10C rain. Rainy season has arrived. Although we do get the odd break.
Worked in yard and did some preliminary readiness for the jaunt south.

  The months passed, the letters kept arriving at both destinations. Time as usual eventually lessened the feeling of apartness and they all moved onward in their lives. The following spring when University got out, Jean and John purchased airline tickets to Cairo, then boarded a coastal steamer that traversed the Red Sea then around the Horn of Africa and down the Somalian coast. The trip lasted two weeks in total.

  On their arrival at Moqadishu they sought out the British Army camp and were lucky enough find the same Colonel who had escorted their parents the year before. He arranged for transportation and sent along an armed escort. Arrangements were also made to bring them back after three weeks.

  The reuniting was a joyful affair, Jean helped in the clinic almost daily, John quickly became friends with one of the local tribesmen who took him out on some hunting forays. He took to the heat and the excitement of the chase like a duck to water and within days had learned to shoot adequately and picked up the rudiments of tracking.

  All too soon the vacation came to an end, the escort arrived and John noted that there was additional armament stored in the army land-rover. On the return trip to the coast their four man escort seemed edgy and constantly scanned the jungle around them.

  They re-boarded the same steamer of a few weeks earlier, steamed back to Cairo then flew home to England.

  On his arrival back in Manchester, John still having a few days, made inquiries to various government departments and the Church of England about violence and dangers to foreigners in Somalia. The Church assured him that everything was perfectly tranquille and as he had used his parent’s name in his inquiry was also told what a fine job they were doing. The various government agencies either didn’t reply or sent a short reply basically saying that foreigners, particularly missionaries had nothing to fear.

  Still not satisfied he wrote a letter to the British Colonel who had helped him and his parents. He expressed his concerns and added that he did not expect an official reply but would appreciate a personal one in confidence.

  It was a full month before he had had his reply. The condensed version was that some of the tribes continued to war with each other as they had always done. There were at least three that resented white foreigners on their lands but to date had done nothing other than occasional harassing. He ended by saying; “I have nothing concrete, but I feel a change is coming. My instinct is that your family should leave the mission and return to England or at the very least relocate to where they could be offered some military protection.

Sincerely Charles Bromely, Colonel”

  John discussed his concerns with Jean then wrote his parents a long letter imploring them to terminate their appointment and return to England. He copied the Colonel’s letter and included it with his letter.