Galbraith Hills History

Galbraith Hills, a suburb located in the southwestern sections of Central Malton, shares a great deal of interesting history with many of its natural surroundings. Long before Zombies freely roamed its gloomy streets, there was already an entrenched tradition among its storytelling citizens regarding ghostly tales of the undead.

Early Period

Sparsely inhabited and agriculturally worthless Galbraith Hills was once thought to be home to little more than scattered communities of Celts during ancient times. However in 1975, archeological excavations indicated that Celtic artifacts were stolen from other locations in the British Isles and buried in the hills. Scholars now believe that the general Galbraith Hills region was home to an unknown pagan tribe, and settled shortly after the Roman withdrawal from Britain. Little is known of these peoples, although the uncovering of burial sites has revealed gruesome, deformed, human remains like none other before.

Origin of Name

Once a hilly region, Galbraith Hills now no longer resembles its namesake geographically, but old legends die hard. The region's original inhabitants used to believe that if they buried the dead in the hills that the bodies would return to life. This generally pagan practice may have survived as long as the 1600's, when it was finally squelched by the Roman Church. Clergy and their supporters threatened to execute anyone caught in this heretical act, a ritual that many 17th-century Christians derided as one responsible for making the hills smell of "Gaul's Breath". This colourful terminology has gained in popularity over the centuries, and 'Galbraith Hills' is directly derived from 'Gaul's Breath Hills'.

Colonial Period

Final moments: Corporal Richard S. Beckley of the Bengal Fusiliers, mortally wounded in an ambush on the Tugela River.

Residents of Galbraith Hills have played a minor part in British imperialism around the globe. Sir Walter Croft of Galbraith Hills was the first colonist to claim British Central Africa for the Crown, ten minutes before being consumed by a lion. This pathetic attempt at colonization was not given any later recognition or serious credit, although it would later prove to be the focus for one of Malton's oldest running jokes. His son, Walter Croft II, attempted to singlehandedly subdue the Congo but was killed by a lion upon collapsing from disease minutes after planting his standard in the Dungu River. Walter Croft II's oldest son Charles Croft led the initial expedition to seize the Cape of Good Hope, but was attacked and consumed by a lion before any progress could be made.

Walter Croft II's younger son, William Croft, was also eaten by a lion while visiting in India with the Maharaja of Mirajanpore. Malton historians are still puzzled as to how the entire Croft clan was wiped out in such a similar fashion.

Richard Beckley, another native of Galbraith Hills, served in South Africa during the Anglo-Zulu War and became a living legend for his incredible tales of battle. During one relatively minor skirmish, Corporal Beckley foolishly exposed himself to a fierce enemy warrior and was speared to death. Much to the horror of his fellows, however, Beckley mysteriously revived several hours later and even stood to his feet. His commanding officer, Captain Clippenden, recounted the tale in his journal, swearing that the stricken corporal's precise words were, "We must not let them come! The creatures of the hills!" It was later assumed that Richard was simply delirious. Despite the momentary recovery, he quickly collapsed, and nothing more could be done for him. His remains were lost but the prophecy of doom on Beckley's dying tongue soon rang horribly true; that same date decades later, the old soldier's beloved Galbraith Hills fell victim to the Zombie outbreak.

Communist Scare and Adney Towers Controversy

In 1931, construction of the impressive Adney Towers was completed by Nikolai Smirnoff, a known political activist with known radical affiliations. He used the structures for his own secretive purposes, although they remained an impressive attraction to the public due to unique architectural designs. Local police, believing Smirnoff to be involved in an international money laundering scheme involving his Soviet contacts, raided the towers in 1939. Its owner ordered several of his employees to open fire on the authorities with a rifle, forcing police to storm Adney's grounds. What they found horrified all present.

Several mutilated human skeletons were discovered, and it was believed that Smirnoff was secretly a cult leader who worshiped the remains of Galbraith's ancient residents. He had been dispatching his men into a few of the remaining pagan burial grounds to unearth bodies and take them to Adney Towers for use in bizarre rituals. However, Malton news sources liberally attacked the police for their assault on the buildings, which claimed Smirnoff's life, as well as those of several bystanders. Nikolai's political contacts outside Malton would also insist that the old man was murdered for his political beliefs, and a Malton city commission was put together to look into the incident.

In the ensuing official inquiry, the police chief of Galbraith Hills and several noted officers from the station on Burdekin Alley, all of whom had participated in the Adney Towers raid, were relieved of duty. Three, including the chief himself, were fined and given suspended sentences for direct involvement in shooting an allegedly unarmed Smirnoff. Six months after the investigation's end, a constable patrolling Sainsbury Road was later stabbed to death by what many citizens claimed were a mob of cultists who had been loyal to the deceased. The skeletons which were discovered by the dozens inside Adney disappeared during World War II, and are now believed lost.