GRAVES OF THE INDIAN VOLUNTEER MAXIM GUN COMPANY IN KENYA

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Details for Lieutenant R.E. Wilson and Corporal T.S. Christopher


GRAVES OF THE INDIAN VOLUNTEER MAXIM GUN COMPANY IN KENYA
“Each stone would bear the regimental badge or a national emblem.”
(From page 35 of “The Unending Vigil”.)

On 12th September 1914 Army HQ in India ordered the formation of a Volunteer Maxim Gun Company for service with Indian Expeditionary Force “C” in British East Africa. Personnel for the company were drawn from British and Anglo-Indian members of Indian Volunteer infantry units.
(These units were similar in concept to the British Territorial units, but were designed for internal security duties within India.)

Volunteers were enrolled from:

The Bombay Volunteer Rifles.
The Lucknow Volunteer Rifles.
The Nagpur Volunteer Rifles.
The Punjab Volunteer Rifles.
The Mussoorie Volunteer Rifles.
The Cawnpore Volunteer Rifles.
The Bangalore Rifle Volunteers.

At that time the Adjutant of The Bombay Volunteer Rifles was Captain F.H. James, 104th Wellesley’s Rifles, and he was appointed to command the new unit. For the next two and a half years the Volunteer Maxim Gun Company was very usefully employed on fire support missions in British and German East Africa. In the early days, before disease and malnutrition set in, a very comprehensive War Diary was maintained (WO/95 5343).

In Kenya I have located six CWGC graves for the unit, four at Taveta and two at Mombasa. On five headstones an incorrect badge has been engraved and the unit title Volunteer Machine Gun Corps inscribed. On the sixth headstone there is no badge.

The incorrect badge that has been used is that of the East Africa Protectorate, and I think that there is a very good reason for this.

One of the local units raised in British East Africa in August 1914 was at first titled The East Africa Regiment, but its numbers dwindled so significantly in the early months of the war that it was reorganized as a single machine-gun company and re-titled The East African Maxim Gun Company (War Diary also WO/95 5343). Just like the Indian Volunteer company the East African company served in fire support roles until it wasted away. There was and still is confusion about these two maxim gun units and their identities and origins. Doubtless such confusion occurred when the five incorrect badges were carved.

The four Volunteer Maxim Gun Company graves at Taveta contain:

Lieutenant R.E. Wilson
54 Serjeant J. Sinclair
50 Corporal T.S. Christopher
15 Gunner R. Nagaukar

Unit War Diary casualty entries show that Serjeant Sinclair (Lucknow Volunteer Rifles) died of wounds after the unsuccessful attack on Salaita Hill, and that Lieutenant Wilson (Bombay Volunteer Rifles) and Corporal Christopher (Mussoorie Volunteer Rifles) were killed in action during the Latema – Reata battle.
A nominal roll within the War Diary shows that Gunner Nagaukar’s parent unit was the Bangalore Rifle Volunteers.
(“The Cross of Sacrifice Volume 1” confirms Lieutenant Wilson as serving in the Bombay Volunteer Rifles.)

The two Volunteer Maxim Gun Company graves in Mombasa (Mbaraki) Cemetery contain:

71 Corporal W. Humphrey
7656 Private L. Hockley

Corporal Humphrey’s headstone displays the incorrect badge and Private Hockley’s headstone is without a badge, although it does go some way to recording his parent unit, stating: “Machine Gun Section North Western Railway”.

(A armoured train gun detachment of The North Western-Railway Volunteer Rifles accompanied Indian Expeditionary Force “B” to Tanga, and this detachment appears to have been merged into the Volunteer Maxim Gun Company at a later date. This probably accounts for the different system of regimental numbers as seen on Private Hockley’s headstone.)

The Volunteer Maxim Gun Company War Diary records in a nominal roll that Corporal Humphrey’s parent unit was The Bombay Volunteer Rifles.
(The same document records that Serjeant Sinclair’s number was 34 and not 54.)

When and if these six headstones need replacing it would be pleasing to see unit badges or at least a contemporary Indian national emblem carved into them, along with the correct unit titles.
(The badges of the Indian Volunteer units are displayed in Reginald Cox’s excellent book: “Military Badges of the British Empire 1914-18”.)

Thank you Commonwealth War Graves Commission for your untiring and dedicated maintenance efforts world-wide that allow us to continue remembering and paying tribute to those who did not return from the wars.

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Serjeant Sinclair's details

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Gunner Nagaukar's details

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Corporal Humphrey's details

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Private Hockley's headstone

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Harry

Some nice detective work.

Terry Denham is the best person to resolve CWGC queries.

Carl