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The Society of Malaŵi Journal

GEORGE ALBERT SHEPPERSON, EMERITUS WILLIAM ROBERTSON
PROFESSOR OF COMMONWEALTH AND AMERICAN HISTORY,
UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH.
AN APPRECIATION OF HIS SCHOLARSHIP.

John Lwanda

I first met Professor Shepperson in person at the Malawi Cabinet Crisis
Conference at York University in 1993, about twenty years after I had first read
Independent African. I do not recall whose idea it was for me to introduce the
professor’s talk, Landeg White or Jack Mapanje. Despite my introduction he took to
me and, along with Angus Calder, encouraged me to publish Kamuzu Banda. He also
took time to read my next manuscript followed by his reading of the lengthy revision
of Kamuzu Banda in 2009, providing detailed comments and corrections.
A treasured gift to me, once he realised how much I was interested in music,
was a copy of the Kings African Rifles marching songs on cassette. Our infrequent
correspondence centred around books. He would sign off his letters as Abwenzi Anu
(your friend). Our phone calls were slightly more frequent, again centred around my
asking for his opinion on some paper I was struggling with.
Other contributors have already given Shepperson’s contributions to the
historiography of Malawi. I would, here, just like to mention his role in the African
Diaspora studies. He was a major historical observer of the Pan-African and African
Diasporic movements. I give some of his publications below:

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George Albert Shepperson was born on the 7 of January 1921 in Peterborough,
England.
He attended the Lincoln Road School, Peterborough between 1927 and 1934 and
King's School, Peterborough (King's Scholar: Henry VIII Foundation Scholarship)
between 1934 and 1940.
In 1940 he went to St. John's College, Cambridge as a Munsteven Exhibitioner
(Scholar) in history. After passing his English Tripos, Part 1 with a First, he was made
a Scholar of St. John’s College, Cambridge and awarded a Hart Prize for English
Literature.
He was awarded his BA (Cantab) in absentia while he was serving in the Far East.
After the war he returned to Cambridge when he changed his course from English to
African History. He was awarded a Wright’s Prize in History in 1947. In 1948 he
obtained his University Certificate in Education (First Class) and completed his MA
(Cantab).

Experiences of the Second World War
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At University he was a member of the Army Reserve from 12 August 1941, serving
and training in the Territorial Army Reserve of the Queen’s Royal Regiment. Between
August 1942 and February1943 he was with the Sherwood Foresters, receiving
infantry and officer training.
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On the 18 of February 1943, he was commissioned into Northamptonshire
Regiment. Four months later he was seconded to the King' s African Rifles.
Between June 1943 and 1946, he saw service in Kenya, Tanganyika, Ceylon, India
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and Burma with the 11 East African Division, serving with the Nyasaland
battalions of the Kings African Rifles.
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He achieved the rank of Captain on 20 December 1945. He was demobilised on the
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19 April 1946.

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