The Little Brown Suitcase

This picture shows me departing from Nairobi en route to school in England in 1954, aged nine - see earlier post here. Hidden under the coat slung across my left arm was a small brown suitcase....

....which contained my 'overnight things'. It went on to travel with me every time I flew between Kenya and England but its contents steadily changed from sensible items like a change of underwear, socks, a clean shirt, pyjamas, a sponge bag and a pair of slippers to things which were far more precious, like the antelope carving described here.

Sixty-five years later I still have the suitcase and it now contains objects which I have kept over the years, such as my bible and book of common prayer, a dik-dik skin, my sheath knife, a harmonica, kikois, and East African playing cards.

If it's remarkable that the little case which I used so many times, and which has been everywhere with me since, is still in working condition - it even has its two keys, though only one lock works - even more remarkable is that it went on to be used by our son when he went off to boarding school. Hence the addition of 'D.C.M.Haylett' to the 'J.E.Haylett' on the inside of the lid.

It's a load of junk really, of no value or interest to anyone else, so I would like it to travel with me on my last journey.