Description
Object description
British officer served with 5th Bn King's African Rifles, 22nd (East African) Infantry Bde, 12th (African) Infantry Div in Kenya, Italian Somaliland and Ethiopia, 1940-1941; served with 5th Bn King's African Rifles, 22nd (East African) Bde Group on French Madagascar, 1942
Content description
REEL 1 Aspects of period as officer cadet with Royal Military College, Sandhurst in GB, 1939-1940: selection for officer training at Royal Military College, Sandhurst, 10/1939; membership of Officer Training Corps at school; nature of syllabus; character of fellow cadets; rations and accommodation; reasons for choice of regiment; pre-war expectations of coming war and visits to Austria; question of threat of Italy; question of war following pattern of First World War; duties training recruits at Dorsetshire Regt Regimental Depot, Depot Barracks, Dorchester, 1940. Aspects of journey from GB to Kenya, 1940: reasons for volunteering for service in East Africa; voyage from GB to Mombasa, Kenya.
REEL 2 Continues: advice on how to treat African troops; train journey from Mombasa to Nairobi, Kenya. Recollections of period as officer with 5th Bn King's African Rifles, 22nd (East African) Infantry Bde, 12th (African) Infantry Div in Kenya, 1940-1941: posting to C Coy on frontier; issue of tropical kit; learning Swahili from platoon sergeant; strength, organisation and composition of platoon; platoon NCOs; use of whistle and bugles to control troops in bush; effect of local conditions on tactics; troops' shooting ability; route marches and introduction of boots; moral effect of early Italian successes in East Africa; defensive plans and use of irregular levies for patrolling; practise motor patrols; communications; shortage of British NCOs; company weapons.
REEL 3 Continues: unit officers; attitude of African NCOs towards officers; African NCO's views on martial qualities of different tribes; how he was nursed by his orderly when sick with malaria; attitude of troops towards military service; company mess life; rations for African troops and British personnel; discipline and punishment; common offenses; unit morale; encouragement for officers to keep men informed; company planning process; formal drills; move to River Tana.
REEL 4 Continues: motorised patrol from River Tana. Recollections of operations as officer with 5th Bn King's African Rifles, 22nd (East African) Infantry Bde, 12th (African) Div in Italian Somaliland, 1941: Italian withdrawal from Afmadu; effect of water supply on advance; advance to Kismayu; conditions in Kismayu; reaction of local population to arrival of British forces; nature of advance along coast; air situation; duties rounding up Italian irregular forces; attitude of prisoners of war towards war; situation in Mogadishu.
REEL 5 Continues: Recollections of operations as officer with 5th Bn King's African Rifles, 22nd (East African) Infantry Bde, 12th (African) Infantry Div in Ethiopia, 1941: move to Marda Pass; orders to conserve petrol; terrain at Marda Pass; occupation of Harar; contact with Ethiopians; character of Brigadier ; opposed crossing of River Awash; effects of Italian fire and their surrender; formation for attack; difficulties in stopping troops firing; strength of Italian forces; advance from River Awash; Italian night action with armoured cars; overnight stops; supplementing diet; problems seeing Italian forces in action; occupation of Adama; intrigue over entry into Addis Ababa; attitude of Italian civilians; Brigadier Charles Fowkes' demonstration of firepower to Ethiopians after massacre of Italian civilians.
REEL 6 Continues: in action at Pontemal Casa; crossing of river; capture of Italian anti-tank gun; effects of shelling during advance; reconnaissance of Italian positions on Mount Fike; character of Italian positions; plan to attack Mount Fike; character of advance at Mount Fike; difficulty of stopping African troops bayoneting; Italian defensive arms; casualties; Italian casualties and prisoners of war; in action at Bubissa and successful Italian counter-attack with tanks; effect on morale of successful counter attack; effect on morale of Sergeant Nigel Leakey winning Victoria Cross during campaign; crossing of River Omo.
REEL 7 Continues: use of assault boats at night; march to take main Italian positions from the rear; attack on Italian artillery positions; capture of Italian motor transport and demolition of road; burial of Italian dead; arrangement of overnight defensive position; advance to Gimma; attitude of Italian prisoners of war at Gimma; leave in Kenya; recreational activities in Gimma; civil population in Gimma; return to Kenya, 12/1941. Aspects of period as officer with 5th Bn King's African Rifles, 22nd (East African) Infantry Bde in Kenya, 1941-1942: difficult journey to Kenya; reorganisation and training at Yatta.
REEL 8 Continues: disciplinary problems at Yatta; reaction of African troops to prospect of overseas posting. Recollections of operations as officer with 5th Bn King's African Rifles, 22nd (East African) Bde Group in French Madagascar, 1942: voyage from Kenya to Madagascar; in defensive positions at Diego Suarez; plan to siege Mayotte Island; voyage in destroyer; tasks allocated to companies and platoons; landings and disarming of native police; arrest of Vichy French district commissioner; taking tour of island and relations with civilians; return to main island; landings as Majunga; move to Tananarive; character of local population and relations with settlers; advance southwards; attacking road blocks on road south.
REEL 9 Continues: attack at Andramanalina; behaviour of Malagassy troops; contrast between Italian and Vichy French forces; Vichy French use of snipers; Vichy French ambushes on road; tactics employed; prisoners of war taken; end of campaign; training after end of campaign; observations on campaign.