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Soldier, zoologist and conservationist
scientific meetings.
Stanley was educated at Wellington, King9s College, London and the University of Jena in Germany. His father
hoped that he would pursue a medical career but Stanley9s ambition was to enter the Army although initially this
was thwarted by his failure to qualify for entry to Sandhurst. But his father9s friendship with the Percy family at
Alnwick enabled Stanley to enter the Northumberland Militia and later, in 1893, to be commissioned in the
Northumberland Fusiliers.
Stanley served with the 2nd Battalion in the Straits Settlements but was invalided home. From Aldershot he was
invited by a brother officer to visit friends in Worplesdon where he was introduced to Sibylla Maria Peckham
Wallace. Stanley and Sibyl (as she was known) married in 1896 and spent time in Penang before Stanley
rejoined the Battalion in Singapore. In the same year he was appointed scientific adviser to King Rama V
(Chulalongkorn) in Bangkok. Earlier Stanley had met Khun Peng Bunnag, Director of the Royal Museums,
when Bunnag visited London at the request of the Thai King to study European museums. (A year later the
Court Circular in The Times announced that Rama V on his State Visit to Queen Victoria had visited 26
Stanhope Gardens for tea with Lady Flower following the King9s inspection of the Natural History Museum.)
From their base in the Wang Na (the old Palace) in Bangkok, Stanley and Sibyl made expeditions in search of
wildlife - particularly reptiles - in Thailand and Malaya. But following the birth of their daughter Rosalie and
financial pressures (the proffered salary never arrived), Stanley made it known that he was looking for other
employment. This came to the notice of the Earl of Cromer, consul-general in Egypt, who was concerned at the
wholesale slaughter of animals and birds in that country. He knew of Stanley9s abilities and in 1898 invited him
to Egypt where Stanley was appointed Director of the Zoological Gardens at Giza, near Cairo and two years later
Ranger of Central Africa. Stanley framed the Game Laws which included prohibiting the shooting of certain
species 3 most particularly the egret which had been hunted almost to extinction to provide the feathered
decoration of ladies9 hats.
Kedah House lay within the Zoological Gardens and was shared by Stanley and Sibyl with numerous animals. It
was believed within the family that a lion cub occupied the cradle until another baby needed it. On one occasion
Nanny appeared when Stanley and Sibyl were entertaining guests to beg them to remove alligators from the bath
as she wished to prepare the children for bed.
In 1913 Stanley led a scientific mission to India travelling nearly 8,000 miles visiting twelve of the major
zoological gardens to learn what he described as 8menagerie technique9. Lord Kitchener provided much initial
advice and introductions to the princely rulers.
Stanley was to remain at Giza until his retirement in 1924 except for service during the First World War when
he raised the Camel Transport Corps which saw service fighting the Ottoman Army in Sinai, southern Palestine
and the Canal Zone. (Sibyl designed their cap badge depicting the imprint of a camel9s hoof in the sand.)
Stanley9s knowledge of camel behaviour and his rapport with the camel drivers was invaluable as was his ability
to meld the officers of the corps 3 by origin British, Australian and Russian - into an efficient fighting unit.
