Just finished his book
What a look into mid to late 1800' in Southern Africa
Definitely a must read

A very good read.

His great-grandson (also William Finaughty) was my PH in Zimbabwe years ago, and he was the nicest PH I ever had.

George

What was the Title? Haven't heard of that one

One can read the book online if one wishes...

https://archive.org/details/recollectionsofw1916will ...

Recollections of an elephant hunter
On Amazon

William was also my buddies ph in Zim in 1998. We shared a camp at Mopari Camp in the SAVE hunting with Roger Whittall. William and I spent many nights talking about "Rhodesia" and the way it used to be. I went back in 2001 and carried his grandfather's book so he could autograph it. One of my most prized books!
Does anyone know how he is doing or where he is???

I also hunted with William in 1992 and visited again with him again a couple of years later ... George is 100% correct .. he is the nicest of fellows !!! I hope that he and Jenny are prospering ... (as an aside ... he used to shoot sable for rations for his men on his tobacco farm back in the day ... )

George and Scruffy;
I believe William and Jenny were living at the time at Roger Whittal's Humani in the Save
conservancy?? If so, I visited their house also.

Yes, they were living on the ranch, and they had a Fox terrier who killed cobras in the papaya groves.

George

William told me about his herd of sable they had raised. The ranch was being taken and he told his boys to each go shoot the best heads for themselves. I could tell it was painfull for him to talk about having his farm stolen. He also told the story about shooting the mamba off the back of the couch with a shotgun!!! Those conversations were priceless!

Sad sad story about Rhodesia/Zim
I wonder what the world would say if we told blacks here in US " you are minority, you nobody, you ain't getting nothing " throw all black politicians out and say " Git "
Ha.
But the other way around is OK...

William had his farm taken in the early '80's .. He was the only farmer in his area that survived the bush war .. the others were either killed or moved away .. he slept in a different room each night with his FN ... he told the people in the area that if either he or his sons were hurt/killed .. the others would come and kill (a list compiled and was shown) all the dudes on the list .. Retribution .. He lived and when the bush war was over 'they' took his farm and gave him a pittance for it .. spread over quite a while ...

I slept in his brother's house near Harare in a bed with the head board shredded by a late night attack elsewhere during the war ...

Interesting times and I have the highest respect for the Rhodesians of yesteryear !!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Trax:
One can read the book online if one wishes...

https://archive.org/details/recollectionsofw1916will ...

Excellent,Thank you Boarkiller and Trax.jc

As of June 2014, William was still in the Save at roger whittall's Humani. What a gentleman and what a great memory he has. I believe he still spends time with favorite clients, taking them hunting, fishing and sightseeing.

Good to hear !!!

William and Jenny Finaughty are both very well living on Humani.William still a passionate fisherman and keeps the camps and the Whittall family well stocked with bass and bream.This last friday evening he was trying to raid a bee hive.Unfortunately there were a few casualties and had to abandon the raid.He certainly will not give up on that particular bee hive as he has quite a sweet tooth.

Great to hear, Guy.

I love these remarks from his great-grandfather concerning recoil. And to think some of us think a .375 is a hard- kicker!


The Recollections of William Finaughty: Elephant Hunter 1864-1875:

"You sportsmen of to-day, just imagine what it was to carry all day in the blazing sun a heavy old muzzle-loader with your powder loose in one jacket pocket, a supply of caps in another and your bullets in your pouch. Add to this a gun that "kicked" one's shoulder with almost as much force as the bullet struck the elephant, and you can believe me that it was no child's play. In fact the recoil was so great that I was more than once knocked down by it and on two occasions I was taken completely out of the saddle. One's shoulder was literally black and blue after a day's elephant shooting.

. . . We came across any number of elephant spoor and on the following day I got hold of them with my twelve-bore breech-loader, and I never had such a punishing time in my life. I was using home-made cartridges. The bullets I had moulded myself and made very hard, and the cartridges were filled almost to the top with fine powder. The recoil was awful, and it makes my eyes moist even to-day to think of it. I did not feel it so much at the first two or three shots, but afterwards each shot brought excruciating agony.

. . . On the following morning I could not lift my arm. My shoulder and chest were simply black and blue, very tender and greatly swollen. Suffice it to say that I could not use my arm for a fortnight and it did not increase my admiration for the newly-invented breech-loader, for elephant shooting at any rate."

I am sure William has guided many very rich folks over the years ... might even have envied a few for their wealth as it can be tough to earn such a living in today's Zimbabwe. I would hazard a guess that most of us envy his lifestyle ... and old man (80+) ... living on the Humani ... fishing ... hanging around with old friends .. taking them hunting and fishing ... great great memories .. talk about living the frickin' dream ...

And there are old men who golf every day ... who envies them ???

I am writing this at 5:22 a.m. in dawn's early light ... it is just about time to go for a walk in a city of 100,000 ... no one envies me this, I am sure ..

Be safe, William !

quote:

Originally posted by scruffy:I am writing this at 5:22 a.m. in dawn's early light ... it is just about time to go for a walk in a city of 100,000 ... no one envies me this, I am sure ..

Just 100,000? Plenty might envy that!

Nothing lie rural settings
12 miles out of town, quiet ( except fox yapping this morning and waking me up

Life is good