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Those were the days! I have read quite a bit about safaris in the 1920s and the stories of their fashions, absurdities and real-life glorious excess are truly hilarious. One of my favourite hunting tales concerned some privileged ass, shooting from a tree stand, who accidentally touched off both barrels of his .600 Nitro Express. The resulting recoil sent this fool flying out of the tree and about twenty feet down, breaking both his legs. No mention of whether or not he hit his target (probably a little dik-dik gazelle)

Yes, I've heard that the knockouts are often a problem. If your sparky wants an easier life, he should agree to fit a plastic CU this month; he can't have it both ways! I don't think the earthing issue is anything to do with the new CU but, presumably, your current earthing may not be up to standard. I gather that the new metal CUs are themselves part of the earth and the individual circuits are thus connected directly to the casing, which slightly simplifies matters.

I'm sure you are right about the safari 'evening wear', Shyheels. But as it was the custom to wear full evening dress during dinner in camp (silver service by native waiters under canvas and all that!), I wonder what the boots looked like with such an ensemble? I was in South Africa briefly some years ago and could certainly have done with the boots to ward off the mozzies in the evenings - and that was largely indoors. I recall a cartoon with one such chinless wonder starting to change for dinner sharp at 6pm even though he was wading across a crocodile-infested river at that moment!