James Stevenson-Hamilton
Major
James Stevenson-Hamilton (
October 2 1867 -
December 10 1957) born in
Scotland was the eldest of 9 children. By the time he retired he saw his dream become reality, the
Kruger National Park,
South Africa.
He married Hilda Cholmondeley who was 34 years younger, she bore him 3 children Hilda (born
November 8 1933 but died at 3 later), James (1933) and Caroline (
1935).
James Stevenson-Hamilton became the first warden of the Kruger National Park in
1902 after the
Second Boer War.
In
1917 at the end of the
First World War, James was employed in the
Sudan civil service and by
1921 the Sudanese game protection legislation was drafted in which endured for a number of decades.
James was known as
Skukuza, a
Shangaan name meaning either " he who sweeps clean" or "he who turns everything upside down", by his staff at Kruger National Park. Later in
1936 the main rest camp's name was changed from Sabie Bridge to Skukuza to honour him.
Stevenson-Hamilton retired in
1946 as a Lieutenant-Colonel.
