Lone Branch

Information about the earliest days of this branch has been rather difficult to come by. The following has been gleaned from old League files.

The idea of having "Lone Members" seems to have been invented (or perhaps borrowed from the Girl Guide movement, which included “Lone Guides") by Lady Baden Powell when she was President of the League during World War II. On 9th February 1942 she wrote to Mrs. Rita Gillespie of Embu: ".... you and Mrs. Van Someren shall be registered here in this main Headquarters as sort of "LONE MEMBERS" on your own!" No doubt the idea stemmed from the needs of the time, when the absence of many husbands serving with the armed force sand wartime petrol rationing made it impossible for some members living off the beaten track to attend Branch meetings. To begin with it seems that correspondence with Lone members was handled at League Headquarters (in those days, of course, at the Memorial Hall in the middle of Nairobi) by the then secretary, Mrs.P. Maslin. In April 1946, however, Mrs. Josephine Dormer was elected as first "DVP for Lone members", who then numbered about 28, of whom more than half were from the Kapsabet area. A further increase in the number of Lone members occurred in 1954, when due to the Emergency the North Kinangop Branch was closed down. By this time the duties of DVP for Lone members had been taken over by Mrs. Mabel Rutherfoord of Makuyu. Early in 1955 Mrs. Rutherfoord left Kenya on a trip to the Antipodes, and her place as DVP for Lone members was taken over by Mrs. Kate Challis.

"At that time," Mrs Challis writes, "there were over 50 members, some on farms too remote to attend Branch meetings. Others were in or near Nairobi but many of them working or unable to leave young children. Several had left the country but wished to keep in touch with the League..."

"This side increased rapidly for about 10 years,with members in Rhodesia, South Africa, Ascension Island, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and France.... DVP Lone Branch also acted as 'Universal Aunt' to country members, shopping, making appointments, or arranging escorts for children."

Over the years, successive DVP's and Chairmen of Lone Branch have continued to keep their members in touch with whatever the League is doing. A long serving Branch Chairman of Lone Branch was Mrs. Ella Coulson. She started the Lumbwa Branch in the 1930's and was its DVP for many years until the Branch amalgamated with Londiani. When her husband died, Mrs. Coulson came to live at Harrison House and took the job of Executive Officer to the League, which she filled until forced by ill health to retire. Many members will remember with gratitude the long and devoted service she gave to the League, and she was made a Member of Honour in 1983. She carried on as Branch Chairman until her death.