Hann, Frederick William (Oral history)

British NCO and officer in Sussex Regt, seconded to Gold Coast Regt, Royal West African Frontier Force in Gold Coast 1938-1941, Kenya and Ethiopia 1941-1942, Ceylon 1943, Burma 1944 and Gold Coast 1947-1948

REEL 1 Recollections of period as NCO with 1st Battalion, Gold Coast Regiment, Royal West African Frontier Force on Gold Coast, 1938-1939: background and early army career prior to secondment to unit, 1938; preparations; conditions of service and lifestyle; relationship as instructor with African troops; training African troops including daily routine; annual practice camps; counterpart system of dual command between British and African ranks; discipline of African troops. REEL 2 Continues: recruitment policy; African troops' conditions of service; selection of African NCOs; education of African troops; teaching African troops range estimation; African troops' conditions of service including domestic arrangements and families; pay; African servants; story of attending African dance; illustrations of African troops' superstitious natures; Muslims and Christians amongst African troops; benefits to Africans of Royal West African Frontier Force service; standards of health for British and Africans. REEL 3 Continues: preparations and training on outbreak of war, 1939; suppressing mutiny amongst African drivers; journey to Northern Kenya and African troops' reaction, 1940. Recollections of East African campaign, 1940: situation; patrolling operations; African troops' performance in action. Aspects of operations as NCO and officer with 3/6th Battalion, King's African Rifles in East Africa and Ceylon 1940-1943: posting to unit; learning Swahili; comparison with Gold Coast Regiment; events of East African campaign, 1941; unrest amongst local Abyssinian tribes; evacuation of Italians; organisational factors of campaign including communications and rations; currencies used; leave. REEL 4 Continues: training in Ceylon for service in Burma against Japanese, 1943; African troops' relationship with Ceylonese, grasp of Second World War and reactions to different cultures; return to GB, 1944. Aspects of posting as officer to Gold Coast Regiment, Gold Coast, 1947: question of African attitudes to British; duties as records officer concerning demobilisation and rehabilitation of African troops.