In German Gaols

[athelstan]

For an alternative and civilian account of the campaign in East Africa, 'In German Gaols' by E.F. Spanton may be of interest.

Ernest Spanton, a Priest with the Universities' Mission to Central Africa and Principal of St Andrew's College on Zanzibar, was a tad unlucky to be visiting Msalabani near Tanga in German East Africa when war breaks out. Unable to get back to Zanzibar he and a motley collection of British planters, clerks, farmers, tradesmen, travellers and missionaries are rounded up and marched off to captivity in Kilimatinde on the Central Railway from Dar-es-Salem, albeit accompanied by 200 porters.

Life at the old fort at Kilimatinde is basic but at first they are treated well. Things change as more civilian prisoners arrive and conditions get more crowded. Worse is the distinct change in attitude of the Germans after the British debacle at Tanga in early November 1914. Buoyed by their success Spanton's German captors progressively strip their prisoners of lamp oil, money, sugar (despite being locally grown and manufactured in abundance), exercise, fires and house boys whilst being fed miserable food which one Commandant considered not good enough to feed his own pigs. Complaints are punished severely. Spanton starts to keep detailed notes.

Some of this confidence is misplaced. On 24 - 25 February 1915 the Germans celebrate the fall of Calais for the third time. Similar celebrations marked the sinking of the Queen Mary (three times), Iron Duke and the breaking out of revolution in London and the hanging of Lord Kitchener and Sir Edward Grey by an angry mob in Trafalgar Square.

Intriguingly on 1 December 1914 Spanton reports the arrival of the first genuine prisoners of war, four naval officers taken prisoner in Dar-es-Salem. No names are given or how and when they were captured. Can anyone shed any light on these four officers?

Earlier Spanton refers to an Italian volunteer from the East African Mechanical Transport. Spanton comments that for many weeks he was the only real prisoner of war in the colony. Again it would be interesting to learn more about where, when and how he was captured. Italy of course does not join the war until 23 May 1915

By June 1915 Spanton finds himself in the prison at Tabora, further east along the Central Railway, having previously moved from Kilimatinde to Kiboriani. Here prisoners are made to clean the latrines of the German guards and the native soldiers, seen as a deliberately calculated act to degrade the British in the eyes of the natives. Worried by a series of escapes, all ultimately unsuccessful, the Germans ordered the prisoners to hand in their shoes and hats at 7pm every night. Without both items escape in the harsh climate and terrain is impossible. The best hats and shoes go missing, pilfered by the guards. Spanton bemoans the loss of privileges caused by the escapes, particularly a 7pm curfew, but understandably makes no attempt to escape himself. By January 1916 Spanton has lost 38 lbs in weight.

March 1916 and the invasion of German East Africa by British, Rhodesian, South African and Belgian troops begins. The Germans attitude shifts again. Concessions are offered but stiffly turned down. Suddenly the Germans learn of a Convention by which civilians should not be held as prisoners of war. Spanton enjoys twelve days of liberty in Dodoma before being rounded up again for possible repatriation. A month later and they are out again living in some comfort with houses and servants. The Germans are now anxious not to be portrayed in a bad light as the Allies advance. Sadly their promised new baths are not installed by the time the Belgians arrive.

As the Belgians near Dodoma there is a brisk trade in the flags and bunting of the Allies particularly by the neutrals and traders in the town. Spanton and his fellow inmates cobble together their own Union Jack from a blue skirt, white apron and a red silk cushion cover.

Liberty arrives on 19 September 1916. It looked like being on 14 September with the white flag hoisted from the fort until a late German counterattack drives the Belgians temporarily back. In Spanton's own words the long continued tyranny had come to an end.

The book finishes with a plea from Stanton that German East Africa should not be returned to the Germans after the war with the native population being free to choose their rulers. Just so long as they are British.

'In German Gaols' was written in 1917 and published by the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge. It is very much an anti German work and, with a couple of exceptions, the Germans come out of it badly. Their treatment of prisoners was clearly poor, petty and callous. Contrast this with the Germans leaving behind their women, children and sick as the Allies advance and expecting them to be well looked after.

For those who want to read more an electronic version can be downloaded from the University of California (link below). This contains two fine photographs of the fort at Tabora including one with Belgian troops outside. Another photograph shows the prisoners with their home made Union Jack. It also has a rather attractive front cover reproduced below.

In German Gaols

james w

[athelstan]

In German Gaols Part Two

In my post above on E.F. Spanton's 'In German Gaols' I wondered who the four Naval officers captured at Dar-es-Salem might be. Well whilst looking at other prisoner accounts I stumbled across the names of at least two of the four.

One is definitely Surgeon Ernest Charles Holtom of H.M.S. Goliath. His book 'Two Years' Captivity in German East Africa' relates the events of 28 November 1914 when H.M.S. Goliath escorts an armed auxliary vessel (the Duplex), a former German tug the Helmuth and a steam pinnace into the harbour at Dar-es-Salem in search of vessels suspected of helping the German raider the Konigsberg. Out comes the Governor of Dar-es-Salem under a white flag to be informed that any boats in the harbour will be dealt with as the Royal Navy sees fit. Seemingly the Governor agrees.

Surgeon Holtom is dropped off alone on the S.S. Tabora, a Deutsch Ostafrika passenger steamer, decked out as a hospital ship complete with red cross painted on the side and flying a hospital flag. On board he finds a single doctor, a single nurse and a single patient in bed with his trousers still on! In the words of Kevin Patience in his book 'Konigsberg - A German East African Raider' the game was up. Holtum does report, however, the patient had a recovering leg wound. He had to unbandage it first to make doubly sure though.

The SS Tabora in pre 'hospital ship' days. Holtom is left stranded on board.

Other parties from Goliath are landed on the S.S. Konig and S.S. Feldmarschall. As they set about their work disabling the ships and Holtom rebandages the only patient on the Tabora all hell brakes loose from the land with the Germans opening fire with machine guns. Holtum mentions no artillery but other accounts do. Borrowing the Tabora's rowing skiff Holtum makes a bid to rejoin his colleagues but is beaten back by the machine gunfire and can only watch in dismay as the British flotilla sails away. Stranded on board the Tabora he becomes the guest of the Germans and the two years capitivity that follows.

He's not alone. Next day he's joined by three other officers and eight other ranks similarly left behind on the Konig.

S.S. Konig

Incidentally this whole episode is the scene of the first Victoria Cross of the War awarded to a naval officer - Commander Henry Ritchie who bravely steers the Helmuth out of danger despite being severly wounded.

Holtom and the three other officers are marched off into captivity. Final proof that these are the same ones described in Spanton's book comes with a near identical description in both Holtom's and Spanton's books of their arrival at Kilimatinde. Greeted by loud cheers from the inmates all prisoners later pay a price for their exuberance.

Frustratingly Holtum does not name his fellow officer captives other than a reference to S___. Turning, however, to Arnold Wienholt's 'The Story of a Lion Hunt' sheds some light on this. Wienholt (an Australian by the way) spent six months as prisoner of war. In escaping he is provided with a compass from a Lieutenant Sankey of the Goliath. So that's two down two to go. Alas no more progress on these two or for that matter the eight other ranks captured at the same time.''

Equally nothing to report on the mysterious Italian volunteer from the East African Mechanical Transport. I guess the early history of this unit is too obscure even for the most ardent of Sub Saharan Forum members!

james w

References

'Two Year's Captivity in German East Africa' by Ernerst Chalres Holtom, Hutchinson & Co., London - date?

'The Story of a Lion Hunt' by Arnold Wienholt, Andrew Melrose Ltd, London, 1922

'Konigsberg - A German East African Raider' by Kevin Patience, Zanzibar Publications, 2001.

[athelstan]

In German Gaols Part Three

For those who have been following the above two posts you might be fascinated to know or maybe not that I have finally traced the other two Naval officers captured at Dar-es-Salem. In the end this was simply a case of skimming through some other accounts of the action on 28 November 1914. Conrad Gato's 'The Navy Everywhere' turned up trumps. He lists:

Lieutenant Commander Paterson

Lieutenant (E) V.J.H. Sankey

Chief Artificer Engineer W.E. Turner

Plus one Chief Petty Officer and seven other ratings sadly but unsurprisingly not named.

Gato's account is one of the most comprehensive and his book is worth checking out for his tales on even more obscure actions such as the H.M.S. Manica the Navy's first kite baloon ship in East Africa and other actions in the Cameroons, Serbia, Roumania, the Red Sea and Aden. Mind you he does misspell Holtom's name as Holton.The Naval History net has very usefully uploaded a full version of the book onto their website (see link below). Take a look.

The Navy Everywhere

So there you have it. The four anonymous Naval officers mentioned in E.F. Spanton's 'In German Gaols' are: Holtom, Sankey, Paterson and Turner. Would anyone like to shed some further light on their later careers?

This whole trip would have been a whole lot easier if Spanton had named them in the first place but then again it wouldn't have been such an amusing and diverting challenge if he had.

Reference

The Navy Everywhere by Conrad Gato, E P Dutton & Company, New York, 1919

[William Webb]

Good work

[athelstan]

In German Gaols Part 4

Billy, thanks for your support.

Well the mystery of the mysterious Italian member of the East African Mechanical Transport is resolved. Just as a reminder E.F. Spanton (see original post) has him captured early in the campaign in East Africa and taken to Kilimatinde Fort but offers no more details. Closer reading of Holtom's 'Two Year's Captivity in German East Africa' reveals the following (I have to admit I managed to miss this when I first skimmed through the book).

"Del Luigi is another of our number who stands out in my memory by reason of his originality. An Italian living in Nairobi, he had joined the British Force as a motor-mechanic in the early days of the war, and had been ambushed on the British East Africa frontier. His account of the struggle the Askaris had with his motor-bike was very amusing. It would seem the German in charge of the patrol which had captured him knew nothing of motors, and he ordered his Askaris to wheel the machine into camp. This they attempted, but the clutch being still in, they found the job almost more than they could manage! In reply to impatient questions Luigi said the cycle was always hard to push, and, with the most innocent face imaginable, offered to ride it in! But the German was far too cautious a bird to fall into that trap, and so the wretched Askaris, grunting and sweating, had to practically carry the heavy machine the whole way into camp!"

This escape attempt may have failed but that did not stop him encouraging others. Later Luigi gets three days solitary confinement on bread and water for cheering on a returned escapee extended to a week for complaining about the conditions.

His turn eventually comes in August 1916 when Holtom learns that while in transit three prisoners have escaped from a place called Solwa mill. Two were Boers, the other Del Luigi. He goes on:

"We were overjoyed at the fact that they had escaped from Müller's [a particularly unpleasant German guard] custody, and he was equally chagrined but he prophesied ghoulishly that they would either be recaptured or die in the bush."

Alas Müller was to be disappointed. "Anyway the fugitives never returned to camp, and after I learned from our own people that they had all arrived safely in the British lines."

For the time being where he was originally captured remains a mystery as does his post escape military career.

james w

Reference:

'Two Year's Captivity in German East Africa' by Surgeon E.C.Holtom, Hutchinson & Co., London, date?

[SteveE]

James

I suspect your man is #2350 Driver Wino De Luigi, East African Mechanical Transport Corps. Entered Theatre of War (4a) East Africa on 17th August 1914.

Entitled to 1914/1915 Star (ref. COL/5/9 Page 4) and British War & Victory Medals (ref. COL/136 B4 Page 98).

Discharged Medically Unfit as, what looks like, 2nd Grade Driver (2 Grd DVR).

Regards

Steve

[KONDOA]

Excellent study James. Very absorbing.

Roop

[athelstan]

Roop thanks for your comments and Steve thanks for unearthing the medal, service and discharge information. Definitely our man. All adds to the tale.

Cheers

james

[bushfighter]

Well Done and please keep it up James.

We need more contributors in this Forum.

Harry

[mthatcher61]

I find this post fascinating. Thanks for the research and work finding out about the 4 officers and the Italian. I really enjoy reading and learning about these people.

Mark Thatcher

[athelstan]

In German Gaols Part 5

Thanks Mark and Harry for your kind comments. Glad you enjoyed reading the posts.

Continuing in a similar theme Holtom's book 'Two Years' Captivity in German East Africa' actually throws up several other semi-anonymous characters banged up alongside him in gaol. There's the cinematographer Mr S_ B_, the "Major" and the "Baron."

Mr S_ B_ is decidedly unlucky. As part of Captain R.N. Kelsey's ill fated Cape to Cairo Expedition he is taken prisoner in German East Africa. An article by Colonel Wilson in the Northern Rhodesia Journal (see link below) reveals his identity as James Scott Brown and recounts some of the adventures of the Kelsey expedition. Laden down with luggage with a top heavy car and setting off in the rainy season with only one driver in a crew of four the expedition was doomed to failure. The end point comes when Kelsey is mauled by a leopard and dies of his wounds. Scott Brown meanwhile is somewhere up ahead pushing through Northern Rhodesia into German East Africa laying down fuel with the exotically named Count Cornegliano. His health never recovers from his years in captivity and he dies in 1924.

For the "Major" the best advice would have been don't go on a cycling holiday in German East Africa in August 1914 for this is how he is caught. Holtom describes him as a veteran of Thorneycroft's Mounted Infantry in the Boer War winning the D.S.O. in the process. I am indebted here to the Anglo Boer War website (link below) which includes a detailed entry for a Captain Walter Howard D.S.O. A veteran of the Matebele War of 1893 and Rebellion of 1896 and seriously wounded at Spion Kop his entry includes him cycling (aged 49) from Bulawayo to Cairo in 1914, interned by the Germans and not released until 1917. He sails to England and joins the 10^th County of London Regiment but does not serve overseas. Perhaps Africa was more than enough for one lifetime. He dies in Bulawayo on 22^nd January 1941

As one would expect of such a decorated solider the "Major" makes a valiant attempt to escape. Stuffing several days worth of provisions in a large cushion he simply walks out on 26 February 1915. Prisoners were allowed outside of the Boma at Kilimatinde for exercise after tea. One might say he certainly took the biscuit on this occasion. His colleagues in true escape story fashion tumble up his bed to make it look as if it had been slept in whilst he strides off towards the border with British East Africa some 300 miles away (see map below). Only at midday the following day does it become apparent he is missing. He lasts for four days. Held up by rains and swamps he only makes it as far as an eight hour march away. Roughly captured he is bound up tightly and returned to prison to face two months in solitary confinement in a five by seven feet cell on a diet of bread and water. Somewhere along the line he got hold of a revolver and ammunition but the Germans never discover the source.

It is Del Luigi (referred to in the post of 11/08/2010) who gets three days solitary confinement on bread and water for cheering on the Major as he returns extended to a week for complaining about the conditions.

Kilimatinde is between Dodoma and Tabora on the Central Railway. Map from Holtom's 'Two Years' in Captivity in German East Africa'

The Major's escape has repercussions for the rest of the prisoners. Early morning roll calls are introduced along with evening curfews and lights out at 7.30pm. All prisoners are confined to the Boma and not allowed out even under guard. Formerly they could nip out for that exercise after tea. All personal boxes are locked up in the baggage store and all ropes and water bottles confiscated. The prisoners' camp beds soon follow commandeered for the use of Germans in the field. Worse as far as Holtom is concerned is the removal of all native "boy" servants. Henceforth the prisoners were forced to make their own beds, clean their own rooms, fetch their food from the kitchen and wash up after meals. Two "boys" however were kept to look after the officers. Oh and the food was reduced in both quantity and variety.

The "Baron" is harder to identify. Captured on the border with the Congo, having volunteered in the early days of the war to serve with the Belgians, he is full of tall stories earning himself the nickname of "Baron Munchausen" or the "Baron" for short. Maybe not to his face though. Holtom describes him as "a most extraordinary chap – a real adventurer" one moment rioting with pockets of gold the next penniless and begging for any job he could get. Africa is full of such characters at the turn of the twentieth century and there is a chance he will turn up in somebody else's memoirs. To date I have been unable to trace him.

Tall stories or not he makes a determined bid to escape on 11^th July 1915. Along with an unnamed naval rating and an equally unknown Belgian they escape at 9pm soon after the guard had completed its final round. Again in true escape story fashion they drop 15ft from the walls of the Boma, scramble across 20 yards of open space and crawl through a barbed wire fence. Fortune favours the brave as one of the guards is busy chatting and fails to see them. Roll call the following morning reveals their flight which lasts a full eight days eventually undone by thirst and the need to risk a daylight march. The "Baron" as ringleader is kept in solitary on bread and water until 29^th August 1915 not helped apparently by his rather cavalier fashion. Other prisoners smuggle food into him to supplement his "low diet" as the Germans put it as well as allowing a day or two on the ordinary diet to keep him in a fair state of health.

After this both the Major and the Baron fade from Holtom's book. For the time being at least the Baron's ultimate fate is unknown.

Finally two more names to return to perhaps in a later post – Sealy, a former captain of the Baluchis and Perks a volunteer intelligence office and coffee planter in Uganda. Both captured in fighting on the border with German East Africa. Anyone ever come across this pair?

james w

Reference

'Two Years' Captivity in German East Africa' by Surgeon E.C.Holtom, Hutchinson & Co., London, date?

Northern Rhodesia Journal Vol IV No 6 1961

Anglo Boer War website

[SteveE]

Finally two more names to return to perhaps in a later post – Sealy, a former captain of the Baluchis and Perks a volunteer intelligence office and coffee planter in Uganda. Both captured in fighting on the border with German East Africa. Anyone ever come across this pair?

James

Sealy would be Captain Henry George Sealy, 130th King George's Own Baluchis (Jacob's Rifles). He was captured at Kasigao on 13th August 1915. OH has this to say...

"A month after the action at Mbuyuni there came a further reverse at the isolated hill of Kasigao, 30 miles south of Voi, where an observation post of the 130th Baluchis, 87 strong, under Captain H. G. Sealy, was attacked on the 13th August by a strong German detachment. On taking over the post early in August Captain Sealy, dissatisfied with its defences, had begun the construction of a new defended camp, planning to use material from the old works, which thus were in a partly-dismantled state when the attack was made.

Timely warning was given by the British outposts, but the Germans succeeded in climbing to a point overlooking the camp, from which their fire raked the half-made defences. After about two hours the enemy rushed the camp, capturing Captain Sealy and 38 of his men, of whom 5 others were killed; the remainder escaped into the bush through which they eventually reached Voi and other posts."

His career from the London Gazette. Henry George Sealy was originally commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into the 5th Royal Irish Fusiliers 22nd April 1900 (LG#27190 08/05/1900) before transferring to the Leicestershire Regiment. 10th June 1902 saw Second Lieutenant Sealy seconded for service with the Indian Army (LG#27523 10/02/1903) and within the year, 21st March 1903, he was promoted to a Lieutenant with the Indian Army (LG#27578 21/07/1903). His next appearance in the Gazette is his promotion to Captain, 17th October 1909, with the 130th Prince of Wales's Own Baluchis (LG#28320 21/12/1909) and then all is quiet until 1916 when he became a Captain, Temporary Major (17th October 1916) with the now named 130th King George's Own Baluchis (Jacob's Rifles) (LG#29870 19/12/1916). Promotion to Major (LG#30011 06/04/1917) followed, dated 17th October 1915 but without pay and allowances before 1st September 1916, was this the end of his period of captivity? and his last entry appears to be his retirement from the Indian Army, as a Major, on 22nd March 1919 (LG#31506 15/08/1919).

Perks is, I assume, #525 Trooper George Perks of 'B' Squadron, East African Mounted Rifles (01/02/1915 to 01/05/1915) who subsequently transferred to the Intelligence Department and eventually ended up on the East African Unattached List.

Regards

Steve

Reference

'Military Operations East Africa Volume 1 Aug.1914-Sept.1916' C. Hordern.

'The East African Mounted Rifles' C. J. Wilson

London Gazette

Medal Index Cards

[athelstan]

Thanks Steve for the excellent information on Sealy and Perks. Saved me a good deal of time! I would agree that Sealy's pay and allowances not being paid until September 1916 covers his period in captivity. Holtom has him arriving at Kilimatinde in September 1915. Holtom himself finally gains his freedom on 26 October 1916 having signed a parole agreement. Most prisoners are freed around this time as South African troops advance across German East Africa so whilst Sealy isn't mentioned I would not be surprised if he gained his freedom with them.

I think you are right about Perks being Trooper George Perks of the East African Mounted Rifles. Little wonder he ended up in the Intelligence Department. Holtom describes him as a wonderful linguist fluent in French, German, Italian, Russian, Arabic and Swahili.

thanks again

james w

[flissoh]

This is absolutely rivetting for me as I have long been seeking information about my grandfather, Nino de Luigi. He met my grandmother at a POW camp, I guess Tabora as I have traced her movements from Kiboriani and Buigiri to Tabora via a CMS diary. She was then called Evelyn Wickham (nee Brancker) and her husband of the time was also in the camp. Evelyn and Nino married soon after the war and had two children, my mother, Giovanna Maria (Nina) and her sister Magherita. Nino had a garage and it was through this that my father met my mother, then 12 years old, when he took a car there for some work.

During the second world war Nino was interned by the British, this time in South Africa. I don't know which camp, I would love to know and to find his gravestone, if he got one. The tale is that he contracted pneumonia after having swum the Zambesi in an escape attempt, reading the above contributions that sounds exactly right.

Thank you so much well informed contributors what a wonderful find. Any further information most gratefully received.

Felicity

[athelstan]

hello Felicity

Glad you found this post so useful. It really adds an extra dimension to the story when a family connection is made. Your grandfather certainly had a rough and unusual time - imprisoned by the Germans for fighting with the British in the First War and then interned by them as an enemy alien in the Second. I have been meaning to return this post and your response has spurred me on!

regards

james

[flissoh]

Hi James,

Nino sounds a real 'character' at a time when there were many larger than life people around, there's a very amusing paragraph about his solitary confinement which you've probably read and he does eventually escape and stay out. I also found very entertaining references to my grandmother and her then husband in 'Two Years in Captivity'. I'm guessing he ended up at Zonderwater and have written to the museum curator to see if he can shed any light on him. I'll post it up if I get any news.

Cheers.

Felicity

[flissoh]

Good day Felicity

I have found some information about you grandfather and his internment during WW2.

Nino DE LUIGI was arrested in KOROGWA (Tanganyika) the 10.6.1940 i.e. the day Italy declared war to Great Britain, bound to be transferred to the Union of South Africa/Southern Rhodesia. He was embarked on the SS “Rhona”, which sailed ex Dar es-Salaam the 5^th July 1940 with arrival in Durban a week later (11.7.1940).

He left by train, with another 57 Italian Civilians ex Tanganyika, the same night to KOFFIEFONTEIN (OVS) and they were officially interned there at 07h00 the 13^th July 1940. He died of Bronco-pneumonia the 1^st August 1940, at Koffiefontein. According to my records, he was born the 9^th January 1886.

This is all I have found and I hope that it will be of some help in your research.

Any donation will be gladly accepted by our Association, which carries out the research of information and reconstruction of the Italian POWs and Internees history pro Deo and with no subsidies from anywhere. But, please, do not feel obliged.

With kind regards

Emilio Coccia

President – Zonderwater Block ex POW Association

I am told it should be Korogwe not Korogwa for purists.

No indication how the broncho-pneumonia was contracted, maybe in his escape attempt as related in family lore, his previous internment suggests he would try to escape as quickly as possible. It's great that Emilio took the time to reply even though Nino was not at Zonderwater at all; apparently all the graves were moved from Koffiefontein and there is a descendant of an internee trying to find out where they were taken; my cousin is in South Africa at the moment and may get news.

[SiegeGunner]

What a superb thread, which I'm sorry I missed when it began in 2010. I will go and see the film, and buy the DVD .... now, who's going to make it ...?

[flissoh]

I wish someone would! Never a dull moment with Nino around. The more I find out about my grandfather the more I admire him.

Felicity

[Guest]

E C Holtum collected butterflies at Kilimatinde during the first three months of 1915 (and possibly later, and possibly other natural history material as well). His butterfly specimens were passed to the Natural History Museum in London in 1918, where they are still referred to in current research on the butterflies of Tanzania.

 

Dick Vane-Wright (Canterbury, Kent) -- scientific associate, NHM London.

[Guest]

Hi James,

I came across this thread whilst researching my family tree regarding my Great Great Uncle, Able Seaman Edward Davis who joined the Royal Navy in 1908 and served aboard HMS Goliath. I have attached his service record which has recorded on it that he was missing after the bombardment of Dar es Salaam 28 Nov 1914 and was held as a POW in German East Africa before being released at the end of 1916. From the record it appears he then spent the rest of the war in Devonport (HMS Vivid), before serving aboard the V class Destroyer HMS Venetia, finally leaving the Navy in 1922. 

So there is another name off the list with one of the naval ratings for you. 

I also came across this site https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10362/10362-h/10362-h.htm which also describes the release of the surgeon and the 'marines(presumably ratings?) from the Goliath' 

Kind Regards

Tony Lawrence

Edited 12 December , 2018 by Guest
Update

[Grandson of ECHO]

On 06/02/2018 at 06:28, Guest said:

E C Holtum collected butterflies at Kilimatinde during the first three months of 1915 (and possibly later, and possibly other natural history material as well). His butterfly specimens were passed to the Natural History Museum in London in 1918, where they are still referred to in current research on the butterflies of Tanzania.

 

Dick Vane-Wright (Canterbury, Kent) -- scientific associate, NHM London.

 

[Michelle Young]

Welcome, Grandson of Echo. If you are trying to reply to Dick Vane-Wright, he is no longer a forum member, as denoted by Guest. I have found contact details for the Durrell Institute of Conservation, of which Dick appears to be a member.

https://research.kent.ac.uk/dice/contact/

 

[Grandson of ECHO]

EC HOLTOM  Ernest Charles Holtom, was my grandfather. He was captured and imprisoned at Kilimatinde in 1914.

He was ships surgeon on the Goliath and after inspecting a German ship the shore batteries opened fire on his small boat as he tried to get back to his ship. Which then sailed off thinking he was dead. Leaving him to be captured along with three other naval men. Being a doctor he had better treatment than lesser ranks but it was pretty tough as far as food was concerned.  As a child at meal times we were under strict orders to eat even scap as Ernest would say sternly "I had to eat slugs and snails in Africa "

My mother took me and my sister to the Natural History museum in the 1960s and we asked if we could see some of his collection. A museum staff member kindly opened numerous draws full of hundreds of butterflies,  and we actually found a couple of his specimens. 

[Grandson of ECHO]

2 minutes ago, Michelle Young said:

Welcome, Grandson of Echo. If you are trying to reply to Dick Vane-Wright, he is no longer a forum member, as denoted by Guest. I have found contact details for the Durrell Institute of Conservation, of which Dick appears to be a member.

https://research.kent.ac.uk/dice/contact/

 

Thanks Michelle,  that was impressive,  I hadn't even finished my message. If you would be able could you kindly forward my message. I also have some more history of Kilimatinde,  where my grandfather was imprisoned in 1914 if it is of interest to researchers. Another name  of someone imprisoned there was HA Keates my grandfather was presented with a rather handsome sikver clock, engraved with his name. This was for saving his life from Blackwater fever .