Stroud District Council leader's bid to bring the Uley gorilla back home from New York

After Uley Society Archivist Margaret Groom unearthed a collection of photo of a gorilla with Uley school children and villagers, the story of John Daniel’s adoption shot to the headlines.

He would be carted around by kids in a wheelbarrow, went to classes, ate roses from gardens, enjoyed cups of tea and drank cider with the locals.

But now Cllr Steve Lydon (Lab, The Stanleys) is leading the charge to bring John back to Uley.

He said: “I contacted the American Museum of Natural History in New York and they confirmed that they had him on display.

“I spend a lot of time talking about austerity and cuts so it’s nice to have a bit of fun.

“I went to Uley Parish Council and they said they’d love to have him in the community shop.

“It’s a bit of a laugh, but it would be great if we could at least borrow him or get an up to date picture.

“Anything is possible, and after all it could be a good tourist attraction possibly at the Museum in the Park.

“I’m not sure what the DHL costs would be to ship him over but it would be great if we could bring him back home.”

John Daniel was captured as a baby in Gabon when his parents were shot by French officers.

He was later found for sale at London department store Derry & Toms in 1918 and bought for £300 - now £25K - by Major Rupert Penny who named him.

Rupert's sister Alyce Cunningham nurtured and brought him up at her country house in Uley - and nicknamed him "sultan".

She raised him as a normal boy in the village and he regularly used to go for walks with children of the Uley Junior School.

But after three years he grew from a manageable 32lb infant to a colossal 210lb gorilla, and Miss Cunningham couldn't look after him anymore.

She sold him to an American in 1921 for a thousand guineas believing that he would be sent to a home in Florida.

But she was deceived and instead he fell into the hands of Barnum and Baileys circus and was also displayed in the Ringling zoo of Madison Square Garden.

However his health deteriorated and it was believed he was pining for Miss Cunningham.

Miss Cunningham set sail immediately, but he died of pneumonia before she arrived, aged four and a half years old.

He went on display in the New York museum in 1922, where he remains today.

John Daniel is to be the subject of art exhibitions to be held later this year at Prema Arts Centre in Uley.

His full history can be read in Margaret's book 'Notes from the Uley Archives'.