Mr. Fred. Vavasour Guy, who saw service with the American Bearer Company in Africa, from the commencement of the Boer war, has obtained an appointment at Kuala Lumpur in the East, and sails from Southampton in the North German Lloyd steamer Sachsen on Feb. 10th. Mr. F. V. Guy is the youngest son of Mr. J. C. Guy, Bank House, Uppingham, and was in part educated at Oakham school.
The Lincoln, Rutland, and Stamford Mercury, Friday 6th February 1903
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The following is an extract from 'Records and Recollections,' by J. H. M. Robson, published in Kuala Lumpur, 1934.
"The late F. V. Guy came to Kuala Lumpur in 1903 to manage the Federal Dispensary. He was interested in all sorts of animals and kept a menagerie in his garden on Bukit Bintang Road. Among his pets which ran loose about the garden were two small
orang utan. When Guy had his evening stengah in the garden, three were provided: one for Guy and one for each of the
orang utan. Towards the end of 1910 Guy made a trip to Kelantan with the representative of Messrs. Pathè Frères, the cinematograph film manufacturers. He took with him a black panther and a leopard, the intention being to match these beasts against Kelantan buffalo-bulls and obtain a cinematograph picture of the fights. The party duly arrived at Kota Bahru, and proceeded to make the necessary arrangements. It was at first intended that the fights should take place in the enclosure usually used for bull-fights. This enclosure, however, was only five to six feet high, and on top of this was placed corrugated zinc to prevent the animals getting a purchase if they attempted to escape. In the middle of the yard is the gaol. A temporary wall was put up on each side of the gaol proper. The cages containing the panther and the leopard were placed at an opening in this wall similar to that by which bulls are admitted into the arena in the Spanish bull-fights. Guy, who was stationed by the cages, was thus not in the yard itself. On the other side at the junction of the permanent and temporary walls a platform with a kind of cage was erected for the use of the camera man. The operator having taken up his position, and the bull being already in the yard, Guy opened the cage to let the panther in. The beast would not go in at first, and had to be prodded before he would do so. Once in, the panther would not approach the bull, but stalked along the side of the wall looking for some means of escape. Eventually the brute espied a small piece of wood projecting from the flooring of the platform provided for the camera man. It leapt on to this and thence on to the wall of the yard and promptly made off, scattering the native spectators, who were either sitting on the wall or on stands outside. The panther made straight for a compound close by, and Guy, having seen what had happened, took up a gun and followed. Having reached the compound, he got quite close to the brute, and let fire with buckshot. At such short range, the shot did not scatter, and the animal was not badly injured. The panther then leapt and got Guy's right hand in its mouth, the two rolling over on the ground.
Guy, with his left hand, felt for a knife which he carried in his belt, and meanwhile a European came up with a gun and fired at the panther. As bad luck would have it, the shot, passing through Guy's right thigh, lodged in the left thigh higher up. His would be saviour then dashed up and despatched the panther with a sheath knife. Guy was placed on board the S.S.
Boribat, in charge of Dr. Gimlette, to be brought to the General Hospital at Singapore, but succumbed on the boat to his injuries. He remained bright and cheerful until the end, which occurred about 26 hours after the accident. The body was taken on shore at Trengganu, where Dr. Gimlette superintended the interment."
Edit - His birth was registered, as Frederick John Vavasour Guy, at Uppingham, Rutland, in the third quarter of 1870.
