Where is or was Mohesi, German East Africa?

[nhclark]

Captain Henry Eugene Vetter, 3/4th King's African Rifles, died at Mohesi 12th January 1918 and is buried at the Dar Es Salaam War Cemetery in Tanzania.

I have located the Mohesi River, north-east of the town of Tunduru, and also one map of the time showing a place "Moesi" further in a roughly north-easterly direction just south of the Rumkuhu (Mbemkuru) River. However, I cannot find "Moesi" on any more modern map of the area.

I'm seeking help on where Captain Vetter might have actually died. Might the battalion diary be helpful?

Any assistance gratefully received. Thank you.

Noel

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Noel,

I do not know if you have seen this very good article before, so I will post it just in case you have not.

It gives details of various actions, including those around Tunduru and the Mohesi River.

Here is the link.

Regards,

LF

http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/great-war-on-land/75-other-war-theatres/2512-out-on-a-limb-the-road-through-tunduru-german-east-africa-may-to-november-1917.html

[nhclark]

I'd appreciate a further opinion.

The battalion war diary shows that Captain H. E. Vetter died of heart failure on the evening of 12th January 1918 after the battalion "made camp on the "west bank" of the Mohezi river, having previously crossed the Mtet(u)ssi and Missoro rivers.

On the following day after the burial of Captain Vetter the battalion proceeded to Tunduru.

CWGC says that Captain Vetter is buried at the Dar Es Salaam War Cemetery. In the notes on the cemetery I see the following sentence:During the early 1970s, a further 1,000 graves were brought into this site from cemeteries all over Tanzania, where maintenance could no longer be assured.

Is it reasonable to assume that Captain Vetter's remains were recovered from their original burial place and brought to Dar Es Salaam? I would have thought that his original grave would not have been permanently marked.

Thank you,

Noel

[centurion]

It's possible that he may have been exhumed and re buried more than once. The first time would be from the original grave to a small local cemetery not long after the end of the war and then later to Dar Es Salaam when those buried in the small local cemetaries were concentrated in the 1970s.

[Terry_Reeves]

Noel

Forum member Harry Fecitt i(Bushfighter) is knowledgable in this area. It might be worth contacting him.

TR

[SteveE]

Is it reasonable to assume that Captain Vetter's remains were recovered from their original burial place and brought to Dar Es Salaam?

Noel

I'd agree with Terry that contact with Harry would be a worthwhile exercise. I'd also venture that an email to CWGC should, if nothing else, elicit the information from where Captain Vetter's remains were exhumed prior to the concentration burials in Dar es Salaam.

Regards

Steve

[bushfighter]

Henry was first buried where he died and the grave marked for future reference.

A look in The Cross of Sacrifice Volume I shows that he was later re-buried in 'CR EAfrica 15' which is Songea European Cemetery.

A look in the CWGC Tanganyika Minor Cemeteries Register shows that he was buried in Songea plot B.I.

When the Tanganyika (now Tanzania) Minor Cemeteries were consolidated in Dar Es Salaam he was moved there.

Here is his grave:

[bushfighter]

Here are his two Medal Index Cards.

(When I die all this stuff will die with me on my hard-drive.

I have offered it to Universities but they think that I am a moron because I don't have a degree.

Does any Member know of any place of learning or foundation that might want my archives?)

[MaureenE]

Harry, without knowing what you have, my suggestion would be to firstly contact the Imperial War Museums

http://www.iwm.org.uk

(There are at least 2 Forum Members from the IWM, Luke_S Luke Smith and Matthew_F who are involved with the IWM's Centenary Project. Perhaps you could send a PM)

Other alternatives could be

National Army Museum

http://www.nam.ac.uk

or possibly

Asian and African Studies at the British Library

http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/bldept/apac/apacoll/apac.html

Other actions you could consider:

*You could contribute your Great War data to the IWM's Centenary Project

*You can check whether your webpages have been archived on the Internet Archive (archive.org) in the “Wayback Machine”, and in many cases you can add them if they aren’t there, see my post

 

Archive.org can be currently accessed if you have an “original” link, but I think the aim is to eventually to have the “Wayback Machine” searchable.

*FIBIS is always pleased to receive any India/ Indian Army related online information/images which are consistent with its copyright policy. http://www.new.fibis.org

Cheers

Maureen