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Bell of Africa
Walter Bell was an extraordinary person, and this was clear even when he was a child. He was born in 1880 near Edinburgh, and by the time he was six, he had lost both parents. When he was ten, he took a pair of muzzleloading dueling pistols, a watch, and a few pennies and set off for America to go "bison shooting"! This scheme failed spectacularly when the stationmaster grabbed him as he was about to board the train, but other adventures soon followed. Never interested in school, he was, however, consumed by the writings of Gordon Cummings and thoughts of hunting elephants. He was not quite a teenager when he enlisted on a sailing ship in hopes of reaching Africa . . . but landed up in Tasmania. By the time he was fourteen his exasperated family bundled him off to a boarding school in Germany in the hopes of getting some sort of education in him, but once there he built a rough sort of kayak and managed to get to the coast via the river system and eventually back home by taking a steamer and trains. Finally his siblings relented and let him go to Africa. This was obviously no ordinary boy!
Not even seventeen years old, he arrived in Mombasa with little more than a .303 single-shot rifle. This initial foray proved unsuccessful and unprofitable, so he took a steamer back to England and arrived home penniless. Refitted and a bit wiser, he then sought his destiny in the Yukon, mining for gold and providing game for the camps in the Klondike. Again penniless after having been cheated by a partner, he enlisted in the Canadian army to fight in the Boer War, which would also provide a means of returning to Africa. Now finally all elements fell in place: more wisdom through maturity, some funds, the right rifles, and a great deal of determination saw him make his first safari for ivory. Like a tiger after its first kill, he developed a taste for elephant hunting, and he subsequently made what are generally considered the greatest ivory-hunting expeditions ever conducted by a single hunter.
Bell began writing Bell of Africa, his third and last book, in the late 1940s but he died before it was completed. Col. Townsend Whelan took over the editing and finished the book, which contains some revised sections of Bell's earlier books but is, for the most part, all new material. In addition, this book contains Bell's own original drawings that depict scenes from his youth as well as his much-praised sketches of where to place brain, heart, and lung shots on elephants. These drawings were for a long time the only true anatomical studies of the position of an elephant's brain. Possibly the great secret to Bell's success-besides his extraordinary skill with a rifle-was his ability to think like an African. Bell was so good at understanding the mentality of the Africans he hunted with and encountered that he was able to get them to cooperate on his ivory-hunting expeditions to an astonishing degree. This clearly shines through in his books.
There may be men who have led an adventurous a life, but not many of them were as daring and courageous as Walter Maitland Dalrymple Bell!
Not even seventeen years old, he arrived in Mombasa with little more than a .303 single-shot rifle. This initial foray proved unsuccessful and unprofitable, so he took a steamer back to England and arrived home penniless. Refitted and a bit wiser, he then sought his destiny in the Yukon, mining for gold and providing game for the camps in the Klondike. Again penniless after having been cheated by a partner, he enlisted in the Canadian army to fight in the Boer War, which would also provide a means of returning to Africa. Now finally all elements fell in place: more wisdom through maturity, some funds, the right rifles, and a great deal of determination saw him make his first safari for ivory. Like a tiger after its first kill, he developed a taste for elephant hunting, and he subsequently made what are generally considered the greatest ivory-hunting expeditions ever conducted by a single hunter.
Bell began writing Bell of Africa, his third and last book, in the late 1940s but he died before it was completed. Col. Townsend Whelan took over the editing and finished the book, which contains some revised sections of Bell's earlier books but is, for the most part, all new material. In addition, this book contains Bell's own original drawings that depict scenes from his youth as well as his much-praised sketches of where to place brain, heart, and lung shots on elephants. These drawings were for a long time the only true anatomical studies of the position of an elephant's brain. Possibly the great secret to Bell's success-besides his extraordinary skill with a rifle-was his ability to think like an African. Bell was so good at understanding the mentality of the Africans he hunted with and encountered that he was able to get them to cooperate on his ivory-hunting expeditions to an astonishing degree. This clearly shines through in his books.
There may be men who have led an adventurous a life, but not many of them were as daring and courageous as Walter Maitland Dalrymple Bell!
236 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1960
39 people want to read
About the author
W.D.M. Bell
8 books4 followersWalter Dalrymple Maitland Bell known as Karamojo Bell, was a Scottish adventurer, big game hunter in East Africa, soldier, decorated fighter pilot, sailor, writer, and painter.
Famous for being one of the most successful ivory hunters of his time, Bell was an advocate of the importance of shooting accuracy and shot placement with smaller calibre rifles, over the use of heavy large-bore rifles for big African game. He improved his shooting skills by careful dissection and study of the anatomy of the skulls of the elephants he shot. He even perfected the clean shooting of elephants from the extremely difficult position of being diagonally behind the target; this shot became known as the Bell Shot.
Although chiefly known for his exploits in Africa, Bell also traveled to North America and New Zealand, sailed windjammers, and saw service in South Africa during the Boer War, and flew in the Royal Flying Corps in East Africa, Greece and France during World War I.
After a period of time recuperating from illnesses contracted during the war, he returned to elephant hunting, shooting in Liberia and the Ivory Coast and traveling by canoe, making a trip of 3000 miles in 1921. On this expedition he was joined by his comrade from the Royal Flying Corps, R. M. Wynne-Eayten. His last safari was an automobile expedition through the Sudan and Chad with Americans Gerrit and Malcolm Forbes, of which he remarked that 'little hunting was done'. Rather the aim was to travel as far and as fast as possible with the vehicles. After this expedition Bell did not return to Africa. Although he intended to travel by air to Uganda for a last elephant hunt in 1939, his plans were interrupted by the start of World War Two.
Bell retired to his 1,000 acre highland estate at Garve in Ross-shire, Scotland, named "Corriemoillie", with his wife Katie (daughter of Sir Ernest and Lady Soares) to whom he had become engaged during World War I.He wrote three books about his exploits in Africa, illustrated with his own sketches and paintings, and several articles about aspects of shooting and firearms, published in Country Life' magazine in Britain and 'American Rifleman' in the USA.
Bell and his wife Katie spent their later years sailing competitively. They commissioned the first steel hulled racing yacht Trenchmere (37 tons) in Scotland in 1934 and sailed her in transatlantic ocean racing until the outbreak of World War Two. He also stalked red stags in the Scottish hills with a Winchester Model 54 chambered in the .220 Swift cartridge, of which he wrote articles describing its superior effect on deer due to its high velocity.
After suffering from a heart attack in 1947 which limited his activities, Bell spent his last years on his estate. Only a few days after posting the manuscript for his last book, Walter Bell died of heart failure on the 30th of June 1954
Famous for being one of the most successful ivory hunters of his time, Bell was an advocate of the importance of shooting accuracy and shot placement with smaller calibre rifles, over the use of heavy large-bore rifles for big African game. He improved his shooting skills by careful dissection and study of the anatomy of the skulls of the elephants he shot. He even perfected the clean shooting of elephants from the extremely difficult position of being diagonally behind the target; this shot became known as the Bell Shot.
Although chiefly known for his exploits in Africa, Bell also traveled to North America and New Zealand, sailed windjammers, and saw service in South Africa during the Boer War, and flew in the Royal Flying Corps in East Africa, Greece and France during World War I.
After a period of time recuperating from illnesses contracted during the war, he returned to elephant hunting, shooting in Liberia and the Ivory Coast and traveling by canoe, making a trip of 3000 miles in 1921. On this expedition he was joined by his comrade from the Royal Flying Corps, R. M. Wynne-Eayten. His last safari was an automobile expedition through the Sudan and Chad with Americans Gerrit and Malcolm Forbes, of which he remarked that 'little hunting was done'. Rather the aim was to travel as far and as fast as possible with the vehicles. After this expedition Bell did not return to Africa. Although he intended to travel by air to Uganda for a last elephant hunt in 1939, his plans were interrupted by the start of World War Two.
Bell retired to his 1,000 acre highland estate at Garve in Ross-shire, Scotland, named "Corriemoillie", with his wife Katie (daughter of Sir Ernest and Lady Soares) to whom he had become engaged during World War I.He wrote three books about his exploits in Africa, illustrated with his own sketches and paintings, and several articles about aspects of shooting and firearms, published in Country Life' magazine in Britain and 'American Rifleman' in the USA.
Bell and his wife Katie spent their later years sailing competitively. They commissioned the first steel hulled racing yacht Trenchmere (37 tons) in Scotland in 1934 and sailed her in transatlantic ocean racing until the outbreak of World War Two. He also stalked red stags in the Scottish hills with a Winchester Model 54 chambered in the .220 Swift cartridge, of which he wrote articles describing its superior effect on deer due to its high velocity.
After suffering from a heart attack in 1947 which limited his activities, Bell spent his last years on his estate. Only a few days after posting the manuscript for his last book, Walter Bell died of heart failure on the 30th of June 1954
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 4, 2008
I've long been a fan of great hunting stories. I read Corbett, Hunter, Ruark and others in my youth and now, in my dotage, I'm going back for a second look. I ran across the name of Karamojo Bell several times in other books and was delighted some years ago to find he had written a few books about his experiences in Africa in the very early days of the last century (he was born in 1880).
I find myself saddened by the very things that attracted me in my youth - the carnage wrought by Bell as an elephant hunter. He killed more than a thousand elephant in his career as a hunter. The reasons made sense in those far away days.
Still I'm drawn to the work for its uncanny and casual telling of another time in another place - a place I dreamed of as a youngster, but will never know but in books and movies. It still thrills me to read of those days more than a century ago in "Darkest Africa."
There are three books by Bell and I need to track down the other two - they are part of a three book slipcover edition published in 1989. For a sporting library, they are essential.
I find myself saddened by the very things that attracted me in my youth - the carnage wrought by Bell as an elephant hunter. He killed more than a thousand elephant in his career as a hunter. The reasons made sense in those far away days.
Still I'm drawn to the work for its uncanny and casual telling of another time in another place - a place I dreamed of as a youngster, but will never know but in books and movies. It still thrills me to read of those days more than a century ago in "Darkest Africa."
There are three books by Bell and I need to track down the other two - they are part of a three book slipcover edition published in 1989. For a sporting library, they are essential.
December 11, 2014
For those of you not familiar with WMD Bell, he is both the author of what has to be the least fashionable title possible in today's world, and also one of the very last europeans to travel in pre-colonial Africa. Bell was from a very different mould to the stereotype of the european in Africa, the fact that he lived to tell the tale suggests that as well as an incredibly resilient constitution, he was also as 'psychological' as anyone who ever lived.
Bell Of Africa is the great 'nearly' of Bell's work - Its way way better than 'karamojo safari', and offers a lot more story and detail than 'wanderings' which were originally published as a series for Country Life magazine. The 'nearly' comes from its posthumous publication, the book is full of tantalising diversions and unfinished thoughts. For any Bell fan this is THE work however unfinished it is.
Bell Of Africa is the great 'nearly' of Bell's work - Its way way better than 'karamojo safari', and offers a lot more story and detail than 'wanderings' which were originally published as a series for Country Life magazine. The 'nearly' comes from its posthumous publication, the book is full of tantalising diversions and unfinished thoughts. For any Bell fan this is THE work however unfinished it is.
October 30, 2015
Extraordinary man leading a full adventurous life!
April 21, 2021
There is NO better Author/Hunter of African game than Bell. Humble too. His easy to read narrative practically places the reader among the thornbush and reed grass as the author creeps up on a solitary bull elephant in search of the elusive 100# ivory teeth.
December 28, 2021
All hunters of big game will enjoy this. Another era.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews