Helen's Arrival in Zanzibar

The entry in Helen's diary for 4th October, 1935, the day her ship arrived in Zanzibar, reads, "Got up early and tidied everything up. Dashed on deck to the saloon to see the immigration authorities and had my first sight of Zanzibar. We were anchored in the middle of the bay and my first glimpse was blue sea with a light white mist rising and then the white buildings of the town packed along the quayside with the tower of the Beit el Ajaib dominating them all. The bay is protected by a string of dark green islands which finish off a perfect setting."

She received a reprimand for the Express article but the disapproval of the Resident was made evident by the fact that she wasn't invited to the Residency for a meal which was the usual arrangement for new appointees to the Government, nor was she invited to the Christmas dance. Picture shows the Resident in his carriage.

It was a sorry start to her time in Zanzibar but she wrote in her diary, "I think what probably helped to establish me in my job was my going across the Dar-es-Salaam to report Legislative Council," which was very difficult as she didn't know the names of any of the members, a job which she carried off with considerable success. Picture shows Dar-es-Salaam harbour with a dhow anchored and, beyond it, the Lutheran church.

The British administration in Zanzibar was housed in one of the sultan's old palaces, the Beit al Ajaib. This picture was taken in 2012 but the exterior of the building is much as it was in Helen's day. The building is now a museum. Sadly, the interior....

....is in a state of sad neglect. This room was Helen's office and....

....this is the view from its window.

Her office was situated between Mr McElderry, the Chief Secretary's room and the general office where Tayabali, the head clerk, and his staff worked and where most of the files were kept in a long line of filing cabinets. The confidential files were in a cabinet in Helen's office while the secret files were in the safe in the office the other side of the Chief Secretary's.

Helen was responsible for all the files and the filing system. One of her first jobs was to go through all the general files, which went back years and contained papers which needed throwing out. She picked out those she considered 'dead' and put them on Mr McElderry's desk, and he chose which to throw out.  She then created a card index for all the relevant ones.