Description
Object description
British officer served with 4th (Uganda) Bn King's African Rifles in Uganda, 1929-1939
Content description
REEL 1 Background in British India and GB, 1906-1924: family; education. Recollections of period as officer with 4th (Uganda) Bn King's African Rifles in Uganda, 1929-1939: reasons for secondment to King's African Rifles, 1929; preliminary advice and kitting out; journey to 4th (Uganda) Bn King's African Rifles at Bombo; learning King's African Rifle's form of Swahili language; introduction of brigade system, 1930; Nuba tribal origins of African officers and NCOs; use of unofficial fines; resentment at introduction of brigade system and end of African officers; memories of Idi Amin; pretence of 'press-ganging' Nuba for service; end of single tribe companies following mutiny of company on outstation duty; familiarisation process with African troops.
REEL 2 Continues: African troops' local wives on outstation duty and illustration of efforts to mould these women; African troops' uniform and weapons; journey to Kakumari; nature of medical provision; organisation and purpose of patrol to Pirre; reliance on Wanderobo Tribe trackers; tribal recruitment policy; later battle to familiarisation programme in Second World War; paternalistic handling of African troops; importance of diet; description of corporal punishment for African troops; training methods used with African troops and illustration of effects; restrictions on numbers of British NCOs.
REEL 3 Continues: African troops' routine training; incident of of 'ju ju'; African medicine; religions within King's African Rifles; interest in African culture; later African attitudes on approach of Independence in 1950s; memories of servants; contact with Africans and their view of British culture; mess life; attack of paratyphoid; effects of isolation; attitude to European women; psychological breakdowns; question of liaisons with African women; length of tour.
REEL 4 Continues: induction period of British officers in King's African Rifles; absence of wives; story of District Commissioner following his failure to prevent cattle raiding; incident of patrol being attacked whilst retrieving stolen cattle; provision of pension for wounded African soldier; precautions and situation as war approached; relations between Somalis, Africans and Indians; opinion of Somali troops and their later performance in Burma, 1944-1945; performance of African troops in Second World War and necessity of battle familiarisation.