Mau Mau improvised firearm

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Use this image under Non-Commercial licence.

You can embed media or download low resolution images free of charge for private and non-commercial use under the IWM Non-Commercial Licence.

By downloading or embedding any media, you agree to the terms and conditions of the IWM Non Commercial Licence, including your use of the attribution statement specified by IWM. For this item, that is: © IWM FIR 8283

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:

Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.

Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.

Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.

Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.

Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.

Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Media Sales & Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.
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description

Physical description

rifle & sling barrel attached to stock by metal strips

Label

Mau Mau was an anti-European movement which originated in the Kikuyu tribe. It waged a campaign of terrorism against both white settlers and fellow Kenyan's who refused to support Mau Mau. The British colonial government responded with harsh measures, involving the Army, Royal Air Force and locally recruited Kikuyu 'Home Guard' units. The rising was largely suppressed by 1956. However, the Emergency had encouraged dialogue with moderate Kenyan nationalist leaders, a process which led to the country's independence in 1963. The Mau Mau possessed few modern weapons, but manufactured many of their own. The main purpose of these was to intimidate the local populace and bolster the morale of the men carrying them. They were ineffective and, indeed, dangerous to the user when fired.

History note

This homemade rifle was produced in Kenya during the Kenya Emergency. It was aquired in the Aberdare Forest and brought home as a souvenir by Flight Lieutenant John Taylor, who took part in bombing operations against the Mau Mau as a navigator on Avro Lincolns of No. 49 Squadron RAF.