S4E4: Build a school? Need a rifle! Artwork

100 Years of Cox

I am telling the story of ten siblings from the Machell Cox family, through the letters they wrote to each other. They were born in England between 1868 and 1884; seven of them lived in England and three lived abroad, in the Colonies. One of the siblings was my great grandfather.

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100 Years of Cox

S4E4: Build a school? Need a rifle!

August 19, 2023 • Frances • Season 4 • Episode 4

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Frances reads two letters, written by Aldwyn in Nyasaland in January 1910.

A village school is being built, with mud walls and a thatched roof, but it is only completed when Aldwyn uses his rifle to shoot game, so the villagers will get some dinner as payment.

The 'CJ' steamer does not arrive, so Aldwyn does a lot of walking between villages, in the mud.

300 come to church on Christmas morning, bringing offerings of live chickens, firewood, flour, bananas, eggs, rice and even a square of soap.

0:00 Intro
3:10 Aldwyn's letter, 5th January 1910
09:02 Kota Kota (Nkhotakota)
12:12 Notes on Aldwyn's letter
20:24 Aldwyn's letter, 29th January
22:56 Notes on Aldwyn's letter
28:38 Sibling comments

You can contact Frances by email - machellcoxletters@gmail.com
or X/Twitter - @CoxLetters
or Blue Sky - @Coxletters.bsky.social

All content is subject to copyright and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library.