Paul Chantrey has been sending me photos occasionally. (I’m not sure how much of a treasure trove he has.) Below are three you might be interested in.
The first was taken from the train, heading upcountry. Paul was able to catch the back end of the train as it went around a curve; that looks like Jerry Davis in the window behind him. I remember that it was a narrow-gauge railroad, but I never rode it. Did it run just from Freetown to Bo, or did it go on to Kenema or another town?
The second pictures a young Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip in Bo upon the occasion of the queen’s 1961 visit to Sierra Leone. (To see an archival video of the queen’s visit, in Freetown and elsewhere in the country, click on the “Sierra Express Media” link under “Links” in the right-hand column of the blog.)
And the third is of the Bo Teachers College staff and the school’s graduating class in 1963. (Identifications supplied by Paul.)
First row: Sean Farren, Irish staff volunteer; Father Walsh, Irish priest; David Williams, PCV; Tom Maxwell, Irish staff volunteer; Father O’Sullivan, Irish priest; Al McIver, PCV; Father O’Toole, Principal; Rex Jarrell, PCV; Paul Chantrey, PCV.
Second row: Mr Kanaua, Mr. Soi-Gnandy, Mr. Sam, Mr. Lahai, Mr. Fefgagula, Mr. Turay, Mr. Lansana, Mr. Moseray, Mr. Jaba, Mr. Bangura, Mr. Ngebeh.
Third row: Mr. Massaqua, Mr. Bundu, Mr. Pessima, Mr. Dauda, Mr. Gbekpa, Mr. Tanu, Mr. Sarh.
The photo was taken in front of the main entrance to the Bo Teacher Training College. The priests were all members of the Holy Ghost order.
Paul's photo evoked some train memories from Ursula as well. She wrote, "Again a memory jog with that train with the narrow gauge, making it impossible to ever hook up with any other West African train system. Do you remember the song:
ReplyDeleteO the train for Bo he no wan gree for go (twice)
O the train for Bo he tire, because he no get fire,
O the train for Bo he no wan gree for go.
“I think Celestine taught it to us at New Paltz.
“The train was supposed to run once a day from Freetown to Kailahun and return the next day. Somewhere around Kenema, I think, there was a relatively steep rise. If the train was fully loaded, it would cut itself in half, the front half would be pulled up, and then the locomotive would return and get the back half, reconnect, and go on its way. Sometimes it was so utterly behind schedule it would dump its passengers and cargo and go back to Freetown in order to catch up with its next day's schedule.”
All these photos bring back memories. I travelled on the Bo-Freetown train a couple of times, and I was at the durbar in Bo at which the Queen & Duke of Edinburgh were greeted and entertained by all the chiefs from the surrounding area. We very cheekily left the durbar driving in convoy directly behind the Queen's car.
ReplyDeleteI am also in the photo of the CTC staff and students. Sean Farren and I were friends from Dublin.