Surgeon: Frederick Gustave Ameile Delisle Saphile Wooding Deane was born in Nevis of Barbadian Parents. His parents were Joseph Deane and Mary Elizabeth Ashby Wooding. Joseph Deane was working in the sugar industry at the time. When the family returned home Frederick went to school at Harrisons College.
After completing his education in Barbados he went to medical school in Scotland. He married Helen Carr and together they had four children. She died of Swamp Fever. He worked for a while in British Guiana, now called Guyana.
His second wife died soon after they were married. His third wife was Maud Batson, and they had six children.
At the outbreak of World War I Frederick Gustave Ameile Delisle Wooding Deane joined the Royal Army Medical Corps and served with distinction in France. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
After a spell he was transferred to a military hospital in Edinburgh. Here he treated both allied and German patients.
After the war he was presented with a dinner gong made by the German POWs in recognition of treatment he gave them. This is kept by his grandson, Mr. Geoffrey Dean, at his home in St. Philip. He also received a leather wallet which is also kept by his grandson.
He was also presented with a drawing of one of his children as a token of appreciation for the treatment he gave them during their recovery. These gifts show the gratitude that his patients had for him for the part he played in getting them well.
Tansy Bishop, National Archivist with the Jane Cameron National Archives in the Falkland Islands supplied the following information:
Dr. Frederick Gustav Wooding DEANE, his wife Maud Gorringe DEANE née BASTON and their three children, Freda Sewell Wooding DEANE, Wilfred Sewell Wooding DEANE and David Sewell Wooding DEANE, arrived in Stanley (Falkland Islands) on the 19th August 1920 on board the Orita.
Dr. Deane had been appointed Colonial Surgeon.
On 28th September 1920 a daughter, Heather Sewell Wooding DEANE, was born in Stanley.
Dr. Deane was suspended from duty 23rd December 1927 for improper collection of personal fees, the neglect or ill treatment of patients and drunkenness.
Dr. Deane and his family departed for Barbados on the Lagarto 9th April 1928.
Souce: Jane Cameron National Archives – The Falkland Islands
Lt. Col. Frederick Gustave Ameile Delisle Saphile Wooding Deane died in Barbados on 31st October 1935 aged 65 and is buried at Westbury Cemetery in the HS Batson family vault.
Dr. Deane’s third wife Maud died aged 50 as a World War II volunteer when the SS City of Benares was torpedoed by U-Boat U-48 on 18th September 1940. Maud was sailing from Liverpool to Montreal and was caring for 90 evacuated children on their way to Canada to escape the German air attacks on Britain. 77 of those 90 evacuated children lost their lives when the SS City of Benares was sunk. After this incident, no more children were sent overseas.
Dr. Deane and Maud’s son, Sergeant – Pilot David Sewell Deane, who joined the RAF in World War II as a pilot attached to No 2 AFU – Millom Coast Guard Station was killed in action on 22nd September 1943, aged 26, when his Anson aircraft crash landed in the sea, killing all the occupants.
Back row: Eric Hamilton(?), Jack Felton, Jack’s wife Wynnifred Felton.
Front row: Miss Coffein, Eileen Felton, Dorothy Felton, Mally Greenshilds, Dr. Deane.
James Erik Hamilton was the Falkland Islands Government Naturalist.
Eileen and Dorothy were the two daughters of Jack and Wynnifred Felton.
This is a colorized black& white photograph.
I wish to thank Mr. Geoffrey Deane for taking the time to give us this information and allowing me into his home to take these pictures. We would also like to thank Sarah Jane Card who sent some additional photographs. Her mother was Heather Sewell Wooding Deane who was born in Stanley in 1920, a month after the family arrived in the Falkland Islands.
Reference Material
- A brief history of the Falkland Islands – Falkland Islands Government
- Photographic Collections – Jane Cameron National Archives, Falkland Islands
Citroën Kégresse K1 photograph
There has been a lot of interest in this Citroën Kégresse K1 photograph.
The above photograph was shared by Dr. Deane’s granddaughter, Sarah Jane Card. It was given to her mother, Heather Sewell Wooding Deane (who was born in Stanley), by her grandmother’s dear friend, Alice Felton.
On the rear of the photograph there is a caption a note:
GJF & Dr. Dean[e]
Going for a days shooting
at Teal Inlet in the Citroën
car which had been in a Sahara
crossing before coming
to the Falklands!
GJF is George John Felton (known as Jack) who manged the Felton family sheep farm at Teal Inlet on the northern coast of East Falkland.
The photograph showing Jack Felton and Dr. Deane on a day out shooting at Teal Inlet was probably taken between 1924 and 1928. The Deane’s left the Falkland Islands in April 1928.
The Citroën-Kégresse K1 was built to conquer the unforgiving Sahara Desert. On 17th December 1922 five Citroën-Kégresse K1s – nicknamed “Scarabée d’Or” (Golden Scarab), “Croissant d’Argent” (Silver Crescent), “Tortue Volante” (Flying Turtle), “Bœuf Apis”, and “Chenille Rampante” (Creeping Caterpillar) departed the Algerian town of Touggourt and headed into the vast Sahara. On 7th January 1923, after 21 days of travel, the five vehicles having travelled 3,200km across the Sahara Desert, reached their destination: Timbuktu.
This was a monumental public relations coup that established Citroën as an innovator in automotive design. This expedition was a major success for André Citroën, showing that mass produced cars could cross the Sahara Dessert in just 21 days, compared to the 6 – 7 months that it took by camel.
Motor vehicles first arrived in the Falkland Islands in 1924. By 6th January 1926, there were a total of 12 vehicles: five cars, four lorries, and three tractors on the Falkland Islands. One of the cars was a Citroën Kégresse owned by GJ Felton from Teal Inlet. It is likely that this vehicle was brought to the islands between 1924 and 1925. On the rear of the photograph the caption suggests that this vehicle had previously crossed the Sahara Desert before coming to the Falkland Islands – maybe it was one of the five Citroën-Kégresse K1’s that took part in the Citroën expedition to cross the Sahara in 1922?
Sarah Jane Card’s grandmother, Maud Deane (née Batson), sadly died during World War II when the ship SS City of Benares was torpedoed by German submarine U-48 on 18th September 1940. She and her daughter Heather were staying with her dear friend Alice Felton who went to Liverpool to see Maud off on her fateful voyage. Sarah Jane’s mother Heather who was 20 stayed in the UK and joined the WRAF.
Alice Emma Felton was the cousin of George “Jack” John Felton. She was slightly older than Maud. The two became friends while the Deane family lived in the Falkland Islands from 1920 to 1928. After Alice’s father Arthur Ernest Felton died in 1933, Alice took over the lease of his farm on West Point Island managing the farm until April 1937 when she left the Falkland Islands for the United Kingdom. Alice died in 1969 at the age of 84 at her home, “Rockleaze,” in Evercreech, Somerset. She never returned to the Falkland Islands.
It appears there may have been more than one Citroën-Kégresse on the Falkland Islands. The one owned by George Bonner who ran the Bonner family farm at San Carlos on the north-west coast of East Falkland appears to be a later Type P4T model whereas the one owned by Jack Felton at Teal Inlet appears to be a Type K1 model (based on the layout of the Kegresse track system).
Additional information on the Citroën-Kégresse
- Adolphe Kégresse, the cruising genius
- All Citroën-Kégresse models – platypusgame.com
- All Citroën-Kégresse models – kegresse.dk
- One Vehicle, One Story: The Citroën-Kégresse K1 “Croissant d’Argent” of Louis Audouin-Dubreuil
- Citroën Has Recreated The Amazing Golden Scarab Half-Track That Conquered The Sahara Almost 100 Years Ago
- La Traversée du Sahara
- Kégresse in France
- Kégresse in Great Britain (features the Citroën-Kégresse from the Falklands Archives that belonged to George Bonner who lived in San Carlos)
Below is an English transcript of the French audio:
André Citroën had a passion for innovation. When Adolphe Kégresse presented him with the concept of half-track vehicles in 1920, he was immediately captivated and secured exclusive rights to the invention. Demonstrations quickly multiplied for both military and civilian uses, from sand dunes to the desert.
After several thousand kilometres of reconnaissance and development, the first major expedition was launched: Citroën would cross the Sahara from Tougourt to Timbuktu. Ten-horsepower B2 type trucks were specially prepared to accommodate tools, spare parts, weapons, bivouac equipment, and even toilet paper.
Citroën’s closest advisor led the expedition, assisted by Louis Audouin-Dubreuil, a Sahara specialist. They were supported by seasoned mechanics, geographer Paul Castelnau, lieutenant pilot Georges Estienne, and warrant officer/interpreter Chapuis—not forgetting Flossie, the little dog acting as the mascot. The five cars were christened: Golden Scarab, Silver Crescent, Flying Tortoise, Creeping Caterpillar, and Ox.
On 17th December 1922, the departure was solemn and military. In the presence of the Governor-General of Algeria, the group set off on a high-risk journey. The desert was largely unexplored and had never been crossed by car. It would be 3,200 km of trials for both men and machines. They navigated high dunes with shifting sand, valleys, and plains battered by wind where any navigational error could mean death.
Despite the hardships, the route offered moments of wonder. Welcoming oases provided opportunities to stroll through markets and witness local festivals and dances.
However, make no mistake: apart from these moments of respite, the expedition was not fun. Most of the time was spent bivouacking in unknown places, staying vigilant, and driving at night to avoid the heat. The crew had to maintain the cars and manage vital fuel reserves. New Year’s Eve was spent in Tinzawaten, meeting a supply group and celebrating the milestone with a glass of champagne.
As they neared the Niger River, the landscape changed to grassy steppes and forests. After 20 days and 3,200 km, the expedition reached Timbuktu on January 7. They were welcomed by a curious crowd and the regional commander. In a symbolic gesture, Georges-Marie Haardt—always elegant—handed over the first Saharan automobile mail to the authorities.
Mission accomplished. To drive the point home, the expedition retraced the route in reverse. André Citroën himself, accompanied by his wife and the engineer Kégresse, personally met the team to celebrate. While they played up the reunion for the cameras with hugs and cheers, the pride was real. New roads were opened, the impact was worldwide, and the brand with the double chevron had achieved a historic feat. Citroën was not going to stop there.
After the 1922 Touggourt-Timbuctoo Expedition the 1924 – 1925 Croisière Noire (Black Cruise) Expedtions, were pioneering automotive journeys designed to demonstrate the reliability of the Citroën Kégresse half-track vehicles.
Led by Georges-Marie Haardt and Louis Audouin-Dubreuil, these expeditions crossed the Sahara Desert and traversed the African continent traveling 20,000km from Algeria to Madagascar to promote technological progress and boost the Citroën brand’s image.
