total for the three-and-a-half month season of 1011 bags weighing 68,774 lbs.
War came, and on 5th August the news reached Karonga by telegram. 'That day Alexander had sent to Ngara what was to be his last consignment of cotton, and he and Maxwell set off for Karonga to discuss with the other Europeans in the area the new situation. He joined the Nyasaland Field Force and became a Scout in the Intelligence Dept. In January, 1916 he died of malaria and pneumonia at Fort Hill where he lies buried in his solitary grave. Maxwell became Transport Officer of the N.F.F. and fought in the Battle of Karonga, at the end of which he chased the fleeing Germans across the lake in a canoe. He survived another half century, still in the area of "this out of the way hole," and now also lies buried in another solitary grave beneath a favourite tree near his house at Nyungwe.
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