From information supplied by the donor, Joan Downend, daughter of R.F. Rainsford: Richard Frederick Rainsford was born on 7 Jan. 1888. He ran away from home early in 1904 on a cargo ship bound for South Africa. Once there he was persuaded to join the Natal Police on 1 July 1904, where he served until 30 June 1907, having taken part in the Zulu Rebellion of 1906 and received the Zulu Rebellion Medal and clasp. For a short while he joined the British South African Police in Rhodesia (8.8.07-30.6.08). He then tried gold prospecting, but wasn’t very successful.

During the 1914-18 war R.F.R. commanded a company of the Police Service Battalion and No. 1 Column of the Turkana Punitive Expedition 1915. He was awarded the African General Service Medal and clasp and was ‘mentioned in despatches,’ then promoted to Captain. During the Great War, between 1916-17 he commanded ‘B’ Company of the 5th King’s African Rifles, was Adjutant to the 5th K.A.R. and Staff Officer commanding the troops in Jubaland. During the Aulihan Expedition 1917-19 he was again ‘mentioned in despatches’ and later commanded the military force to disarm Mohamed Zubeir in Jubaland.

In 1925 he commanded the Police Company during another Zubeir Expedition.

In 1934 he retired from the Police Force having risen to the rank of Assistant Commissioner.

During the 1914-1918 War he had bought what was known as ‘a soldier settler’s farm’ on the slopes of Mount Elgon. Until 1934 he had put a manager in to run the coffee farm but on retirement he built a house and took over the running of the place.

In 1940 R.F.R. was asked to take up the job of Provost Marshall of the forces in the East African campaign, so he and his family moved back to Nairobi. Part of the job given to him was the arranging of the Prisoners of War from Somalia and Abyssinia (i.e. Ethiopia) – eventually he had to find accommodation for 93,000 prisoners. Early in 1944 he retired owing to ill health, and died on his farm ‘Kiptogot’ in 1947.