Beryl Markham

Beryl Markham

Born October 26, 1902,
Leicester, England
Died Auqust 3, 1986,
Nairobi, Kenya

Beryl Markham spent most of her life in Kenya, a country in eastern Africa, where she was well known for her career as a bush pilot and for her success as a breeder and trainer of racehorses. She was also famous for her record-breaking, though near fatal, solo flight from London to Nova Scotia in 1936. Markham wrote a book about her adventurous life that became a best-seller.

Born in 1902 in Leicester, England, Markham (then Beryl Clutterbuck) was just three years old when her parents moved to Kenya. Kenya had come under British control in the late 1800s, and after the turn of the century many Englishmen established farms there. The highlands offered a pleasant climate and productive soil for growing such tropical crops as coffee. The European farmers prospered over the years and, as more and more settlers arrived, they were able to establish a comfortable life-style in Kenya.

Early interest in horses

Markham’s father cleared land and started a farm at Njoro, about 70 miles from Nairobi, the new capital of Kenya. After trying to raise various crops, he discovered his true talent as a horse breeder and trainer.

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