Mau Mau improvised firearm

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Use this image under non-commercial licence.

The media for this item are free to reuse for non-commercial purposes under the IWM Non Commercial Licence and can be downloaded or embedded with the code we offer here. 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)

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Download

Embed
HTML: <a href="https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30032522" target="_blank"> <img src="https://media.iwm.org.uk/ciim5/257/386/mid_000000.jpg?action=e&cat=Weapons%20and%20ammunition" alt="Mau Mau improvised firearm"> </a> <span> Mau Mau improvised firearm <a href="https://www.iwm.org.uk/corporate/privacy-copyright">© IWM (FIR 8283)</a> </span> BBCode: [url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30032522][img]https://media.iwm.org.uk/ciim5/257/386/mid_000000.jpg?action=e&cat=Weapons%20and%20ammunition[/img][/url] [url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30032522]Mau Mau improvised firearm. © IWM (FIR 8283)[/url] [url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/corporate/privacy-copyright]IWM Non Commercial License[/url]

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.