Description
Object description
British NCO served with 4/4th Bn King's African Rifles, 26th (East African) Infantry Bde, 11th (African) Infantry Div in Kenya, Uganda, British Somaliland and Ethiopia, 1940-1941
Content description
REEL 1 Background in GB, 1916-1939: family; education; employment; reaction to declaration of Second World War, 9/1939. Recollections of period as NCO with 4/4th Bn King's African Rifles, 26th (East African) Infantry Bde, 11th (African) Infantry Div in Kenya and Uganda, 1941: reasons for volunteering for service in East Africa, 1940; voyage from GB to Mombasa, Kenya via South Africa including conditions on board and patriotic songs sung by Lady in White; train journey from Mombasa to Nairobi, Kenya; interviews with senior officers; officers with battalion at Kasi, Kenya; qualities of African troops; tribal differences; question of Buganda loyalty; position of British NCOs in unit; relative status of British and African NCOs; recruitment of African troops; farewell from Kabaka Mutesa II of Buganda in Uganda.
REEL 2 Continues: composition of 26th (East African) Bde at Mitubiri, Kenya; arrival of Southern Rhodesian NCOs; incident involving Southern Rhodesian NCO; administration of corporal punishment. Aspects of period as NCO with 4/4th Bn King's African Rifles, 26th (East African) Infantry Bde, 11th (African) Infantry Div in British Somaliland, 1941: voyage to Berbera; climate; prior recollection of attending field works course in Kenya; movement control methods; role of unit in British Somaliland; question of fraternisation with Africans. Recollections of operations as NCO with 4/4th Bn King's African Rifles, 26th (East African) Infantry Bde, 11th (African) Infantry Div in Ethiopia, 1941: transport breakdowns and repair during journey northwards; opinion of Italian road building achievements.
REEL 3 Continues: transporting ammunition to front-line; 2/2nd Bn King's African Rifles attack on Daflecha position; attack on Maldiba position; capture of Gondar; reasons for tension between King's African Rifles and Ethiopian Patriots; Italian prisoner of war morale and demeanour; return to Addis Ababa; problems of escorting Italian families to Dire Dawa; sight of South African biplanes at Gondar; motivation of African troops and British NCOs; opinion of Italian performance; attitude to and actions of Ethiopian Patriots.
REEL 4 Continues: punitive raids on villages; killing of King's African Rifle's NCO; appearance and looting of Ethiopian Patriots.