Brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

William Frederick Savery Edwards (1872–1941), commonly referred to as Brigadier-General W. F. S. Edwards, was a decorated British military officer who was appointed by the British Colonial Administration as the first Inspector General of the Uganda Protectorate Police, which later became the

Uganda Police The Uganda Police Force is the national police force of Uganda. The head of the force is called the Inspector General of Police (IGP). The current IGP is Martin Okoth Ochola. Ochola replaced former IGP, General Kale Kayihura in March 2018. Rec ...

, and the simultaneous overall commander of the then British East Africa Police. He was the first military member of the colonial British military appointed by the British Crown to lead the Uganda Police Force and the entire law enforcement machinery in British East Africa. When the Uganda Protectorate Police officially became the Uganda police, he was the first duly appointed Inspector General of the same.

Career

Edwards was a professional military officer by training. Upon his arrival in

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

, in 1906, he took on more than just the Inspector General position of the British East Africa Police and of the Uganda Police; he also eventually took on the military command of British and local African soldiers serving the British Empire—who, that at the time, were poised to confront the German military front in East Africa. Per the words contained in the official (Kenya) Gazette, his appointment orders extended to the Uganda Protectorate "Prisons" system. Considered an "indefatigable worker, a stickler for efficiency nda stern disciplinarian," Edwards was a leader who represented and protected the strategic interests of the then British Empire in colonial East Africa. Military leadership over civilian police forces in colonial territory was typical under British rule. Following General Edwards' leadership, other British military officers came to the helm of Uganda's police leadership until 1950. Edwards commanded Port Amelia Force (''PAMFORCE'') that opposed German incursions into Portuguese East Africa (current

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

). He also commanded the East Africa Expeditionary Forces (during the East African campaign (World War I), and a contingency Force code-named ''Edforce''.

Military

Chronology of events/operations

* January 1897 - Commissioned 2nd lieutenant in 4th Battalion, Devon Regiment. * 1899 - deployed to Sierra Leone, West Africa. * October 1899 to May 1902 - engaged in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

. Wounded twice. * January 1900 - Promoted to full

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

. * 1900 - Attached to the Ashanti Field Force. * April 1901 - Promoted to captain. * 1901 to 1906 - South Africa Constabulary. * 1907 - Attached to the Kioga Punitive Force. * 1914 to 1918, in the East African campaign (World War I) against German forces. General Edwards commanded a contingency of forces in East Africa named ''"Edforce."'' * 1915 - simultaneous conflict against Turkana incursions. * 1916 - Kagera River conflict against German frontline forces. * 1917 - promoted to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

, commander of communication lines; 1917 to 1918 - British commander of East Africa Expeditionary Forces. * 1918 - promoted to brigadier-general. * 25 November 1918 - accepted surrender of German forces (under command of General

Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck (20 March 1870 – 9 March 1964), also called the Lion of Africa (german: Löwe von Afrika), was a general in the Imperial German Army and the commander of its forces in the German East Africa campaign. For four yea ...

) at Abercorn, North Rhodesia (now

Mbala, Zambia Mbala is Zambia’s most northerly large town and seat of Mbala District in Northern Province, occupying a strategic location close to the border with Tanzania and controlling the southern approaches to Lake Tanganyika, 40 km by road to the ...

). The

Mbala War Memorial The Mbala War Memorial (also known as the Abercorn Memorial) is a First World War memorial which stands on a roundabout on the M1 Road heading south from the centre of Mbala, Zambia. The truncated red stone column was one of the last war memoria ...

, designed by Sir

Edwin Lutyens Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memori ...

, commemorates this event.

Achievements

* overcame incursions of the Turkana resistance in East Africa and Uganda Protectorate, 1915. Earned and the troops under him earned the General Service Medal (1915) East Africa, bestowed by His Majesty The King (

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

, aka George Frederick Ernest Albert) * raided German (''Schutztruppe'') posts and demolished frontline cover areas of the enemy across the Kagera River. * commanded forces under austere conditions as the Commander of Communication Lines, under the top Commander in Chief General

Jan Smuts Field Marshal Jan Christian Smuts, (24 May 1870 11 September 1950) was a South African statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various military and cabinet posts, he served as prime minister of the Union of South Af ...

* overcame German forces, in conjunction with Belgian, and Portuguese forces, in East Africa in 1918, leading to the historical surrender of

(Commander of the German military forces) on 25 November 1918, at Abercorn, North Rhodesia. In display of true officership, General Edwards ceremoniously returned General

's sword that the latter had given him as a sign of truce, "marking his respect for a noble opponent." General

is reported to have only surrendered after hostilities ended in Europe.

Police

* First Inspector General (and military officer/commander) of the Uganda Protectorate Police. * First Inspector General (and military officer/commander) of the Uganda Police Force. * First overall Commander of the British East Africa Police.

Achievements

* Re-organized and trained the police force from a military operational force perspective to that of a civilian operational force perspective. * Established a training depot in Nairobi in 1911, equipped with a fingerprint section. * Established "a clear system of administration, records, files and statistics."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, William F.S. 1872 births 1941 deaths East African Campaign (World War I) East Africa Protectorate people Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate people Law enforcement in Uganda Law enforcement in Kenya British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army generals of World War I Devonshire Regiment officers