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65-594: 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 fighter pilot, sailor, writer, and painter. Famous as one of the most successful ivory hunters of his time, Bell was an advocate of accurate shot placement with smaller calibre rifles, over

130-587: A Flight Commander in Europe, flying Bristol Fighters . Bell was the first in his squadron (No. 47) to score an air victory when he shot down a German two-seater aircraft over Salonika on 23 December 1916. He shot down a German Albatross fighter with a single shot, after which his machine gun jammed, and once shot an aircraft down with a machine gun that did not have its sights aligned with the bore. With his observer Lieutenant Robert Mainwaring Wynne-Eyton, Captain Bell shot down

195-717: A French SPAD by mistake, although the French pilot survived unscathed. Bell was mentioned in dispatches for the first time in 1916. By the end of the war he had received this distinction five times. He was awarded the Military Cross in June 1916 which was presented by General Smuts, and received a bar to his MC for service in Greece and France. Bell was discharged in April 1918 for medical reasons (stated on his discharge papers as 'nervous asthma') and

260-560: A Lee–Enfield sporting rifle in .303 British and Mauser rifles chambered in .318 Westley Richards . He disliked the double rifles considered archetypal for the African hunting of his time due to what he considered recoil so heavy as to be detrimental to accuracy, their delicacy in the field, their weight, and the unreliable sporting ammunition of the day. He particularly praised a Mannlicher M1893 rifle chambered in 6.5×53mmR from George Gibbs that he used for most of his buck meat hunting in

325-650: A full bibliography. Launched at the 'Militarization, Violence, and livelihoods' Workshop, St Antony's College, University of Oxford 3.5.06 2003b: 'The State as Raider among the Karamojong: 'Where there are no guns, they use the threat of guns' Africa 73/3:427–55 2003a: Entry on 'the Karamojong, Uganda' in Hughes, Lotte The No-Nonsense Guide to Indigenous Peoples London: Verso pp. 67f. 2002: 'School for Progress: The re-routing of BCMS missionaries into education for

390-474: A good working relationship with the native African peoples where he hunted, trading cattle for information as to where he could find good numbers of bull elephants. He believed that this co-operation with the local tribes was the main reason for his great success as an elephant hunter. He hunted in the warlike Karamojo area for five years without the killing of a single African in self-defence becoming necessary. One of Bell's closest African companions while hunting

455-430: A heart attack in 1947 which limited his activities, Bell spent his last years on his estate. Only a few days after posting the manuscript for his last book, Bell of Africa , Bell died of heart failure on 30 June 1954. In 1917 he married Kate Rose Mary Soares (b. 1894 d.1958), sole daughter and heiress of Sir Ernest Soares (1864-1926), of 36 Princes Gate, London, and of Upcott House in the parish of Pilton , North Devon,

520-703: A heat wave, causing deaths and illness. The Karimojong are part of the Karimojong Cluster of Nilotic tribes (also known as the Teso Cluster). The languages of the Jie and Dodoth are not quite the same as, but mutually intelligible with Karimojong. The ethnicity of the Ethur is not entirely certain, but they are regarded as essentially Nilotic (if mixed) and their language is regarded as a Luo dialect. The Ik and Tepeth have their own languages, but these are under great pressure from

585-443: A problem that gradually worsened with repeated firing and with more powerful cartridges. Many gunmakers tried various methods to rectify this problem, all to little avail until Westley Richards invented the "Dolls head" lock in 1862 which greatly improved rigidity, this was followed by James Purdey's under-locking mechanism in 1863 and W.W. Greener 's "Wedge fast" system in 1873, finally the basic break-open action known to this day had

650-829: A rifled longarm, significantly improving the trajectory and as such greatly improving the range of these rifles. These express rifles had two deep opposing grooves which were wide and deep enough to prevent the lead bullets from stripping the rifling if fired at high velocities, a significant problem previously. These muzzle-loading rifles came in a large variety of calibres, the most common calibres for medium thin-skinned plains and deer-sized game were .400 in (10.2 mm), .450 in (11.4 mm), .500 in (12.7 mm), .577 in (14.7 mm), and 12 bore (.729 in (18.5 mm)). For larger thick skinned type game 10 bore (.775 in (19.7 mm)), 8 bore (.835 in (21.2 mm)), 6 bore (.919 in (23.3 mm)), and 4 bore (1.05 in (27 mm)) were used,

715-444: A slightly lower price. Double rifles can come in two barrel configurations, over-and-under designs (usually abbreviated as O/U) where the two barrels are mounted vertically one on top of the other, or side-by-side (usually abbreviated as SxS) where the two barrels are mounted horizontally next to each other. For dangerous game hunting, side-by-side rifles are usually preferred. This is for a number of reasons but predominantly because

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780-458: A solicitor and Liberal Party Member of Parliament . Karamoja The Karamoja sub-region , commonly known as Karamoja , is a region in Uganda . It covers an area of 27,528km and comprises the Kotido District , Kaabong District , Karenga District , Nabilatuk District , Abim District , Moroto District , Napak District , Amudat District and Nakapiripirit District . The region

845-561: A winter of shooting moose and deer with a .350 Farquharson single-shot, his partner cheated him of his earnings, leaving him nearly penniless. He sold his rifle for enough money to get back to Dawson. In order to return to Africa he joined the Canadian Mounted Rifles , seeing service during the Boer War . Bell was captured when his horse was shot from under him, but he escaped and managed to get back to British lines; upon doing that he

910-476: Is noted for using smaller calibre bullets rather than the heavy recoiling, larger calibre bullets that were popular with other big game hunters. Like many other professional elephant hunters of the time, he started hunting elephants with a sporting .303 Lee Enfield rifle, taking 63 elephant heads on his first safari. Later he outfitted himself for extensive hunting safaris in the Karamojo region of Uganda, preferring

975-520: Is projected to have a population of 1.4 millions in 2022 by UBOS. In 2011, the Karamoja sub-region was the site of an important fossil discovery. Paleontologists discovered the remains of Ugandapithecus major , a 20-million-year-old ancestor of present-day primates. "It is a highly important fossil and it will certainly put Uganda on the map in terms of the scientific world," said Martin Pickford, one of

1040-503: The Bulambuli district , in particular, were among the worst hit areas, with an estimated 1.2 million Ugandans affected. The Ugandan government also indicated that as of September 2011, acute deficits in foodstuffs were expected in 35 of the country's districts. Droughts and dry spells affect farmers and the population, causing economic hardship for farmers and food shortages for the population and their livestock. Droughts can be accompanied by

1105-408: The .275 (7x57) chambered in a Rigby-Mauser rifle. Around 800 of his elephant kills were made with Mauser 98 rifles chambered for the 7×57mm Mauser / .275 (using the 1893 pattern standard military 11.2-gram (172.8 gr) grain round-nosed full metal jacket load). Bell preferred smaller calibers because they recoiled less, were lighter to carry, and in his estimation killed elephants just as well as

1170-535: The .450 Black Powder Express with smokeless cordite creating the .450 Nitro Express , the first Nitro Express cartridge, this was to have a profound impact on sporting cartridge development and the double rifle was to become synonymous with the Nitro Express cartridges. Now in its final form and chambering modern Nitro Express cartridges, the British double rifle entered its golden age at the turn of 20th century and it

1235-402: The 1830s had little impact on sporting rifles due to their experimental nature, expense and the extraordinary strength and reliability of the percussion muzzleloader. In 1858, Westley Richards patented the break-open, top leaver breech-loading action, whilst a useful development these early break-open designs had a great deal of elasticity in the action and upon firing they sprung open slightly,

1300-567: The American hunter Gerrit Forbes, a cousin of Franklin Roosevelt who accompanied him on three safaris for elephants between 1907 and 1913. He was also a personal friend of American gunwriter Townsend Whelen . Bell was one of the so-called "gentlemen adventurers" that "poached" the lawless Lado Enclave after Belgium withdrew from the region following the death of Leopold the Second in 1909, and prior to

1365-640: The Boer War, and flew in the Royal Flying Corps in East Africa, Greece, and France during the First World War. Bell was born into a wealthy family of Scottish and Manx ancestry, on the family's estate named Clifton Hall , (today a school) in Linlithgowshire , near Edinburgh in 1880. Walter was the second-youngest of eight children. His mother died when he was two years old and his father died when he

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1430-690: The First World War. He published two books about his exploits in Africa, illustrated with his own sketches and paintings. 'Wanderings of an Elephant Hunter', which was serialised in Britain's Country Life magazine, 'Karamojo Safari', and several articles about aspects of shooting and firearms in the NRA's American Rifleman in the USA. His third book, Bell of Africa , was published posthumously. Bell and his wife Katie spent their later years sailing competitively. They commissioned

1495-469: The Karamojo region was a Karamojoan named Payale, a member of a local tribe. They hunted together over several safaris in the region, and Bell accorded him great respect. Another of Bell's hunting companions was New Zealander Harry Rayne, who accompanied him on a safari to Sudan and the Karamojo in 1907, and who later became District Commissioner in British Somaliland. Bell was also a lifelong friend of

1560-466: The Karamojo. On one occasion in West Africa in the midst of a famine he killed a herd of 23 forest buffalo using a .22 Savage Hi-Power rifle with lung shots, in order to feed a local villagers who were starving. Bell used the brain shot on elephants extensively, as it did not disturb the herd as much when the elephants were killed instantly, whereas body shots would mean the animals would run and upset

1625-1043: The Karimojong language (Ŋakarimojong) around them. Karamoja Microfinance Committee (KMFC): Karamoja Microfinance Strategy, AMFIU Working Paper No. 4, Kampala, 2006. Katalemwa M. / Mbabazi, J.: Microfinance Outreach: AMFIU backstops Karamoja DPC, partners to develop Microfinance strategy for the region, in: Supplement to The New Vision, The Daily Monitor, 6. December 2005. Knighton, Ben 2011: 'Disarmament: The end or fulfilment of cattle-raiding' Nomadic Peoples 14/2:123–46 2007c: 'Globalizing Trends or Identities through Time? The Longue Durée in Karamojong[1] Ethnography' Journal of East African Studies 1/3:466–83 2007a: 'Of War-Leaders and Fire-Makers: A rejoinder' History in Africa 34:411–20 2006c: 'Belief in Guns and Warlords: Freeing Karamojong identity from Africanist theory' African Identities 4/2:269–86 2006b: 'Orality in

1690-513: The Meaning of God' Dharma Deepika 4/2:35–50 July to December 1999b: 'The Meaning of God in an African Traditional Religion and the Meaninglesness of Well-Meaning Mission: The experience of Christian enculturation in Karamoja, Uganda' Transformation 16/4:120–127 Schmidt, O. (2006): Do Microfinance Development Strategies care about the consumer? – Assessing Microfinance trends and drivers upon

1755-732: The Service of Karamojong Autonomy: Polity and performance' Journal of African Cultural Studies 18/1:137–52 Special Issue 'Language, Power, and Society: Orality and literacy in the Horn of Africa' 2006a: 'Multireligious Responses to Globalization in East Africa: Karamojong and Agĩkũyũ Compared' Transformation 23/2:71–85 2005: The Vitality of Karamojong Religion: Dying tradition or living faith? Aldershot: Ashgate http://www.ashgate.com/default.aspx?page=637&calcTitle=1&title_id=4401&edition_id=4620 This 366-page monograph includes

1820-764: The Sudan and Chad with Americans Gerrit and Malcolm Forbes, of which he later remarked that 'little hunting was done'. Rather the aim was to travel as far and as fast as possible with the vehicles. After this expedition Bell did not return to Africa. Although he intended to travel by air to Uganda for a last elephant hunt in 1939, his plans were interrupted by the start of the Second World War. Bell retired to his 1,000-acre highland estate at Garve in Ross-shire, Scotland, named 'Corriemoillie', with his wife Katie (daughter of Sir Ernest and Lady Soares) to whom he had become engaged during

1885-532: The UPDF's high command was attempting to address discipline problems, partly by providing human rights training, which had, by the time of the publication, led to cordon-and-search operations becoming "markedly less violent." There were a number of significant clashes between the UPDF and nomadic warriors in 2010. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, said in June 2010 that at least 19 people had been killed in two incidents on 4–7 January and 22 January, when

1950-556: The age of 16, hunted lions for the Uganda Railway using a single-shot rifle chambered in .303 British . Bell convinced his family to back him for a trip to Africa, where he obtained a job shooting man-eating lions for the Uganda Railway at the age of 16. In 1896 Bell travelled to North America, where he spent a short time panning for gold in the Yukon gold rush and earned a living by shooting game to supply Dawson City with meat. After

2015-557: The area. The locations include Matany, Moroto, Amudat, Kotido, and Kaabong. Poverty is increasing and according to the Karimojong, the main factors responsible for poverty include persistent poor harvest as a result of dry spells and droughts, cattle rustling and insecurity, animal death, lack of water, poor farming practices, ill health and disability, high bride price for marriage, lack of skills and unemployment, limited sources of income, poor governance, and landlessness. The 1980 famine in Karamoja was, in terms of mortality rates, one of

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2080-485: The army used a helicopter gunship and ground forces against warrior communities, before a third incident, on 24 April, which resulted in at least 10 deaths. She claimed that the death toll from all three incidents was, most likely, even higher than the confirmed numbers she quoted. She called for the opening of an impartial inquiry into the attacks. By early 2011, the UPDF said it was starting to scale down its military operations in Karamoja. It claimed to have largely cleared

2145-447: The barrels of an over-and-under gun must be pivoted much farther down to clear the lower barrel for reloading. During manufacture the barrels of double rifles require "regulation" to ensure the bullet paths from both barrels are aimed at a common point of aim. This can be done to ensure either the bullets 1) parallel each other closely at all practical ranges, or 2) converge at a given range, beyond which they begin to diverge. Because of

2210-418: The barrels on a Cape gun is a smoothbore for firing shotgun shells , while the other is a rifled barrel . This allows for hunting a wider variety of game with the same weapon. A long gun combining at least one rifled barrel and (usually) one smoothbore barrel is a Combination gun , and some rare examples have up to five different calibres in one firearm. The development of the double rifle has always followed

2275-402: The bigger bore cartridges. Bell found that German 7x57 and English .303 military ammunition was the most reliable, which also encouraged him to use the smaller calibers. His favourite rifles were bespoke Rigby-made 7×57mm Mausers with which he shot the majority of his elephants, a 'wand-like' Mannlicher–Schoenauer 6.5×54mm carbine, which he abandoned due to failure of the available ammunition,

2340-759: The boxlock actions as it is a simpler design with fewer moving parts that can fail. Consequently, it has an outstanding reputation for reliability. The sidelock action, with its lockwork operating behind the main action body, has exceptional inherent strength and as a result could be built on slimmer action sizes in proportion to the calibre, although it is far more labour-intensive to manufacture and so more expensive. Most double rifles manufactured today, especially those designed for dangerous game , are manufactured with selective ejectors which greatly speeds reloading. However many old hunters preferred non-ejector rifles, feeling that with practice they could reload just as quickly, these rifles can still be found and usually attract

2405-524: The boxlock and sidelock hammerless actions had largely superseded the hammer rifles and, with the addition of ejectors and assisted opening, the basic design of the double rifle has changed little to this day. Incidentally, it was Westley Richards who invented the first reliable safety catch for doubles, ejectors, the single selective trigger and the special extractors that enabled rimless cartridges to be used in double rifles, all features found in modern double rifles. In 1898, John Rigby & Company loaded

2470-612: The case of Uganda, in: ded-info-CD financial sector development , Bonn (ded, department P12). Double rifle The double rifle is usually handcrafted and is considered by many to be the pinnacle of sporting rifle design. It is not designed for long-range accuracy but instead for the security of an immediate second shot. Double rifles are similar to double-barreled shotguns . As with double-barrelled shotguns , modern double rifles are all made with either sidelock or boxlock actions , although occasionally old hammer rifles can be found. The majority of double rifles have been built on

2535-666: The charge of a dangerous animal at very short range when there is little time for aiming. Double rifles have been produced in all calibres from .220 in (5.6 mm) to .700 in (17.8 mm). Traditional British double rifle calibres include the Rook rifle , Black Powder Express and rimmed Nitro Express families of cartridges and many of these can still be obtained today. European makers tend to chamber their double rifles in metric rimmed calibres developed by European firms, although British and American cartridges are offered. Variants known as Cape guns are similar designs, but one of

2600-495: The development of the double-barrelled shotgun, the two are generally very similar but the stresses of firing a solid projectile are far greater than shot . The first double-barrelled muskets were created in the 1830s when deer stalking became popular in Scotland. Previously single barrelled weapons had been used but, recognising the need for a rapid second shot to dispatch a wounded animal, double-barrelled muskets were built along

2665-405: The disarmament, as army forces and nomadic warriors clashed. The disarmament campaign usually involves the UPDF surrounding manyatas (villages) and evacuating people from the interior, prior to orchestrating searches for hidden weapons. In September 2007, Human Rights Watch released a 97-page report detailing alleged torture and even killings of children. However, this report also acknowledged that

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2730-727: The end of empire in Karamoja, Uganda' International Review of Mission 91/361: 256–77 2001d: 'Globalization: Implications of violence, the global economy, and the role of the state for Africa and Christian mission' Transformation 18/4:204–19 2001b: 'Forgiveness or Disengagement in a Traditional African Cycle of Revenge' Exchange 30/1:18–32; an earlier and unproofed version is published in Africa Theological Journal 24/1:53–72 2000: 'Other Religions and The Meaning of God in an African Traditional Religion: The encounter in Karamoja, Uganda' Asia Journal of Theology 14/2: 399–430 October. Also published as 'Other Religions and

2795-509: The extremely popular .450 Black Powder Express , the .500 Black Powder Express , and the .577 Black Powder Express , all with various case lengths. The first brass 10-bore, 8-bore and 4-bore cartridges were not developed until 1870, their arrival spelling the end of the muzzle-loading era. Until this time all double rifles had external hammers whose fall struck the mechanism that fired the cartridge, however, attempts to remove them were well underway. The first "hammerless" action of significance

2860-465: The first steel-hulled racing yacht, Trenchmere (37 tons), in Scotland in 1934 and sailed her in transatlantic ocean racing until the outbreak of the Second World War. He also stalked red stags in the Scottish hills with a Winchester Model 54 chambered in the .220 Swift cartridge, of which he wrote articles describing its superior effect on deer due to the high velocity of the bullet. After suffering from

2925-542: The following cartridges: 6.5x54 Mannlicher, 7x57 Mauser (.275), .303 British, .318 Westley Richards, .350 Rigby Magnum, .416 Rigby and .450/400. The most elephants he shot in one day was 19. The most bull elephants killed for their ivory in one month was 44. The largest amount of money made from ivory taken in a single day was 863 pounds sterling. He wore out 24 pairs of boots in a year and estimated that for every bull taken, he had walked an average of 73 miles (117 km). Bell has become famous for his superb marksmanship. He

2990-544: The heavy large-bore rifles his contemporaries used for big African game. He improved his hunting skills by the dissection and study of the skulls of elephants he shot. He perfected a technique of shooting elephants from the extremely difficult position, diagonally behind the target; this became known as the 'Bell Shot'. Although chiefly known for his exploits in Africa, Bell also travelled to North America and New Zealand, sailed windjammers , saw service in South Africa during

3055-466: The last being a specialist elephant hunting calibre. Whilst most of these calibres could be purchased with rifling, the 4 bore and the 6 bore were rarely rifled, as the increased friction from the rifling caused excessive recoil. Various experimental breech loaders had been in existence since the 16th century, however developments such as the Ferguson rifle in the 1770s and early pinfire cartridges in

3120-549: The lowest Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.183 and Kotido has 0.194 as compared to an average of 0.4491 for Uganda. The districts of Karamoja have the highest Human Poverty Indices (HPI) with Nakapiripirit and Moroto Districts having 63.5 percent and Kotido has 53.8 percent, compared to the national average of 37.5 percent, Central region of 31.5 percent, Northern region 46.1 percent, Western region 39.0 percent, and Eastern region 37.1 percent. There are at least 5 regional hospitals in Karamoja, providing affordable health services to

3185-416: The need for fast target acquisition in the face of dangerous game led to the development of the "Express" iron sights . Express sights feature a very wide and shallow rear V, usually with a white line marking the bottom of the V. The purpose of express sights is to allow for well-aimed shots over moderate ranges when there is time for careful sighting and to allow the rifle to be pointed like a shotgun to stop

3250-426: The need to regulate a rifle to a specific loading of its chambered cartridge, once regulated a double rifle cannot satisfactorily shoot bullets of different weights or velocities, as it usually affects the accuracy. The process of regulating a double rifle’s barrels is complex and can be time-consuming, significantly adding to the cost of the rifle. Whilst many modern double rifles are fitted with telescopic sights ,

3315-640: The outbreak of the First World War , Bell was hunting in the French Congo and immediately headed back to England and began to learn to fly. He enlisted in the Royal Flying Corps , becoming a reconnaissance pilot in Tanganyika (present day Tanzania). It is reputed that in the early days he sometimes flew without an observer so that he could take pot-shots at the enemy with his hunting rifle. Later, he became

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3380-613: The region depends on cattle rearing, mining, and trading in agricultural produce with neighboring districts. In mid-2006, as first reported by Inner City Press and then by The New Vision, the United Nations Development Programme halted its disarmament programs in Karamoja in response to human rights abuses in the parallel forcible disarmament programs carried out by the Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF). There have been reports of atrocities and many civilian victims of

3445-458: The region of illegal weapons. However, in 2011, fresh allegations of torture carried out by the army in Karamoja were recorded by journalists working on a Pulitzer Center-funded project. Human welfare, living conditions and quality of life of the people in Karamoja have declined considerably due to various factors such as environmental issues, insecurity, marginalization, illiteracy, poor health, and poor infrastructure. Moroto and Nakapiripirit have

3510-503: The researchers involved in the discovery. The region was ruled by the British from 1916 to 1962. The famine that struck the region in 1980 was, in terms of mortality rates, one of the worst in history. 21% of the population died, including 60% of the infants. As pastoralism and conflict are strongly interrelated, the integrated management of natural resources, like pasture, livestock and water becomes crucial. In terms of economic activity,

3575-523: The rest, causing them to stampede. With the brain shot he was able to shoot several animals before the herd became restless or took flight. He mastered an oblique shot from the rear on fleeing elephants, which was angled through the neck muscles and into the brain. This difficult shot has become known as "The Bell Shot" on elephants. After the First World War, he began to use the .318 Westley Richards calibre almost exclusively, observing his 'inexplicable misses' then stopped. In all WDM Bell shot elephants with

3640-473: The same format as double-barrelled shotguns already in common use. These first double-barrelled weapons were black powder , smoothbore muzzleloaders built with either flintlock or percussion cap ignition systems. Whilst true rifling dates from the mid-16th century, the invention of the express rifle by James Purdey "the Younger" in 1856 allowed for far greater muzzle velocities to be achieved through

3705-421: The strength required to meet the stresses of large-bore projectiles. By 1914, triple, quadruple and even quintuple-locking designs could be found in various proprietary actions. In 1861, the centrefire rifle cartridge was invented, and quickly a large number of blackpowder centrefire cartridges were developed in the same calibres as their muzzle loading forebears, including the .450/400 Black Powder Express ,

3770-559: The territory becoming part of Sudan . Bell himself was already hunting in the Lado with a legal license from the Belgians when Leopold died, and was not poaching. In the Karamojo Bell carried a Mauser C96 , equipped with a shoulder stock and chambered in 9mm Mauser Export calibre, which although never used against human targets, he "kept them dodging for 400 or 500 yards" according to Bell. At

3835-533: The worst in history. Twenty-one percent of the population died, including 60 percent of infants. Much of Karamoja remained heavily dependent on the largesse of the United Nations World Food Programme , as the region entered the second decade of the 21st century. In 2011, in the wake of the severe 2011 Eastern Africa drought , food shortages were again reported in the region as well as other areas in northern and eastern Uganda. Karamoja and

3900-493: Was invented by Thomas Murcott in 1871, known as "The Mousetrap", it was a complex design but it sold in significant numbers. In 1875, Westley Richards employees William Anson and John Deeley patented the "Anson & Deeley" hammerless boxlock action, and in 1878 the Birmingham gunmakers W&C Scott & Son invented the basic sidelock action which was so successful it was immediately adopted by Holland & Holland . By 1900,

3965-836: Was made a scout. After the Boer war ended in 1902, Bell remained in Africa, becoming a professional elephant hunter . Over sixteen years spent in Africa, he hunted elephants for their ivory in Kenya , Uganda , Ethiopia , Sudan , the Lado Enclave , French Ivory Coast , Liberia , French Congo , and the Belgian Congo . He became known as " Karamojo " Bell (sometimes spelt Karamoja ) because of his safaris through this remote wilderness area in North Eastern Uganda. Bell shot 1,011 elephants during his career; all of them bulls apart from 28 cows. He

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4030-552: Was once witnessed shooting fish jumping from the surface of a lake, and he wrote of shooting flying birds out of the sky with his .318 Westley Richards rifle, in order to use up a batch of faulty ammunition. In addition to elephants, Bell had to supply his African porters and their families with meat and also hides - for their own use and also to trade for other supplies from the local peoples. He shot over 800 cape buffalo with his small calibre rifles, as well as countless other plains game, including rhinoceroses and lions. Bell preserved

4095-525: Was permitted to retain his rank of captain. After a period of time recuperating from illnesses contracted during the war, he returned to elephant hunting, shooting in Liberia, on the Ivory Coast, and travelling far inland by canoe, making a trip of 3,000 miles in 1921. On this expedition he was joined by his comrade from the Royal Flying Corps, R. M. Wynne-Eyton. His last safari was an automobile expedition through

4160-414: Was six. His father Robert Bell owned a successful business in coal and shale oil and the Bell family resided in their stately home near Broxburn , as well as owning the surrounding estate and other country properties. He was brought up by his elder brothers but ran away from several schools, and he once hit his school captain over the head with a cricket bat. At the age of 13 he went to sea, and in 1896, at

4225-504: Was to last for the next three decades, with the birth of the White hunter and professional hunting safari industry in East Africa. After the Second World War , a combination of increased labour costs and a shrinking British Empire saw an end to the demand for handcrafted sporting rifles and the double rifle was largely supplanted by the bolt action rifle. It was not until the 1980s and

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