William Robert Foran (1881–1968) was a British Army officer, big game hunter and travel writer.

Biography

Foran trained at Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and was commissioned into British Army as it was enlarged during the Second Boer War in South Africa. He originally served with the 21st Battalion Imperial Yeomanry, where he was promoted to lieutenant. While in South Africa, he transferred to a regular army regiment as

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in The Prince Albert's (Somersetshire Light Infantry) on 23 April 1902, and after the end of the war that year left Natal for British India in November 1902. He later achieved the rank of Major. He traveled from Johannesburg to Mombasa, Kenya in 1904, and then to the newly founded city of Nairobi to buy land for farming. While in Nairobi, Foran was recruited by the British East Africa Police, becoming one of its six original officers. Foran distinguished himself as a big game hunter and wrote numerous articles and books based on his adventures, including ''Kill or Be Killed: The Rambling Reminiscences of an Amateur Hunter,'' published in 1933, which includes stories about fellow big game hunters

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, Arthur Henry Neumann,

W. D. M. Bell Walter Dalrymple Maitland Bell (8 September 1880 – 30 June 1954), known as Karamojo Bell after the Karamoja sub-region in Uganda, which he travelled extensively, was a Scottish adventurer, big game hunter in East Africa, soldier, decorated fi ...

and

Chauncey Hugh Stigand Chauncey Hugh Stigand (1877–1919) was a British army officer, colonial administrator and big game hunter. He was killed in action while attempting to suppress a rebellion of Aliab Dinka. Biography Stigand was the son of William Stigand and Ag ...

. Foran worked as a travel writer for the National Geographic Society and wrote ''Malayan Symphony: Being The Impressions Gathered During A Six months' Journey Through The Straits Settlements, Federated Malay States, Siam, Sumatra, Java And Bali'' about his 1935 trip through Southeast Asia. His account of a visit to Tristan da Cunha, the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, was published in November 1938. He lived out the last years of his life in Nanyuki, Kenya, and died in 1968.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foran, W Robert 1881 births 1968 deaths Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst British military personnel of the Second Boer War Imperial Yeomanry officers British hunters British travel writers Somerset Light Infantry officers British colonial officials