3 minute read
Heritage Club
The Finchoa Stone
Many Members have sat outside the Garden Room, but few of them will have noticed the Finchoa Stone embedded in the wall of the library there. The story behind the stone, however, is an interesting one.
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It was ‘discovered’ by Aldo and Elena Manos lying face down close to Pinks’ toilets. How it ended up there, or even how it found its way to the Club, is most likely to be lost in the mists of Time, but the stone was rescued and mounted in the wall sometime in the 1900s.
The stone commemorates an action in what is now Southern Ethiopia in 1936. In the 1930s, Benito Mussolini was in the ascendency, and was ardently building the Italian Empire. To this endeavour he launched an attack on Ethiopia in October 1935, which was dubbed the Second Italo-Ethiopian War - the first having been in 1898. It was a brutal but swift campaign, with Addis Ababa falling in May of the same year. There remained pockets of resistance, one of which was led by Ras Desta, son-in-law of Emperor Haile Selassie, who operated in Oromia in Southern Ethiopia. The Italians formed the Divisione Laghi (The Lakes Division), which they sent to fight against Ras Desta, under the command of General Carlo Geloso.
Two tales offer insight into the history of this stone. The first is that the British decided to assist the Italians with some artillery reinforcement by sending in the 1st East African Light Battery, and on conclusion of the action and the hanging of Ras Desta, the British gave this stone as a token of thanks to the Italians. It makes for an interesting modification of the British stance, since officially, Britain was against the invasion of Abyssinia, but there was clearly some collusion - possibly in this instance, to ensure that there was security along the border, which was certainly an issue.
Also, during that time, and difficult to believe, there was slaving going on in south western Abyssinia, which as European powers, the Italian invasion would help bring to an end.
The second theory is that it was collected by the 1st E.A. Light Battery, as they advanced through the Lakes region, and donated it to some organisation, or possibly directly to the Club.
Suffice to say detail is still missing, and if any Club Members have information on the stone, how it got to Muthaiga, and the events surrounding its existence, we would be delighted to hear from them.
The jury is very much still out however, and personally, I veer more towards the latter explanation, as the political nervousness in Kenya over the Italian presence was significant. The RAF were patrolling the border at the time to watch for incursions, and in so doing found some 6,000 Abyssinian refugees walking down the eastern shore of Lake Rudolf (now Lake Turkana) - but their fate is a story for another day!
Uncovering stories such as the history of the Finchoa Stone is all part of a drive that has been generated by the Heritage Committee and the establishment of a ‘Heritage Collection’.
The idea is to create a collection of artifacts, archives and art that will represent the rich history of Muthaiga Club – one of the most historical Clubs in Africa - as well as provide a repository for Members to donate artworks, books and memorabilia to help prevent a fascinating part of Kenya’s heritage from being lost.
The Heritage Committee will be creating a series of displays of historical memorabilia in Reception and would be delighted if Members would share any interesting artifacts or memorabilia attached to the Club, that they might own.
Please get in touch with the Secretary secretary@mcc.co.ke to help make this project a success.
Tom Lawrence
