Description
Object description
British officer served with 2nd (Nyasaland) Bn, King's African Rifles in Tanganyika, 1930-1935; served with 6th (Tanganyika) Bn King's African Rifles in Tanganyika, 1935-1936; served with Regimental Depot, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regt, Kempston Barracks, Kempston in GB, 1936-1940; served with 7th Bn Gold Coast Regt, Royal West African Frontier Force in Gold Coast, British West Africa, 1940-1942; commanded 36th (Tanganyika) Bn King's African Rifles in Ethiopia, India and Ceylon, 1942-1945; commanded 7th (Uganda) Bn King's African Rifles on Mauritius, 1947
Content description
REEL 1 Background in GB, 1903-1921: family; education. Recollections of period as officer with 2nd Bn King's African Rifles in Tanganyika, 1930-1935: prior military service with 1st Bn Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regt at Aldershot, GB, Malta, China and India, 1923-1930; background secondment to battalion, 1930; prior knowledge of posting; advantages and disadvantages of learning Chinyanja language; memories of his African servant; African troops' wives; interest in African customs; African servants including duties, turnover and references; food; state of health; European population and club facilities at Tabora; playing games with African troops; absence of African officers.
REEL 2 Continues: opinion of African troops; shooting trip; learning Chinyanja language; accompanying African troops on leave draft; illustrations of makeshift medical provision; bartering during village visits; duties of District Officers; relations with African troops' families; increasing experience in stores administration; memories of British regimental sergeant-major; question of liaisons with African women; communications with GB; degree of religious provision; interest in conjuring and African's reaction; duties as company officer including training.
REEL 3 Continues: rifle range firing practices; duties as orderly officer; battalion camps; African troops' enthusiasm; story of diamond prospector; effectiveness of training African troops in bushcraft; use of machine gun porters; training African NCOs in cadres; posting to outstation at Songea; increased responsibility; communications; relations with other British officer; African troops' attitude towards parades; regimental bands; languages used in King's African Rifles; comparison of British and African troops; officer potential of African NCOs; implications of tribal characteristics and loyalties within King's African Rifles; African NCOs' position.
REEL 4 Continues: discipline of African troops including tribal complications, corporal punishment, continuation of corporal punishment during Second World War, punishment of African troops' wives and story of court martial; African troops' living conditions and lifestyle including leave, kit losses, supplementing rations by use of gardens and wives; shooting game and licence system; African troops' drinking habits, accommodation and children. Aspects of period as officer with 6th (Tanganyika) Bn King's African Rifles at Dar es Salaam in Tanganyika, 1934-1936: posting as second in command to battalion; duties; attitude towards African service and circumstances of return to GB, 1936. Aspects of period as officer with Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regimental Depot, Kempston Barracks, Kempston, GB, 1936-1940: depot duty; formation of 6th Bn Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regt, 1939; effects of Africa service. Aspects of period as officer with 7th Bn Gold Coast Regt, Royal West African Frontier Force, Gold Coast, British West Africa, 1940-1942: reaction to posting to British West Africa; comparison of East and West African troops; training; performance under fire; story of African troops' reaction to visit to GB, 1937; African troops' attitude towards Italians.
REEL 5 Continues: question of African troops' 'bloodlust'. Aspects of period commanding 36th (Tanganyika) Bn King's African Rifles, 26th (East African) Infantry Bde, 11th (African) Infantry Div and 11th (East Africa) Infantry Div in Ethiopia, India and Ceylon, 1942-1945: posting to command battalion, 1942; overcoming poor morale; effect of influx of British officers, construction of battalion camp at Babile, Ethiopia; training; supplies; African troops' letters home; religious provision; jungle training in Ceylon;, excitable character of African troops; invaliding back to GB, 1945. Aspects commanding 7th (Uganda) Bn King's African Rifles on Mauritius, 1947: duties as garrison commander; relations between African troops and local population; later career in theatre and as conjuror in Kenya; Africans' reaction to conjuring tricks.