My Direct Lineage

Alan Locke Shaw (Above Picture)

My late father 1928 - 2005. Alan grew up on a farm outside Gwelo in Southern Rhodesia. He was schooled at Chaplin where he was a school prefect. On leaving school dad joined the Gwelo Times as a trainee printing technician. In 1951 Alan volunteered for service with the Southern Rhodesia Far East Volunteer Unit of The Southern Rhodesia Defence Force. He served with C Squadron Special Air Service (Malayan Scouts) under Peter Walls. In 1952 Alan was invalided from the army due to a lung infection. When he retuned to Rhodesia he joined the railways as a trainee Station Foreman. While he was at Balla Balla in 1952 he began a pen friend correspondence with Eileen Jooste in Middleberg, Transvaal. This lead to their marriage on 11th July, 1953. On returning to Rhodesia Alan was stationed at Dett near Wankie. His eldest son, Owen was born in May 1954 while Alan was at Dett.

Alan joined the Department of veterinary Services in 1955 and was stationed at Chipinga. His second son, Gordon Bevis was born that year. Alan was then transferred to Enkledoors and the twins Glenn and Colin were born. Youngest son, Grant, was born in 1963. Alan was also stationed at Gwelo and Fort Victoria. His happiest days were when stationed in Victoria Province.

During the Rhodesian Bush War Alan was exposed to danger in the field. As a consequence of his bravery and dedication to duty he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal in 1979.

Alan retired when stationed at Bulawayo in 1983 where he was Chief Provincial Animal Health Inspector for Matabeleland Province.

He spent ten years on a farm near Heidelburg South Africa before retiring to Kariba in 1993. Ill health forced him to leave Kariba in 1996 and he returned to Bulawayo. In 2004 due to ill health he moved to an old age home in Benoni, South Africa. Alan passed away on 20 August, 2005.

One of the twins, Colin died in a boating accident in 2002. Alan never recovered from this loss.

Eileen sadly passed away less than a year after Alan.

Both Alan and Eileen were victims of Robert Mugabe's hatred towards white people.

Gordon Locke Shaw

Gordon Locke Shaw was born near Bushmans River in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. He moved to Rhodesia with Ambrose Shaw's whole family in the 1920's. Gordon farmed at Bijou and then Staines farm near Gwelo. Gordon had one daughter and four sons. Gordon passed away in October 1968.

Ambrose George Shaw