The East African Maxim Gun Company 1915-1916

[bushfighter]

If any Member is interested in the operational activities of this British East Africa Protectorate unit then please take a look at:

http://www.kaiserscross.com/188001/321643.html

Harry

[medals2]

Hi Harry,

Thanks for yet another fascinating aspect of the East African campaign.

Jean-Paul

[SteveE]

Harry

In the article you state that "On 15 April 1916 a very serious break-down in discipline occurred in the Company when 29 Non Commissioned Officers and men refused to Saddle Up on morning parade. It appears that they took exception to the march, the weather and the orders they were given. These men were placed under arrest and the Company resumed its march to Kondoa Irangi arriving there on 2 May."

You may, or may not, know this already but the outcome of the breakdown in discipline was that all 29 men were tried by Field General Court Martial at Aruscha on 10th May 1916. They were charged under Section 7(3)a Joining in a Mutiny in Forces belonging to H.M's Protectorate Forces or alternatively under Section 7(3)b Being present at, did not use their utmost endeavour to suppress a Mutiny in Forces belonging to H.M's Protectorate Forces.

The Court Martial found that all men, with one exception who was acquitted, were guilty under Section 7(3)a and sentenced to anything from 6 months hard labour to 4 years penal servitude, the severity of sentence being higher depending on the rank held.

Interestingly there is a footnote to the sentences passed from the President of the Court (Major W. Whittall) that states "The Court ventures to submit that under all the circumstances the cases of all the men concerned may justifiably be approached with the maximum of clemency, and the Court further recommends all these men, in the srongest possible manner, to mercy.

Lieut.-General J. C. Smuts obviously took this into consideration when confirming the findings of the Court as all sentences were reduced to be discharged with ignominy from His Majesty's Forces.

Regards

Steve

Source: General Routine Order No.555 d/26th June 1916.

[bushfighter]

Steve

Thank you very much for that information.

I did not know and I am gratified to learn about it.

There is obviously something behind the application of mercy that we do not know about.

Could it be that in those colonial and racially biased times the incarceration of so many white men for such periods was not feasible in the prison facilities available, which had been designed for black inmates?

(Nor perhaps was imprisonment acceptable politically to the Governor, who was anti-war anyway, and to the British East African colonial electorate who were also disenchanted that the war had not been terminated by Christmas 1914.)

It would be very interesting to learn more about where both black and white British military prisoners in East Africa were incarcerated after sentencing.

Harry

[SteveE]

Harry

That's certainly a subject area that could prove interesting, if you know where to start that is and I certainly don't

You may find the following list of those punished of some use. The dates in brackets are their enlistment dates as per 1914/1915 Star Roll and those marked with an asterisk subsequently re-enlisted back into the Regiment despite being discharged with ignominy, I think there's more to this story here if it can be found.

Four Years Penal Servitude

3501 Sergeant Major J. Macrae (06/08/1914)*

Three Years Penal Servitude

3506 Sergeant W. Robb (06/08/1914)

3504 Sergeant D. Silver (06/08/1914)

3507 Sergeant H. L. Geeson (06/08/1914)*

3509 Sergeant V. J. Johnson (06/08/1914)

3516 Sergeant G. Brown (06/08/1914)*

18 Months Hard Labour

3527 Corporal F. J. Macnamara (10/08/1914)*

3530 Corporal J. S. Oliphant (06/08/1914)

3559 Corporal R. Elliot (06/08/1914)*

3547 Corporal W. E. Metcalf

12 Months Hard Labour

3515 Private J. Blacklaws (06/08/1914)*

3537 Private J. Whyte (06/08/1914)*

3524 Private J. R. Kennedy (06/08/1914)*

3526 Private J. L. Moon (06/08/1914)*

3532 Private A. Rodger (13/08/1914)*

3533 Private C. G. Seaton (06/08/1914)*

3511 Private V. H. Bourke

9 Months Hard Labour

3539 Private A. Picton-Warlow (17/11/1914)*

6 Months Hard Labour

3568 Private W. R. Galloway (10/08/1914)*

3525 Private H. Lyall (29/07/1915)*

3554 Private H. Griffiths (21/10/1915)

3556 Private J. Mackay (26/10/1915)*

3558 Private H. W. Borrow (30/10/1915)*

3555 Private J. T. Molloy (21/10/1915)*

3569 Private E. Brady

3561 Private G. Kennedy (08/11/1915)*

3567 Private P. Nottidge (15/12/1915)*

3553 Private J. Macleod (18/10/1915)

Acquitted

3518 Private J. S. Dalglish

Regards

Steve

[bushfighter]

To follow from my previous post here is a paragraph from the 2LNL War Diary of 21 December 1915:

Received Confidential memo 297/37 of 17.12.15 that British soldiers sentenced to Detention should be kept in seperate enclosures to Indians and Africans, and that Field Punishment should be awarded instead of Detention for military offences.

Harry