A volunteer in the East African Campaign of World War I, Wilson had a large property near Machakos, where he initially farmed ostriches and later raised cattle.
Wilson was born at Biarritz, France,[1] and raised at Cliffe Hall, his father's property on the southern bank of the River Tees (lying west of Darlington, County Durham, in what is now the district of Richmondshire, North Yorkshire).
His father, Col. John Gerald Wilson CB, was an officer in the York and Lancaster Regiment, and died of wounds during the Boer War, at Tweebosch.
[2] The brothers' nephew through their youngest sister was James Ramsden, a Cabinet member as the final Secretary of State for War.
[5] Later in the month, he also appeared for the Bombay Gymkhana against the touring Ceylonese side, where he opened both the batting and the bowling, taking six wickets for the match.
[9] Upon retiring from the navy in 1910, Wilson, in partnership with Maj. Frank Joyce, established a property of 23,000 acres (93 km2) at Ulu, Kenya (near Machakos), where they initially farmed ostriches.