Harold became a close friend of the Imam Yahya. When
he first tried to visit him in Sanaa, the capital of
Yemen, as head of a diplomatic mission on behalf of
King George V, he was captured by tribesmen friendly
to the Turks. After several months of captivity, he
was eventuallly released.
Harold spoke Arabic fluently and was a great student
of the Koran - it being his textbook in all his
dealings with the Arabs. He was greatly beloved in
the Arab Hinterland and it was to Gakub that the
Arabs took their troubles, their disputes and family
feuds, always sure of sympathy and a sound sense of
justice. He wrote two books about Arabia, Perfumes
of Araby and Kings of Arabia.
Harold
in Aden. From left to right:
Front row: Major Bradshaw GSO, Harold,
Sir George
Younghusband, Colonel Wanhope RE, Lt-Col W
Beale.
Back Row: Mr Thulson (?), Major Morse, Capt. Guyer
ADC, Capt Reilly.
Harold married twice. His first wife was Lilian,
the daughter of
Colonel F M Hunter CB
CSI, by whom he
had three children, two surviving infancy, a son
Frederick
Arthur and a daughter Marjorie Lilian ,died on
3rd October 1903. Harold married as his second wife
Ellen Maria Hoyer
the only daughter of the Reverend Olaf Hoyer of
Copenhagen, Denmark and they had three children
Alaric, Kenneth
Clive
and Lorna Eileen.
A
good insight into this period of the family's
history can be obtained from Clive Jacob's excellent
book 'A Victorian Pedagogue and his Circle', being
letters written to Harold's father, Colonel George
Adolphus Jacob by his father the Reverend George
Andrew Jacob and his father-in-law the Reverend Amos
Abbot (The Jacob Private Press c 2002).
Harold & Ellen
lived in the white house known as 'Prideaux Castle' at Tawahi below
Hogg Tower, overlooking
The Union Club and with fine views across Post
Office Bay.
'Prideaux Castle' is on the
ridge between Post Office Bay and Tawahi. Prideaux
was there as a junior Assistant in 1871 and again a
few years later. One possibility is that this was
the official residence of the 1st Assistant and at
the time the photograph was taken Prideaux may have
held that appointment.
 |
Col H F Jacob
(centre and inset), one of Allenby's men,
captured by Arabs while (with the other
officers seen in the photographs) he was on
a mission to Turkish Yemen. The mission were
treated well, though they had a narrow
escape when an inquiring aeroplane appeared
and set all the tribesmen shooting for all
they were worth.
In the end the mission
were released with much jubilation, in which
a drum band played a vigorous part. The
doctor of the party, Capt. Brock (standing
on the left) was very popular with the
natives, who believed him to be 'the son of
the daughter of the King'.
The Daily Sketch, Tuesday 13th April 1920
|
IN
MEMORIAM
Lt. Col. H. F. Jacob, C.S.I.
The few in our congregation who knew him felt
deeply the news that Lt. Col. Jacob had passed away
from heart failure after a serious operation.
All will
remember his tall figure laying the wreath at our
Armistice service, but few knew of the true
greatness which prompted me to invite him to perform
this small service. They only knew of him as a quiet
unobtrusive man, who came morning and evening to our
Church. When I gave him the usual wording for laying
the wreath he said to me "do you mind if I don't use
these words, but say a few words of my own. I should
like to witness to my faith." That was the true
character of this humble man. Yet it is not we but
the Empire that is the loser by his death.
Col. Jacob
was political officer under the Indian Government.
He was on the staff of the late Lord Allanby, and a
warm personal friend. He was also a personal friend
of Lawrence of Arabia, and did something of the kind
of work in Southern Arabia that Lawrence did for for
the whole of Arabia. For four years he lived in
Sana, the capital of the Imman Yahya, King of
Southern Arabia. While there he was our King's Royal
Envoy. He played a leading part in drawing up the
Treaty which was recently made with this Arab
Kingdom.
He was
author of several books, and had just completed a
new one. I had the privilege of reading this MS and
of discussing it with him in the course of
preparation for the press. The "Times" truthfully
says of him, "The good men do lives after them, and
Col. Jacob has left a valuable gift to his own
country in the standard he set in Southern Arabia
for the name of England."
He died at
St. Leonards and was laid to rest at our Hastings
Cemetery on December 28th (1936). I felt it a sad
honour to be allowed to conduct the service. I have
lost a valued friend.
Cyril
C. Dobson - Vicar of St Mary-in-the-Castle,
Hastings.
