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Remembered Today:

Loyal North Lancashires in East Africa


bushfighter1

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CAMPAIGN SNIPPETS

post-20901-1197890964.jpg
A forged GEA banknote

The Royal Naval blockade of German East Africa gave the German authorities problems by denying them commodities, but they always improvised & substituted local products for previously imported ones.

Currency became a problem as Schutztruppe Askari were traditionally paid in silver rupees. When these became unobtainable the Germans manufactured coins from melted-down British cartridge cases seized at Tanga.

Locally printed paper money was then introduced to pay the Askari with, & General Smuts’ chief intelligence officer, Lt Col Richard Meinertzhagen seized upon this with a scheme to discredit the German currency. He forged a million rupees’ worth of German 20 Rupee notes & used his line-crossing agents to distribute them freely wherever they found Schutztruppe Askari.

This did lead to a lack of confidence in the German paper currency, but when the British commenced administering captured GEA territory they found the shops full of Meinertzhagen’s forgeries. As the British introduced their own paper currency they were compelled to redeem the forgeries at face value in order to give the British notes credibility & value.
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CAMPAIGN SNIPPETS

post-20901-1197970792.jpg
Karonga area on Lake Malawi
(Thanks to the Karonga Prevention Study site)

BRITISH LADIES IN THE FRONT LINE

 


Post 343 at:

 

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CAMPAIGN SNIPPETS

post-20901-1198143576.jpg
Hotchkiss light machine gun


THE KAGERA GUN TEAMS

The Uganda Volunteer Reserve, based on pre-war shooting clubs, mobilised effectively & quickly sent men down to the southern border with German East Africa.
As the front line stabilised on the Kagera River the Uganda Volunteer Reserve was called upon to man the British 15-pounder gun, light Hotchkiss guns & trench mortars that were deployed along the Kagera.
The following men formed the Kagera Gun Teams for 18 months until the fighting moved away from Uganda southards into German East Africa:

411 Sergeant A.P. Abbott No 2 Coy
375 Sergeant G.W. Foster No 4 Coy
409 Sergeant J.P. Freeman No 2 Coy
419 Sergeant W.S. Glennie No 2 Coy
320 Sergeant E.V. Hatch No 1 Coy
143 Sergeant R.H. Home No 4 Coy
410 Sergeant F.W.J. Kerr No 2 Coy
418 Sergeant W.B. Little No 2 Coy
305 Sergeant B. Stone No 1 Coy
420 Corporal G.F. Broomfield No 2 Coy
407 Corporal A.P. Collins No 2 Coy
56 Corporal E.R. Large No 2 Coy

(When war was declared Glennie & Little cycled up from their farms in Nyasaland to join the Uganda Volunteer Reserve. After completing 18 months service they cycled back to Nyasaland.)

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Hello fellow East Africa Campaign researchers

Hi Harry ,

I dont know if this will be of any interest to you, but while looking through a collection of badges which I think my grandfather had collected from the war, I came across a medal for a Pte Harry Scott who was in the Loyal North Lancashire his service number was 266252, My grandfather served in the rfa in ww1 and was awarded the dcm and the croix de guerre, Im interested as to why he had this medal of Harry Scott , wether he knew him or not I dont know .Im interested to know where Harry served as on his medal card there was no theartre of war, maybe you could shed some light ?

Cheers Dave

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Dave

According to the Territorial renumbering article on the LLT mother site Harry Scott's service number 266252 puts it in the block allocated to the 12th Battalion Loyal North Lancs. this link http://www.1914-1918.net/loyals.htm will give you some details as to the movements and details of the 12th.

Steve

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Dave

According to the Territorial renumbering article on the LLT mother site Harry Scott's service number 266252 puts it in the block allocated to the 12th Battalion Loyal North Lancs. this link http://www.1914-1918.net/loyals.htm will give you some details as to the movements and details of the 12th.

Steve

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the link , hoepfully I might find some reason to why I have this medal in my possesion and maybe track down his family to return it to them ,

Cheers Dave

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  • 4 months later...
post-20901-1211289466.jpg

Moshi and surrounding area


APRIL 1916 IN EAST AFRICA

Follow-on from Post 609



General Smuts took advice from a fellow Boer farmer in the Moshi region and was told, quite wrongly, that the rains would not last long. He therefore decided to send General van Deventer’s 2nd Division southwest from Arusha towards Kondoa Irangi so that British forces would dominate the Masai Plain.


2nd Division contained the 1st South African Mounted Brigade (1st, 2nd & 3rd South African Horse) and the 3rd South African Infantry Brigade, (9th, 10th, 11th & 12th South African Infantry).

The Divisional Artillery was the 2nd Artillery Group containing 2nd and 4th Batteries South African Field Artillery, 28th (Indian) Mountain Battery, 12th (Howitzer) Battery, Royal Artillery with the 2nd Division Ammunition Column.

Engineer support was provided by 61st (King George’s Own) Pioneers and No 1 Section East African Pioneers.

Machine-gun support was provided by No 4 Armoured Car Battery and The East Africa Volunteer Machine Gun Company.

Medical and Veterinary support was provided by personnel from South and East African Field Ambulances and Mobile Veterinary Sections.

2nd East African Divisional Signal Company gave communications support.

The Mounted Scouts were de Jager’s.

Van Deventer’s Mounted Brigade and South African Artillery advanced from Arusha, after thorough reconnaissance, on 3rd April 1916.
Withdrawing ahead of them was 28 Feldkompagnie .
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post-20901-1211354416.jpg

The start of the Pangani River, looking southwest from Kahe railway bridge.
Behind us is the same river but it is called the Ruvu


PREPARATIONS FOR THE BRITISH ADVANCES DOWN THE PANGANI RIVER AND THE USAMBARA RAILWAY, MAY 1916



As well as the 2nd Division, now heading towards Kondoa Irangi, General Smuts had his 1st and 3rd Divisions.

1st Division contained the British, Indian and East African units and 3rd Division contained the remainder of the South African units.

However 3rd Division needed reinforcements that were coming from South Africa and so it was combined with 1st Division and two main columns were formed at Kahe, River Column and Centre Column. A smaller Eastern Column was formed to move independently from Mbuyuni, across the border in British East Africa.

Because General Smuts believed that the Schutztruppe would prove difficult to dislodge from defensive positions along the Usambara Railway (running from Moshi to Tanga), he decided to make his main push down the Pangani River with River Column under Brigadier-General S.H. Sheppard. (The Pangani is the lower stretches of the Ruvu River shown on the map in the previous post.)

Centre Column under Brigadier-General J.A. Hannyngton was tasked to fight its way down the railway line, whilst Eastern Column under Lt Col T.O. FitzGerald was to advance south from Mbuyuni along the east side of the Pare Mountains, cooperating with Centre Column.

All three columns were formed from British, Indian and East African troops. The South Africans (with the exception of No 5 Battery South African Field Artillery) were tasked as Force Reserve.

At this time the 2nd Bn The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment was manning three units in General Smuts’ force. Each unit had its own war establishment and thus was not a part of the Battalion.

The Loyal North Lancashire Machine-Gun Company was in Divisional Reserve.

The Mounted Infantry Company, now containing only Loyal North Lancashire men, was also in Divisional Reserve.

No 6 Field Battery (“Logan’s Battery”) was in Centre Column.

Divisional Reserve was deployed on the River Column axis, and the Mounted Infantry Company was quickly used on reconnaissance tasks.
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post-20901-1211439875.jpg post-20901-1211439807.jpg

The headstones of Charles Coulston and George Cooper


THE DEPARTURE OF THE UNFIT MEMBERS OF THE 2nd Bn THE LOYAL NORTH LANCASHIRE REGIMENT TO SOUTH ARICA FOR RECUPERATION, MAY 1916


By April 1916 The 2nd Bn The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment had served in the East African theatre for 18 months. Intense heat during the day, cold nights, torrential monsoon rains, and malaria and other tropical diseases had debilitated the unit until only 140 men were fit for hard work.

On 4th April 1916 124 men of the Battalion reported sick, nearly all with malaria. The average number thereafter of daily sick personnel was around 100. The Commanding Officer, Lt Col C.E.A. Jourdain, suggested that unless continuous drafts could be sent as reinforcements then it would be better to cease operating as a battalion and to train for employment in the machine-gun and mounted infantry roles. No reply was received to this suggestion (the Staff probably hoped that three months out of theatre would solve all the problems).

On 15th April the Bn was warned off for travel to the Cape in South Africa for recuperation.

All fit manpower was to be posted to make up the Mounted Infantry Company to 80 men, and The Loyal North Lancashire Machine Gun Company to 150 men. The Bn could not produce sufficient fit men for these postings as a Medical Board on 9th April had pronounced that nearly all members of the unit were unfit. However that did not deter the Staff who ordered that 100 men should be re-Medically Boarded to see if they really were unfit, and so 24 more “fit” men were found by the use of very dubious military medical practices.

Finally a total of 167 men were found to be fit enough to stay in theatre and be posted to the MI and MG Companies.

Whilst this medical drama was being played out
9165 Lance Corporal George H. Cooper died of malaria, and
9837 Private Charles Coulston died of Blackwater Fever.

Lance Corporal Cooper was buried at Taveta and Private Coulston at Nairobi.

On 7th May the Bn “unfits” left Mbuyuni by rail, arriving at Kilindini Harbour, Mombasa the next day where they embarked on HMT Professor.
2/Lt Grierson had arrived ahead of the unit and obtained a stock of bottled beer for the men (a case of six dozen pints costing Rupees 26.50).

On 9th May HMT Professor left Kilindini and steamed to Zanzibar to take on water.
At last the ship arrived at Durban on 18th May.


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post-20901-1211522243.jpg

Sudi Bay can be seen southeast of Lindi and the Central Railway is the red line running across the top of the map

THE ARRIVAL OF THE GERMAN BLOCKADE-RUNNER MARIE


On 16th March 1916 a second German cargo ship evaded the Royal Navy blockade of the German East African coast. This was the vessel Marie and she arrived at Sudi Bay in the extreme south of the German colony. She had left Hamburg on 16th January and had maintained radio silence throughout the voyage.

Without interference the 1,500 tons of ship’s cargo was discharged onto floats to be ferried ashore and then carried by teams of porters (100,000 Africans were mobilized for this task) up to the Central Railway – a fine example of German logistic efficiency.

The British Official History “Naval Operations” displays its usual reticence about discussing naval shortcomings along the East African coast and fails to mention the incident. Thanks to the army Official History we know that on 10th April naval intelligence did receive reports of the German ship’s presence up a creek at Sudi. Whalers with HMS Hyacinth confirmed the presence and Hyacinth blindly shelled the reported position, but luckily for Marie a low tide meant that she lay on her side in the creek and only took repairable hits.

Bad weather then intervened but four days later HMSs Vengeance, Hyacinth and Challenger shelled the position again, but without the benefit of aerial observation. On 26th April kite-balloon observation reported no sign of the enemy ship. The Marie had lost four crew members killed and four wounded but had not suffered serious damage. During the four days bad weather she had slipped away from the GEA coastline and sailed for neutral Java where she was interned by the Dutch colonial authorities.

The Marie had brought for Lettow’s army:

Four 10.5 cm howitzers (plus ammunition)
Two 7.5 cm mountain guns (plus ammunition)
Four heavy machine-guns
2,000 rifles plus 3 million rounds of small arms ammunition
Ammunition for the Konigsberg guns
Clothing, stores, tobacco, sweets, medical supplies all pre-packed in Germany into 50,000 porter-loads


Also landed were a large number of Iron Crosses, First and Second Class plus decorations suitable for the Schutztruppe Askari, and also a specialist artillery officer sent by Berlin, Captain Roland von Kaltenborn-Stachau. He was soon to be in action commanding Lettow’s artillery at Kondoa Irangi.

General Smuts’ chief scout, Major P.J. Pretorius CMG DSO & Bar, was scouting down the Pangani River in preparation for River Column’s May 1916 advance, and he soon had confirmation of both the value of Marie’s cargo to the Schutztruppe and of the speed with which that cargo was being distributed.

He wrote:
We had slept on a big, isolated hill – a good spot from which to make observations. At sundown I had seen a big German camp, and so was astir at the first glints of day. To my amazement I saw the Germans come out and start musketry practice with rifles, firing away hundreds of rounds of ammunition at nothing but trees and boulders. This waste of cartridges astounded me, as we had been under the impression that the war would shortly end on account of the enemy’s shortage of ammunition.

I remained on the hill until ten o’clock, watching this surprising spectacle, and when the Germans had retired to camp for breakfast I went down to their “Bisley” and picked up some of the cartridge cases. They were inscribed “Magdeburg 1916”.

Where had all this ammunition come from? I could only surmise that a German or neutral steamer had managed to land on the east coast with supplies, and if that were so it was bad news for us, and meant the prolongation of the campaign
.”


The successful landing by the Marie of her total cargo was a massive boost to the Schutztruppe’s fighting efficiency and morale.
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G'Day Bushfighter,

I have been following your posts on the GWF and have been fascinated by the history and your research. We are in some of the areas you speak of at the end of 2006 and it adds a different spin for me. I was aware of the conflict during WWI in East Africa, but not as up to speed as one would like. Congrats on your passion and achievements.

I was wondering, and the main reason for this post as to whether you knew of where we could find photos of the following graves.

IRINGA CEMETERY

WILLIAMS, Lance Corporal, JOHN ENOCH, 7940. 2nd Bn. The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment. 31st May 1916. Age 32. Son of Enoch and Sophia Williams. Born at Melbourne, Australia. V.A.9.

MOROGORO CEMETERY

PIKE, Gunner, A J, 42799. East African Details. Royal Garrison Artillery. 21st March 1917. Age 35. Son of William and Alice Pike, of Croydon; husband of Jane Carroll (formerly Pike), of 66, Gray St., West Brunswick, Victoria, Australia. VII.D.4.

They both have a connection to Australia and as the Archive Director of the Australian War Graves Photographic Archive www.australianwargraves.org I am trying to obtain photos of their graves. We have images of all the other Australians buried in East Africa, and I hope that you might be able to help us out.

My e-mail address is australianwargraves@bigpond.com and aussiechris on the GWF should be able to vouch for us.

Looking forward to hearing from you via e-mail, PM or on this thread.

Many regards,

Matt Smith

Archive Director

Australian War Graves Photographic Archive

www.australianwargraves.org

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post-20901-1211615974.jpg

Falls on the Pangani River


RIVER COLUMN’S ADVANCE DOWN THE PANGANI RIVER

(refer to OH Sketch 31)


Brigadier Sheppard’s River Column included:

17th Cavalry East Africa Squadron
2nd Rhodesia Regiment
130th Baluchis
Composite Bn
(half the 2nd and the 3rd half-bn) Kashmir Rifles
No 5 Battery South African Field Artillery
27th Mountain Battery
(less one section)
A double company 61st Pioneers
A British Field Ambulance
Two sections of an Indian Field Ambulance
Ammunition and Supply Columns

River Column started advancing during the night of 21st May 1916 assisted by a moon in its last quarter. The Mounted Infantry Company was at that stage with the Divisional Reserve Main Body at Soko Nassai along with the Loyal North Lancashire Machine Gun Company.

The 17th Cavalry squadron led River Column’s advance, reaching the area of Rapids on 24th May. All troops, and especially the mounted ones, were glad to be following a river that contained good water.

1 Feldkompagnie was waiting for the British troops.


DIVISIONAL RESERVE
Divisional Reserve followed River Column down the Pangani and it contained:

HQ 1st Division (Major-General A.R. Hoskins)
Mounted Infantry Company (Loyal North Lancashire)
East African Mounted Rifles
25th Royal Fusiliers
29th Punjabis
Loyal North Lancashire Machine Gun Company
No 1 Armoured Car Battery

A section of East African Pioneers
A section of a British Field Ambulance
The East African Field Ambulance
Ammunition and Supply Columns
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post-20901-1211700784.jpg

The badge of the 5th Light Infantry
The regiment left nearly 130 dead in East Africa



THE 5th LIGHT INFANTRY REGIMENT (INDIAN ARMY)


In March 1916 a new Indian infantry unit arrived in the East African theatre to reinforce General Smuts’ force. This was the 1st Bn 5th Light Infantry, and it arrived with a colourful recent history.

The regiment recruited many Muslims: Pathans, Baluch and Ranghars from the eastern Punjab, plus a few Punjabi Sikhs. In February 1915 the regiment was stationed in Singapore when an inspecting Brigadier addressed the troops and told them they would now be moving to another theatre. The new theatre was to be Hong Kong but the Brigadier failed to specify this. Agitators amongst the troops spread rumours that the regiment’s destination was Mesopotamia, where the sepoys would have to fight against Turks, their fellow Muslims.

On the afternoon of 15th February about half the regiment suddenly mutinied in Alexandra Barracks, seizing the ammunition store and marching on Singapore town with the intention of releasing some hundreds of interned Germans (who the mutineers thought were Turks and fellow Muslims). The British officers had no idea of the unrest amongst their sepoys, and three officers were immediately killed and one mortally wounded. A gun battery of Malay States Guides was on duty that day at Alexandra Barracks, but it fled leaving behind its guns and mules.

Three officers, led by Major William Cotton, managed to escape being shot and ran down the road to a camp holding a Volunteer Company of The Malay States Rifles. The Volunteer Company of 83 men followed Major Cotton back into the barracks but after some initial success in fighting the mutineers the Volunteers were overwhelmed and either withdrew or took refuge in a Colonel’s bungalow.

Feeling encouraged by this success, bands of mutineers left the barracks and shot down players on a golf course and any other Europeans that they met. Women were generally spared but one wife who refused to leave her husband was killed. A hundred mutineers attacked Tangling Barracks, shooting down 23 Malay guards and their officers, and freeing the Germans held there. (It is possible that a German prisoner named Lauterbach, a naval officer from the Emden, had instigated the mutiny.)
However most Germans stayed where they were, and in fact when the sepoys had moved on these Germans took up the dead guards’ rifles and defended Tanglin Barracks, sheltering British refugees who entered. But some Germans escaped, including Lauterbach who eight months later reached Germany.

In Singapore town the Sikh police remained loyal and some European and Chinese Volunteers stepped forward to fight. They were joined by gunners from the Garrison Artillery and sailors from the armed sloop HMS Camus which was in harbour. French, Russian and Japanese sailors also appeared and were enrolled as Special Constables and tasked with patrolling the streets.

The officers and Volunteers in the Colonel’s bungalow in Alexandra Barracks held out overnight, and the resolve of some of the sepoys in the barracks, where the mutineers had re-concentrated, began to wane. Early in the morning of 16 February 80 sepoys came out to reaffirm their loyalty to Britain.

Colonel Charles Brownlow of the Royal Garrison Artillery, and a veteran of the North-West Frontier, knew that this was the moment to strike. With a force of 176 gunners, seamen and armed civilians he attacked Alexandra Barracks at dawn, killing or wounding 37 of the mutineers. The sepoys who survived the attack fled across the Johore Straits where they were eventually mopped-up by troops from the British and Sultan of Singapore’s armies, assisted by Dyak head-hunters brought over from Borneo.

At the subsequent trial 47 death penalties were handed down, 22 being swiftly executed by volunteer firing squads, the remaining 25 condemned men being transported for life. In total 800 mutineers were shot, imprisoned or exiled. Up to twenty British officers and civilians had been killed, along with the 23 Malay guards at Tanglin Barracks, and nearly 30 other Britons were wounded..

The 588 sepoys of the 5th Light Infantry who had not mutinied, along with their seven remaining British and Indian officers, were retained in the 1st Bn which was now posted to the Cameroons campaign in West Africa. The regiment, the only Indian infantry unit in that theatre, served diligently and well, re-establishing its own morale and pride.

The 5th Light Infantry landed in East Africa in March 1916 with a strength of 9 British Officers, 9 Indian Officers and 508 sepoys. The battalion was destined to take part in some intense and fierce fighting in the south of German East Africa, sometimes alongside the Loyal North Lancashire machine-gunners in 259 MG Coy, MGC.


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post-20901-1211786651.jpg

Lembeni Station


CENTRE COLUMN’S ADVANCE DOWN THE USAMBARA RAILWAY LINE

(refer to OH Sketch 31)


Brigadier J.A. Hannyngton, who had arrived as a Lieutenant-Colonel with 129 Baluchis, was now a Brigadier-General commanding Centre Column. Units in Centre Column were:

A detachment of East African Mounted Rifles
40th Pathans
129th Baluchis

Half-battalion 2nd Kashmir Rifles
No 6 Field Battery (Logan’s)
No 7 Field Battery

A section of East African Pioneers
Two sections Indian Field Ambulance
Ammunition and Supply Columns

(No 7 Field Battery had four 15-pounder breech-loading guns. These guns were used in 1915 for static defence duties at Besil and Maktau, and were manned by Royal Fusiliers and detached Indian infantrymen. To make this into a mobile Field Battery teams of oxen were used, driven by Indians under a Boer. Africans were ammunition numbers. Gunners were Mauritian, South African and from 25th Royal Fusiliers. The OC was Captain H.N.K. Keene, Royal Garrison Artillery.)

During the afternoon of 22nd May 1916 scouts reported that Kisangire Station (see image in Post 604) had been evacuated. A company of 129 Baluchis immediately advanced to occupy it. The remainder of Centre Column advanced at 1800 hours that evening. The next day the Column entered Lembeni and found the defences abandoned.

Major Kraut was commanding the Schutztruppe defence ahead of General Smuts’ advance. Abteilung Kraut consisted of:
1, 3, 16, 17 and 30 Feldkompagnien.
5 and 7 Schutzen Kompagnien (German and Austrian reservists)
A detachment at Rombo.
Two Artillery Batteries commanded by Sternheim (3 guns) and Fromme (4 guns).

(5 Schutzen Kompagnie had been reorganized to resemble a Feldkompagnie. 7 Schutzen Kompagnie consisted of 100 Europeans, 60 Askari and 3 machine-guns.)

Lettow had mistakenly decided in mid-April that Smuts’ main thrust was being delivered on van Deventer’s 2nd Division axis towards Kondoa Irangi (see Post 658). Lettow therefore moved 15 infantry and two mounted companies across from the Pangani area to the Central Railway, and then up the rail line towards Kondoa Irangi. Smuts was not aware of this and it took the British some time to appreciate the relative weakness of Abteilung Kraut. Even when they did understand the new Schutztruppe deployments, the British did not gain any decisive advantage from the situation.

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post-20901-1211875249.jpg

40th Pathans in East Africa
(Copyright QLR Museum Preston)



40th PATHANS


The 40th Pathans was a single-battalion regiment with its depot in the northwest Punjab at Sialkot, the former winter capital of the state of Kashmir. The regiment was composed of 1 company of Orakzais, a half company of Afridis and a half-company of Yusufzais, 1 company of Punjabi Musulmans and 1 company of Dogras. The regiment was linked with the 33rd and 46th Punjabis.

The dress uniform was drab coloured with emerald green facings. This was a lively regiment attracting attention wherever it went and being nicknamed the “Forty Thieves” (Major “Ali Baba” Graves of the 42nd Gurkhas had raised the unit at Peshin, Quetta as the only all-Pathan regiment in the Indian Army, but the 1901 linked-battalion system destroyed that unique identity). The stirring regimental march : “Zakhmi Dill”, played on srinai (reed pipes) and dhols (drums), was a favourite on band nights along the North-West Frontier, especially when the verses were sung.

In August 1914 the 40th Pathans was in Hong Kong, but after Lord Kitchener remarked that there was a job to be done by such a fine body of men on the Western Front the regiment was ordered to France. Embarking in Kowloon on 26th February 1915 on SS Basilan the regiment disembarked at Marseille on 1st April and marched through the town with its Pukhtan band-musicians playing the Marseillaise.

After inspections by the Indian Corps Commander Sir James Willcocks and by Sir John French the regiment experienced gas attacks and spotter aircraft for the first time during the 2nd Battle of Ypres. After the battle half the regiment was gone, (Killed in Action 24 including the CO, Died of Wounds 10, Missing in Action 11, Wounded in Action 295).

During August and September the regiment was in the trenches near Neuve Chappelle, taking more casualties, but was not committed during the Battle of Loos. In the December 1915 withdrawal of the Indian Infantry Divisions from France the regiment embarked on the 14th at Marseille on HMT Arcadian for an “unknown destination”.

The destination was Kilindini where the regiment disembarked on 9th January 1916. On that day Wavell’s Arab Rifles were ambushed at Mwele Mdogo, just southwest of Mombasa, losing 30 men killed including Wavell. The 40th Pathans sent two companies immediately to Mwele Mdogo, retaining the two other companies in the defence plan for Mombasa. However the Mwele Mdogo ambush was the last threatening action that the Schutztruppe made on the British East Africa coast and the 40th Pathans was then employed on Line of Communication duties before being placed in the 2nd East African Brigade of 1st Division and allocated to Centre Column.

The 40th Pathans would soon be operating alongside the 2nd Bn the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment during the capture of Dar Es Salaam.

The 40th Pathans would leave behind over 100 dead in East Africa.
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post-20901-1211961617.jpg

Looking east across the Usambara Railway towards Ngulu Gap in the North Pare Mountains

EASTERN COLUMN’S ADVANCE SOUTH THROUGH THE PARE MOUNTAINS

(refer to OH Sketch 31)



Eastern Column was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel T.O. FitzGerald, CO 3KAR, and consisted of:

The King’s African Rifles Mounted Infantry Company
3rd Bn King’s African Rifles

A section of 27th Mountain Battery
A section of an Indian Field Ambulance
Ammunition and Supply Columns

Eastern Column left Mbuyuni at 2200 hours on 20th May and marched 14 miles south through bush before camping at Hill 878. Water was still available from the shallow pans where it had collected during the rainy season.
At dawn the Column moved on to an abandoned German camp just south of Lake Jipe.

In accordance with the 1st Division timetable Eastern Column moved at 0400 hours on 23rd May southwest to Nyata Hill which was occupied at 0900 hours, one German and 10 Askari having withdrawn an hour earlier.

The KAR Mounted Infantry Company now reconnoitred southeast towards Mwaru Hill, driving off a small Schutztruppe piquet and occupying the hill.
Further reconnaissance on 24th May discovered Kindaro to be abandoned but found the Ngulu Gap, the direct route west through the North Pare mountains to the Usambara Railway, to be heavily fortified.
Eastern Column halted at Nyata.
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post-20901-1212040498.jpg

Lieutenant-General J.C. Smuts, East Africa 1916

GENERAL SMUTS AS THE LEADING SCOUT

Footnote 2 on page 290 of the Official History mentions that:
The C-in-C, riding ahead to reconnoiter for himself in disregard of personal danger, narrowly escaped capture by a German patrol.
Crowe’s book mentions the incident but Van Der Byl’s describes it.


River Column advance guard made satisfactory progress by riding or marching but the wheeled units needed roads constructing, particularly at choke points such as drift and stream crossings. Often an armoured car from Willoughby’s battery would be tasked to illuminate worksites during the hours of darkness so that the Pioneers could work all night.

On 27th May General Smuts decided to ride ahead with three staff officers on a flank route and make his own reconnaissance. Finding a suitable well-wooded steep-sided ridge one officer held the horses whilst the General and the other two officers climbed the slope. They crawled across the skyline and began observing the ground ahead.

Suddenly two Germans and ten Askari were seen moving directly towards the ridge, where they halted just below the General’s observation post. From another direction one German and six Askari arrived, and then two smaller groups arrived at what was obviously a rendezvous for enemy reconnaissance patrols or dispersed sub-units. The Schutztruppe patrol commanders exchanged information with each other.

After 30 minutes of this the General decided to withdraw and his party crept back to the horses and retired without being detected.

(Piet Van Der Byle also mentions gaining confirmation of the arrival of the German blockade-runner Marie (Post 661). He was tasked to ride under a flag of truce to the local Schutztruppe HQ to enquire about British prisoners suffering from malaria and to ensure that they were receiving quinine. During this visit he managed to observe inscribed on an Askari rifle: Karlsrue 1915.)

********************************

FORCE RESERVE

Also moving south behind the three Columns of 1st Division was Force Reserve consisting of :

HQ 2nd South African Infantry Brigade (Brigadier-General P.S. Beves)
Belfield’s Scouts
5th South African Infantry
6th South African Infantry
No 8 Field Battery (Calcutta Volunteers)
134th (Cornwall) Howitzer Battery (TF)


(7th and 8th South African Infantry had been detached from Brigadier Beves’ Brigade to form part of a General Reserve at Kondoa Irangi).



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post-20901-1212129609.jpg

The Masai Steppe that van Deventer's mounted troops crossed
(Photo by Doastere)



THE CAPTURE OF LOLKISALE AND ITS SPRINGS,
2nd DIVISION AXIS, 5 April 1916


(refer to OH Sketch 29)


Follow-on from Post 658

Lolkisale was a lone hill 1,500 feet high, 35 miles southwest of Arusha in a dry open region. It contained fresh springs and so it was vital to Major-General van Deventer’s 2nd Division advance that the springs were seized.

On 3rd April 1916 the South African Mounted Brigade (less one squadron 2nd South African Horse) with 2nd and 4th Batteries South African Field Artillery moved off at noon from Arusha to attack Lolkisale. The 2nd South African Horse was tasked with riding around the hill to block any enemy withdrawal.

28 Feldkompagnie was defending the hill and the springs. The commander, Captain Rothert, had another officer, 15 German soldiers, over 120 Askari, 300 company porters and 2 machine-guns with him. The Feldkompagnie occupied dominant positions on the high ground and over the springs.

An interesting account of the fight is given in Anthony Richardson’s book: “The Crowded Hours – the story of Sos Cohen” (Parrish 1952). Lionel Cohen was a Lieutenant and a Troop Commander in 1st South African Horse which he had joined in Pretoria in 1915, and he was a veteran of the Matabele Campaign and the Boer War.

The South Africans rode through the night and at 0900 hours on the 4th April the 1st and 3rd South African Horse dismounted 3,000 yards away from Lolkisale and advanced through bush and elephant grass towards the hill. The Schutztruppe opened effective fire when the South Africans emerged from the scrub below the hill. The 2nd South African Horse joined in the fire fight, making contact on the plain with two troops of 1SAH that moved to meet them. The South African artillery batteries joined in and covered the SAH slow advance.

However thirst began to tell against the South Africans and their mounts and at one point General van Deventer considered sending the horses back to Arusha. (Water carts in the rear were stuck in the swamps caused by the heavy rains.) But then Captain Rothert was wounded and evacuated and the German resolve began to crumble. At around 1600 hours 28 FK withdrew from above a spring, giving some of the South Africans access to water. Meanwhile 2SAH had approached the hill crest from the south and was near the enemy trenches. The South Africans decided to assault the enemy at dawn the next day.

Lionel Cohen knew nothing of this as he and his troop were pinned down below the hill under a blazing sun with hardly any water left in their bottles. He sent a runner to the rear for orders but none came. Then noticing that there was a strip of dead ground (the enemy could not observe it) below the hill, he requested permission to move forward. His request was granted and his troop crawled forward through grass to open ground ahead which they suddenly charged across in skirmishing formation. The Schutztruppe riflemen were slow to react (perhaps the German machine-gunners had been redeployed to face the threat from 2SAH) and Cohen’s troop got across the open area into the dead ground. Here the troop had more freedom of movement, but still no water.

At first light Lionel Cohen spotted a white flag on the hill above him. He reported it and his runner returned with the instruction: “Investigate. But suspect trap”. Cohen and his orderly climbed the hill and found the remaining German officer, Lieutenant Hergott, standing by the flag ready to surrender. Cohen reported this and received the instruction: “Remove bolts from all rifles. March prisoners down to foothills.” Lionel Cohen’s troop then marched the Feldkompagnie down the hill and into captivity.

Lettow was not happy with this news, wishing that 28 FK had considered the situation that the South Africans were in with regard to water, which may have forced the withdrawal of some South African units. However on a more proud and positive note he comments:
On this occasion some of the Askari gave evidence of sound military education by refusing to join in the surrender. They, together with the wounded, rejoined our forces near Ufiome, without being interfered with by the enemy. There they met a new rifle company and the Arusha Detachment, of which the former had arrived from the central railway, the latter from the direction of Arusha.”
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post-20901-1212217740.jpg

The Mounted Infantry Company in Bush Formation
(Copyright QLR Museum Preston)



THE MOUNTED INFANTRY COMPANY’S ADVANCE DOWN THE PANGANI RIVER

(refer to OH Sketch 31)


The Mounted Infantry Company under command of Captain George Atkinson MC, Loyal North Lancashires, was organized into four troops, each of about 16 men:

A Troop under Captain A.P.V. Pigot, 3rd South Lancashires attached Loyal North Lancashires.
B Troop under Lieutenant C. Crosby, Loyal North Lancashires.
C Troop under Lieutenant R. Holmes, East African Protectorate Forces attached Loyal North Lancashires.
D Troop under CSM T. Hewitson, Loyal North Lancashires.

Four Officers, 65 Rifles and 8 Armed Scouts marched with River Column. Two men were left at Mbuyuni as a sub-depot. Twelve Rifles and 2 Armed Scouts were in Hospital. Officers had ponies but the Rifles rode mules.

First Line Transport was 7 pack mules and 2 AT Carts.
Second Line Transport was 6 AT Carts, 1 Water Cart and 1 American Cart.
All carts were drawn by mules.

All mules were numbered and although signs of Trypanosomiasis were appearing due to Tsetse-fly bites, sick or wounded mules were cared for, as these two extracts from the War Diary show:

18 May 1915. “The mule which had been wounded on 29.2.16 at Luchoro had a bullet extracted from his near quarter, four and a half inches deep.”
20 May 1916. “Mule No 769 very bad with colic for 6 hours, successfully treated by Captain Donaldson “B” Mobile Veterinary Section.”

A Divisional Remount Officer (DRO) was located in the Divisional Rear Echelon with a small number of horses and mules so that immediate remounts could be requisitioned. His stock was replenished by train from British East Africa.

After halting at Rapids on 25 May the Mounted Infantry Company moved forward to join the 17th Cavalry East Africa Squadron that was Advance Guard for River Column under Captain Slater, 11th Rajputs, attached 17th Cavalry.

On 26 May whilst going to water the mules the MI Company captured an Askari of 1 Feldkompagnie with his .450 rifle, sowars of 17 Cavalry capturing his German commander. The speed of the British mounted troops’ response had surprised this enemy picquet.

The next day the cavalry and MI were ordered to make a 20-mile reconnaissance to the south. “C” Troop of the MI found a Schutztruppe cattle camp near the Pangani which had just been evacuated by a German and 15 Askari. The cattle were requisitioned for supplies and some of the local villagers were taken along as guides.
The remainder of the MI and 17 Cavalry found the tracks of the withdrawing enemy and the MI Coy was ordered to engage, which it did capturing 3 porters and 1 Askari of 17 Feldkompagnie armed with a British .303 rifle that had originally been issued to the 101st Grenadiers.
The mules had not received a grain ration for three days and they were too exhausted to ride down the escaping Schutztruppe Askari.

The main British advance had only just started but already supply shortcomings were apparent. General Smuts, whilst he had been a brilliant Boer commander of mounted raiding parties that lived off the land, paid no attention to logistic detail despite the entreaties of his British staff.
Now, with three Divisions in the field this blindness to logistic problems was to physically erode Smuts’ force and to prevent him from defeating the Schutztruppe.

***************************************************


Roop
Thank you very much for the images.
I have struggled with Gallery, but failed.
(I give all IT problems 30 minutes of my time, but then I move back to research and writing, as life is too short.)
Harry


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post-20901-1212305984.jpg

The Officers' Ward, Wynburg Hospital, The Cape, South Africa
(Copyright QLR Museum, Preston)



THE ARRIVAL OF THE 2nd BATTALION THE LOYAL NORTH LANCASHIRE REGIMENT AT THE CAPE, MAY 1916


(follow-on from Post 660)

When HMT Professor docked at Durban at 1100 hours on 18th May 1916, 16 Officers, 5 Warrant Officers and 516 Other Ranks of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment disembarked. Thirty seven men were immediately hospitalized at Durban.

The Mayor of Durban entertained the CO, Lt Col C.E.A. Jourdain, The Senior Major, Major H.A. Robinson, and the Adjutant, Captain D.P.J. Collas to lunch where they met the South African Brigadier-General Brits, who later that day sailed for East Africa.

In the afternoon the people of Durban entertained the Battalion to a Tea and Concert.

In the evening the Battalion climbed aboard two trains in Durban Docks. Each man had a sleeping space and the Railway Contractors cooked centrally on the trains for all ranks.

The following morning the trains passed through Ladysmith and then stopped towards evening at Bethlehem where the townsfolk had been waiting for hours to serve the Battalion with tea and refreshments. Now at a much more southern latitude than British East Africa, the men began to feel the cold despite their greatcoats and blankets.

The trains continued through the night, arriving at Bloemfontein around 0700 hours 20th May. The unit strength now on the trains was 16 Officers, 1 Medical Officer, 2 Warrant Officers, 482 Other Ranks and 22 Indian Followers.
Worcester was reached by noon 21st May and then at 1630 hours the trains paused at Wynberg in the Cape for the Battalion to be greeted by Major-General C.W. Thompson CB DSO, military commander at the Cape, and his staff.
Thirty minutes later the trains arrived at Simonstown where the Band of HMS Kent then played the Battalion into Barracks.

On the afternoon of 22nd May General Thompson inspected the Battalion in Barrack Rooms and spoke to each man in turn.
As Lt Col Jourdain commented in his War Diary: “So different from the Generals of the Indian Army in East Africa.”

Medical staff then began weighing and inspecting each man. The results of this inspection led to a daily extra ration increase for Warrant Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and Men of:
Oatmeal: 2 ounces, Sugar: 1 ounce, Condensed Milk: a quarter of a tin,
plus a weekly extra ration of Oranges: 6.

On 26 May Lord Buxton, Governor General of South Africa inspected the Battalion, praising and thanking the men for their efforts.

Meanwhile rather over-zealous Garrison orders had placed some nearby pleasurable locations Out of Bounds to the troops, with the result that soldiers were straying to those locations anyway. Ever-mindful of discipline, and personally appalled by the slack standards of other “Colonial” units at the Cape, Lt Col Jourdain addressed the Battalion on this matter, but he also successfully appealed to the GOC to cancel the orders.

On 28th May the Battalion was distributed as follows:

Main Barracks, Simonstown 6 officers and 110 Ors
The Palace, Simonstown 6 officers and 173 Ors
Noah’s Ark 3 officers and 89 Ors
In Hospital Durban 32 Ors
In Hospital Wynburg 1 officer and 90 Ors
Attending Hospital 19 Ors
At Police Duty Cape Town 6 Ors
On Field Punishment 2 Ors
On Detachment Wynburg 2 Ors




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do you have information on pte frederick wright 9531 2nd bn loyal north lancashire regt who died on 4th november 1914. i have a poor quality photocopy with a picture of him. the article dated 23/02/1915 mentions that he was 24 years of age and his mother lived at 8 cobden street woolton [liverpool] it mentions that he was killed in fighting in east africa on 05/02/1914 the date differs from s.d.g.w and c.w.g.c

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Izz
Sadly I don't know much more than yourself. Frederick Wright was killed in action at Tanga, German East Africa, on 4th November 1914 and his name appears on the memorial there.
He obviously was a regular soldier who had been serving with the 2nd Bn The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment in Bangalore, India.
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Roop
Thanks for the image.
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NOAH'S ARK, SIMONSTOWN, THE CAPE

Does anybody have any information on this location?

Harry
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