198 
IN MEMORIAM — E. G. KENSIT 
rested for half-an-hour and then fell in again without a refill of the water 
bottles. This march seems to have been the very worst. The pass was occupied 
without opposition but men fainted from fatigue and thirst when they reached 
the top. Four long hours afterwards camels brought the water supply but 
some were so exhausted that they turned sick, unable to retain the precious 
fluid. This pass is known variously as Hill Thirsty and Hell Eire Pass. 
Letters tell how men would take a drink and spit some back ; tell too of 
how it pleased Kensit to do with less and ever less water, making acceptance 
of the priceless thing less hard for a comrade, by the proud boast of his 
sojourn in the desert of Southern Africa. And yet, and yet... physically he 
never was strong; spiritually he was of giant stature. 
The march down was continued after a rest and to Kensit fatigue no 
longer existed once from below the beauty of situation and contour and 
colour came upon him from the little coast town of Solium. Solium offered 
many advantages — the colour of sea and sky, the straight line of Wadis 
against the horizon, the thrice blessed bathe in the open sea, ships loading 
and off-loading, mine sweepers, buildings going up, public and private inter- 
ests — “I did enjoy watching it all and we did hard work there, but we were 
fit. I made a fine Kayah there out of paraffin tins.” 
It was here that he helped with “the famous road-making, 800ft. up and 
turning the first corner. This road was an old Roman road built — years b.c.” 
Here he noticed some Stapelia plants and shell fossil formation. And every 
day still a bit of the desert, which despite all was always dear to him, in the 
Senussi and Bedouin fugitives, who, driven by hunger and thirst, were coming 
in to ask pardon and seek protection. 
“It was fine, I can assure you; I was sorry to leave.” From Mersa Matru 
they were taken back to Alexandria, this time in a real pleasure boat, “a 
Cunard liner and a beauty and we had berths ” ; and thence to beautiful France, 
there to endure unprecedented hardships with which we have all become so 
familiar through the Press. Here Kensit’s life takes on a peculiar brilliancy 
from within — it is as if an “inspiringness” clothes him about and the Christ 
idea of service and of bringing cheer and happiness to others becomes his 
self-imposed high duty in increasing proportions; — his spirit takes on fine 
dimensions. One young officer writes, “ I know it isn’t right, but I go to Kensit 
because he always cheers me.” After a long march he writes, “ I felt no fatigue, 
the land through which we passed was so beautiful.” It was always thus, 
the green fields and flowers, a show of rhododendrons, the forget-me-not seen 
for the first time, the first call of the cuckoo — in Egypt he goes up the Nile 
to hear the birds sing — some beautiful building, these become the big things 
in France; and beyond everything to expend for a comrade his small strength 
of blood and bone and sinew, and for all, his high spontaneous duty of happi- 
ness. 
