ww1
TRANSCRIPT
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ASPECTS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR 1914 - 1916
in Taita Taveta CountyCompiled by James G Willson
A section of 3/Kings African Rifles somewhere on the Tsavo Serengeti Plains
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1st
Qtr
3rd
Qtr
East
West
North
Colonel Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck who Commanding the German
Colonial Protection Force, known as the Schutztruppe, led the British
Empire troops on a gruelling chase through GEA & PEA finally accepting Germanys defeat in today's Zambia 14 days after the armistice on 25th
November 1918.
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Personalities of the Mombasa-Voi Command 1914 - 1916
Major- General M J Tighe
Brigadier-General Malleson Major-General
Wapshare
Capt R MeinertzhagenRev Capt V V Verbi OBE Colonel E Grogan
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Detritus found at various camps and skirmish sites
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Voi Railway Station Nov 1914 Note the large number of straw bales of fodder that was needed to feed the
oxen, horses, mules and other livestock on the front at Maktau
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Carrier Corps Porters were used through out the East African Campaign
In late 1915 motorised transport arrived in East Africa. These Model T Fords never superseded the use of porters who did
not need made up roads and tracks.
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• The major target for the Schutztruppe was Patterson’s Voi River Railway Bridge, they never got anywhere near it as it was too well defended but they did manage to regularly disrupt the ‘Lunatic line’ by blowing up culverts and removing bolts from the rail fishplates.
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Njora Observation Post at Kasigau
Sangers at Pika Pika Rocks
Signal Station high up on Mt Kasigau
Rukanga Chiefs Office
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An Observation Post over looking the Tsavo River Valley
Revetments at Crater Fort
Walls of a building at Mzima Fort
The German fort known as Hill 930 near Taveta
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A Loyal North Lancashire Regt Machine Gun nest on top of Mashoti Hill September 1915
Machine Gun Post on NW corner of Mashoti Fort in 2011
Mashoti Fort manned by 3/KAR in 1916
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Mahoo, Taveta in German Occupation June 1915, with the Schutztruppe camp on the left
Mahoo Hill on the left after liberation by British Empire Forces March 1916
View as above from Mahoo Hill 2011Mahoo Hill immediately after being liberated
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Taveta 1915, under German occupation, the Police Post used as a German Hospital with 4 graves of the first German casualties
The same building in 1995
The window in the Police Post from where the first shot in anger was fired, effectively starting the East African Campaign of the First World War
The former Police Post in Taveta in more recent times
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The German Post Office erected in
Taveta Village
‘official first day cover’.
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German Schutztruppe dug in on Salaita Hill October 1914
Salaita Hill 1916
The Snipers Baobab Tree to the NNE of Salaita Hill, a tree with a legend
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Aerial photograph taken by Cmdr J T Cull (RNAS) of Salaita Hill February 1916
The 5th South African Infantry Regt., march into Serengeti Camp.
4 inch field gun recovered from HMS Pegasus and nicknamed Peggy II with Royal Navy gunners (Royal Marines) on hand at Salaita, March 1916
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Maktau Camp, home, between 1914 & 1916 to thousands of British Empire Forces as they prepared to head for the front towards Mt Kilimanjaro off in the distance
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Maktau
Capt F. C. Selous, with 25th Btn The Royal Fusiliers (Legion of Frontiersmen) ‘C’ Coy first parade on arrival at Maktau August 1915
A Royal Navy Air Service No 4 Expeditionary Sqd
Caudron GIII with its 89hp Gnome engine gaining revs
prior to take off from Maktau as ground crew hang on until the pilot
signals them to release the craft. Max speed was about
60mph
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2/Btn Loyal North Lancashire Regt manning Picket Hill -
Maktau
Going to war in a Rolls Royce!
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A RNAS Caudron GIII on final approaches to the airstrip at
Maktau
In for an engine overhaul at a makeshift garage
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4’’ gun recovered from the wreck of HMS Pegasus on its way towards the action on
Salaita Hill March 1916
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The Voi-Maktau Military Railway line
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Von Lettow’s troops dig in at Mbuyuni just 12 miles from the main British base at
Maktau from where they start to harass the British troops building the military line.
Typical 1 pint water bottle
carried by the British troops
that was expected to last
an indefinite period of time
A battle plan of General Malleson’s ill fated attack
against Mbuyuni 14th July 1915
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Mbuyuni back in British hands - February 1916
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Lieut. W. T. Dartnell, VCVoi CWGC Cemetery
First Victoria Cross of the East African Campaign awarded posthumously to an Australian volunteer of the 25th Btn Royal Fusiliers (The Legion of Frontiersmen)
Lieutenant W T Dartnell
Killed, 3rd September 1915
Shot in both legs, Dartnell tries to save the lives of his other wounded comrades near Maktau
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• Subedar
Khudadad Khan, 129th Baluchi Regt
1st Indian soldiers of the Great War to be awarded
the VC
Subedar Ghulam Haider 129th Baluchi Regt awarded a posthumous
Indian Order of MeritCommemorated at Maktau CWGC Cemetery
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Cemeteries in Taita/Taveta County of soldiers who died during the First World War of 1914 – 1918 cared for by The Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Maktau CWGC WW1 Indian Memorial
Voi CWGC WW1 Cemetery Taveta CWGC WW1 Indian
Cemetery
Taveta European CWGC W W1Cemetery
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Mile 27
The site of two skirmishes between British and German troops on 29th September 1915 at Mile 27 on the Voi-Maktau Military Line where 14 British soldiers were killed. This site lies within the Taita Hills & Salt Lick Wildlife Sanctuary
Detail on a rail track
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The 14 graves at Bura, that were re-interred to Voi CWGC Cemetery
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The last train to run on the old military line to Taveta crossing the bridge at
Mile 27 in 1989
31A section of the First World War artefacts' displayed in Taita Hill Lodge
32Some of the artefacts on display at Taita Hills Lodge
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A group at Taita Hills Lodge, First World War display, before departing for a guided tour of Mile 27 and Fort Mashoti
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75% out of over 300,000 troops involved in the East African Campaign were invalided out or died due to illness and
starvation rather than the result of battle
The 20% who survived were mostly African troops recruited in Eastern Africa, West Africa and the
Caribbean who were acclimatised and largely immune to the diseases and harsh conditions that existed
Over 1,000,000 African porters (25% of the then African population in Kenya) were employed during the war, an
unknown number died or were killed
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A professionally guided Battlefield Tour to the Mashoti Fort in the Taita Hills and Salt Lick Lodges Wildlife Sanctuary
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Book guided tours to the First World War sites in the Taita Hills & Salt Lick Wildlife Sanctuary or tours within Taita/Taveta County with the
receptionists at either Lodge.
• .
Private tours may be arranged with
James G Willson
Member of the International Guild of Battlefield Guides
Author ‘Guerrillas of Tsavo’
Email [email protected]
www.guerrillasoftsavo.com
www.facebook.com/guerrillasoftsavo