Sir Derek Quicke Erskine (12 February 1905 - 6 September 1977) was a British settler in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. He played a key role in popularising

Athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competiti ...

in Kenya and co-founded the Kenya Amateur Athletics Association, now

Athletics Kenya Athletics Kenya (AK) is the governing body for the sport of athletics (track and field) in Kenya. It is a member of World Athletics and Confederation of African Athletics. AK organises athletics competitions held in Kenya. It also sends Kenyan team ...

Early life

He was born in

Thakeham Thakeham's History Thakeham is a village and civil parish located north of the South Downs in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. The village is situated approximately 12 miles south-west of Horsham and 11 miles north of the sea-s ...

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

to Sir James Erskine and Cicely Quicke. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

and the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infantry a ...

Kenya

Erskine was invited to

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

by a businessman with connections to

Lord Delamere Hugh Cholmondeley, 3rd Baron Delamere, (28 April 1870 – 13 November 1931), styled The Honourable from birth until 1887, was a British peer. He was one of the first and most influential British settlers in Kenya. Lord Delamere was the son of ...

, and he soon set up a successful grocer business. In 1951, together with

Archie Evans Archie Evans (February 1922 - 12 November 2010) was a British teacher and civil servant who pioneered the development of athletics in Kenya and co-founded the Kenya Amateur Athletics Association (KAAA), now Athletics Kenya.Robert R. Sands, Linda R. ...

, he co-founded the Kenya Amateur Athletics Association (KAAA), which would later become Athletics Kenya. He contributed significant funds to the Association, including donating the land on which the

Nyayo National Stadium Nyayo National Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Nairobi, Kenya. It is located at the square of Mombasa Road, Langata Road and the Aerodrome Road. It is approximately two kilometers from the City Center, directly opposite Nairobi Mega Mall, ...

is now built. He was Chairman of the Association from its founding until a year after independence. Erskine served as a Member of the Kenyan Legislative Council between 1948 and 1951. He was again a Member of the Legislative Council between 1961 and 1963 and was the Chief Whip of the

Kenya African National Union The Kenya African National Union (KANU) is a Kenyan political party that ruled for nearly 40 years after Kenya's independence from British colonial rule in 1963 until its electoral loss in 2002. It was known as Kenya African Union (KAU) from 194 ...

Parliamentary Group between 1961 and 1964. Politically he was a staunch advocate of racial harmony in Kenya. In response to the views of many European settlers who wanted self-rule from Britain and continued European dominance over Africans and Asians, he described the view as puerile poppycock, being both impracticable and unworkable, contravening Christian ethics, British ideas of liberty and fair play and international agreements such as the Atlantic Charter. In 1952, he was removed from a session of the Legislative Council due to his outspoken views demanding racial equality within Kenya. He was sympathetic to Jomo Kenyatta's struggle against discrimination, and offered his house to Kenyatta when he was in detention and the government said there was no place he could live. He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in 1964 for political and public services in Kenya on the recommendation of Kenyatta.Paul Spicer, The Temptress: The scandalous life of Alice, Countess de Janzé, Simon and Schuster, 6 May 2010

Death

Erskine died in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

on 6 September 1977. He was survived by his wife Elizabeth and their three children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Erskine, Derek 1905 births 1977 deaths People educated at Eton College Settlers of Kenya Members of the Legislative Council of Kenya British Kenya people People from Thakeham Knights Bachelor