Eric Sherbrooke Walker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eric Sherbrooke Walker
Portrait, approx 1910
Born	4 July 1887 Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom
Died	13 May 1976 (aged 88) Majorca, Spain
Nationality	British
Other names	James Barbican
Occupation	military officer, Scouting inspector, hotelier
Known for	contribution to Scouting, Treetops Hotel

Major Eric George Sherbrooke Walker (1887–1976) was a British officer and hotel owner. He started the Outspan Hotel and Treetops Hotel in Kenya. He is famous for hosting Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at Treetops in 1952. This visit happened just before Queen Elizabeth learned that her father, King George VI, had died. This meant she would become Queen.

Early Life and Scouting

Eric Walker was born on July 4, 1887, in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England. His father was a church leader. Eric went to Oakham School and King Edward's. He then studied at The Queen's College, Oxford.

After finishing college in 1908, Eric Walker became involved with the Scouting movement. He worked as a personal helper for Robert Baden-Powell. Baden-Powell was the person who started Scouting. Eric was one of the first two Scout inspectors. He helped oversee Scouting groups in Wales and southern England. He was even at Baden-Powell's very first Scout camp in Humshaugh in 1908. In 1910, he traveled to Canada with sixteen Scouts to show how Scouting worked.

Military Service

Eric Walker joined the army in August 1914. He later moved to the Royal Flying Corps, which was an early air force. In 1915, on his 28th birthday, his plane crashed behind enemy lines. He was captured and became a prisoner of war in Germany. It is said that he tried to escape 36 times! One story tells how he got wire cutters hidden inside a piece of ham to help him escape.

After World War I, he continued his military service. He fought alongside the White Army in the Russian Civil War. He was very brave during a battle in the Crimea in March 1920. He stayed with a police group during heavy fighting. His calm actions under fire helped them win. For his bravery, he received the Military Cross. He also received two awards from the White Russian authorities.

Eric Walker returned to England after the war. In 1926, he married Lady Elizabeth Mary "Bettie" Feilding.

Life in Kenya and Hotels

Eric and Bettie moved to the Kenya Colony. In 1928, Eric bought land in Nyeri. There, he opened the Outspan Hotel. It looked out over a beautiful gorge in the Aberdare Range.

In 1932, he opened another hotel called Treetops Hotel. This hotel was special because it was built high up. Guests could watch wild animals from it at night.

In 1938, his old boss, Lord Baden-Powell, retired. He chose to live at the Outspan Hotel. Baden-Powell bought a part of the hotel business. This paid for his small cottage, called Paxtu, on the hotel grounds. Today, Paxtu is a Scouting museum. Baden-Powell died in 1941 and is buried in Nyeri. His grave is an important monument in Kenya.

Eric Walker served in the military again during World War II. He fought in Abyssinia and in North Africa.

The Royal Visit to Treetops

In February 1952, Eric Walker hosted Princess Elizabeth and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh. They visited Kenya and stayed at Treetops. They arrived on the afternoon of February 5, 1952. During that night, without knowing it, Princess Elizabeth became the Queen of England. Her father, King George VI, died in England early on February 6. Princess Elizabeth received the sad news later that day, after leaving Treetops.

Treetops Rebuilt

Eric Walker also helped during the Mau Mau Uprising in the early 1950s. Treetops was used as a lookout point by soldiers. Sadly, fighters burned down the hotel on May 27, 1954. But Eric Walker built a new, bigger Treetops Hotel in 1957. The hotel became very popular. This was partly because of the public interest in Queen Elizabeth II's story. The hotel was even featured in National Geographic magazine. Many famous people, like Charles Chaplin and Paul McCartney, visited Treetops. Eric Walker also wrote a book about his life in Kenya called Treetops Hotel.

The famous hunter Jim Corbett moved to Kenya and lived at the Outspan. He became a hunter who guided guests at Treetops. A house on the Walkers' farm was used when filming the movie Born Free.

In his younger days, Eric Walker loved to hunt. But later in his life in Kenya, he became a strong supporter of wildlife conservation. This means protecting animals and their homes.

He retired to Majorca, Spain. He died there at his home on May 13, 1976.

Images for kids

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  Portrait, approx 1910