‘Trader Horn’: tracking a nickname

An extended research enquiry recently received by State Library asked the curious question about the identity of ‘Trader Horne’ of Green Island during the 1930s. The resulting research led me down a fascinating path as to the origins of the nickname and to the identity and history of ‘Trader Horne’ of Green Island.

Some nicknames become so strongly linked to people that their birth names may be forgotten: an elderly woman still called ‘Bub/Babe’; the absurd optimist known as ‘Pollyanna’; that man who is always going ‘to look into it’ known as ‘Mirror’. I once observed a tall, thin, long-haired, redhead playing on a sports field. One spectator commented, “Look at the ‘Towering Inferno’ burn up!” The name was irresistible – it stuck. To appreciate this nickname fully, it is not only necessary to visualise the wildly flowing, red locks on a rangy, rapidly moving frame but also to be aware of a popular film, The Towering Inferno. The story revolves around an out-of-control fire in the world’s tallest building. The nickname was a window into the popular culture of the time which added extra associations to the physical features of this sporty man. The popular nickname, ‘Trader Horn’ was similarly linked to a fashionable book, later serialised in newspapers and a sensational, groundbreaking film of the 1930s.

Who was ‘Trader Horn’?

The original 'Trader Horn' was an ivory trader in Africa, Alfred Aloysius Horn (born Smith c1850). His life was marked by exotic safari adventures with wild animals. In his later years, he was a pedlar in South Africa where the writer, Ethelreda Lewis, encountered him and was keen to ghost write his stories keeping some of his quaint language. In 1931 the book, Trader Horn: A Young Man's Astounding Adventures in 19th-Century Equatorial Africa, became a film, Trader Horn.

It captured the public imagination around the world and was nominated for an Academy Award. It was said to herald an era of jungle films overtaking that of gangster movies. It was one of the early sound films and made mostly outside the MGM studios, excitingly new. It was the first motion picture to be made in Africa, which led to many dramas. One of the Africans in the film was taken by a crocodile and another was killed by a charging rhinoceros. Some of the crew contracted malaria, including the leading lady who took 6 years to recover. This ended her career, for which she sued MGM. The tall Africans, in the USA to reshoot some scenes and for promotional purposes, caused a sensation when seen in hotel lobbies and taxis, dressed for their parts. Africans were upset at being portrayed as cannibals explaining that the British authorities in Uganda, if they saw this picture, might not understand that they had given up this custom some time ago.

The popularity of the book and film.

The book and film brought sudden fame and wealth to the original 'Trader Horn' who travelled the world, including Australia. He died in 1931, the year of the film’s release, having lost much of his wealth through poor investment. The public were fed constant colourful details and images which built their interest. This was the era of the widespread emergence of picture theatres as a centre of community entertainment. ‘The pictures’ as they were called, brought to life the far-flung places of the world, thrilling stories and extraordinary characters in wonderful, immediate, big screen, pictorial detail that most had never before seen or heard. Many Queensland towns offered people the opportunity to see Trader Horn and regional papers reviewed and promoted the film. Trader Horn was a dominating, widespread sensation.

The name, ’Trader Horn’ caught on.

The biographical clipping files at State Library on Horn(e) include an obituary for Alfred Ernest Bunney (Trader) Horne, a former school principal at Toowoomba. The Toowoomba Chronicle of 22 May 1990, explained: ‘His nickname was given to him from the title of a book – Trader Horne’. 

A search of Trove the historical Australian newspapers online reveals others named ‘Trader Horn,’ including children using pen names in children’s popular newspaper and magazine clubs. Retailers used it as a business name. Even horses were called it.

Who was Trader Horne on Green Island in north Queensland?

I was asked to find out about a ‘Trader Horne’ on Green Island during the 1930s. I was not sure that someone with that nickname was even named Horne. Fortunately, we have databases that allow us to search selected Queensland electoral rolls, without using surnames, for those at a specific place. As a result, I could find that in 1934 there were 2 couples and a single man enrolled on Green Island. One of those couples was Leslie Wrench Horne and his wife, Eilian Maud. Other electoral rolls showed they were farming on Green Island during the 1930s.

A search of the many free Queensland newspapers on Trove found a reference in an article by W McMahon, ‘Through the beautiful Whitsundays’ to ‘the homestead of Digger Horne [on Green Island], where a banana cultivation was showing’ (Bowen Independent 9 June 1931). It would appear that if he were ‘Trader Horne’, he was collecting nicknames. He had served in WW1, mentioned again in his 1955 obituary in the Proserpine Guardian.

Leslie Horne had 9 children according to a public tree on the Ancestry database. As they were born during the 1920s and 1930s when 'Trader Horne' was working on Green Island, it seems that Leslie Horne was the most likely carrier of the name there.

The origin of nicknames

Nicknames may arise from physical features, habits or the occupation of an individual. Links with contemporary, popular culture could provide several reasons why a name might apply; why it might be temporary or long-lived. In the case of 'Trader Horne' of Green Island, the film could have given rise to the nickname in some way or it might simply have been the coincidence of a name with a minor spelling difference. Whatever the source of the nickname and its possible circuitous associations, it could be amusing, insightful or just an obstacle to finding out the original name of someone you seek.

Share your nickname or the nickname of someone in your family’s history along with their story in the comments below.

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Check Onesearch for:

• books, articles and online sources for nicknames
• the book and reviews of Trader Horn
• those given the name Trader Horn

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