The Uganda Railway Volunteer Reserve 1914

[bushfighter]

If any member is interested in the deployment of the Uganda Railway Volunteer Reserve in the British East Africa Protectorate in 1914, then please look at:

http://www.kaiserscross.com/188001/293122.html

Harry

[medals2]

If any member is interested in the deployment of the Uganda Railway Volunteer Reserve in the British East Africa Protectorate in 1914, then please look at:

http://www.kaiserscr...001/293122.html

Harry

Harry,

Thank you once again for yet another interesting article on a little know East African unit.

I had a look at my copy of the Official History and the unit is mention on page 51 of my copy. I also noticed there were only 300 in the unit, so quite small.

Jean-Paul

[bushfighter]

Jean-Paul

Actually the unit named Uganda Volunteer Reserve on page 51 of the Official History is a totally different unit raised in Uganda (I will post an article on that unit soon).

Page 52 identifies the Railway Volunteers with a strength of 60 men. These were the Uganda Railway Volunteer Reserve, all recruited from white railwaymen in British East Africa (the railway line stopped at Kisumu in British East Africa and ferries were then used to go across Lake Victoria to Uganda).

Harry

[athelstan]

Harry's use of M.F. Hill's The Permanent Way highlights the value

of casting the net wider when researching Africa and the Great War.

Hill's book is essentially a history of the railway network in East

Africa but both Volumes 1 and 2 contain chapters on the campaign in East

Africa. His main reference is Hordern's Official History but he clearly

worked in information from other sources including in Volume 2 for

example the 'extraordinary memory' of Lieutenant Colonel G.A. Swinton-Home. If you have a

combined interest in railways, East Africa and the Great War it is worth

checking out Hill's book. Copies are not too hard to find (see link

below) albeit for a price.

Permanent Way copies

Finally thanks Harry for another informative and fascinating article.

james w