Description
Object description
Two albums of photographs relating to the service of Commander William Ross RN during the East African Campaign, 1914-1918. Features activities of landing parties from HMS SEVERN and HMS VENGEANCE in association with the Kings African Rifles at Sadani Fort (1-4 August 1916), Bagamoyo, Dar-e-Salaam (including Indian troops, Baluchis preparing to land from the SEVERN), Upanga, Mikindana, Mingoyo 1915 - 1916, includes some good photographs of captured German positions. Aerial photographs taken along the Rufigi river in December 1916; visit to SMS KONIGSBERG scuttled in the Rufigi river; Mascots 'Gnat the cat and Jimmy the monkey on HMS SEVERN. General O'Grady and Admiral Charlton at Mingoyo; Short seaplane operations in June 1917; HMS SEVERN in the Lukledi river. British warships off Bagamoyo bombarding German positions, July and August 1917. Aerial photographs taken by No.8 Squadron (RNAS) during operations around Lindi and Mingoyo in May and June 1917. There are also a series of photographs covering the capture of Tanga including Union Flag flying over a major German administration building, wreck of SS MARKGRAF sunk by HMS SEVERN and a statue of Bismarck. There is also a panorama of the German 4-inch gun position at Kurrasini near Dar-es-Salaam.
Other photographs show the British and Imperial forces rest camp at Durban in South Africa; detachment from HMS SEVERN taking part in a recruitment march in Durban; the Durban gymkhana in 1917; photographs taken during leave in Natal and during a picnic near Simonstown. Naval landing party and maxim gun teams on ranges near Simonstown. One of the guns from the cruisder HMS PEGASUS on its locally manufactured carriage. 'The Jones Papent Maxim Carrier' - a pole strapped along the top of the gun allowing the weapon to be carried with its tripod attached; naval 3-pounder gun in position on Mpara Hill. The collection also includes a German photograph showing Africans executed by the German Schutztruppe as suspected spies. Another interesting photograph show a German 'Pom-Pom' gun captured by HMS SEVERN at Bagamogo and presented to the town of Shrewsbury in 1917 - the gun is shown immediately after capture and again on display in Shrewsbury. There are also a number of photographs taken in 1930 along the Rufigi river, including the wreck of SMS KONIGSBERG.
Two menu cards for the East African Campaign Dinners of 14 October 1927 and 2 December 1929 are also part of the collection.
Physical description
One landscape format, brown leather covered photograph album with the word 'Photographs' in gold lettering in the lower right corner of the front cover. The majority of prints are slip mounted into the album, whilst a small number are glued to pieces of paper which in tern are glued into the album along one edge. Loose pieces of paper within the album provide handwritten caption information about the photographs.
One portrait format album with grey cloth and brown leather binding (leather is restricted to the album spine and leading corners of front and back covers. The word 'Photographs' appears in the middle of the front cover in gold lettering. As with the other album the prints are mostly slip mounted with a few glued in to place. Handwritten annotations appear on the album pages.
There are also a number of loose black and white prints, a number with handwritten annotations on the reverse and two printed menu cards, one with a lion and Union Flag with blazing sun and the other with photo portraits of Generals Smuts and Lettow-Vorbeck.