The King's African Rifles (KAR) was a multi-

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...

British colonial regiment raised from Britain's various possessions in East Africa from 1902 until independence in the 1960s. It performed both military and internal security functions within the colonial territories, and served outside these territories during the World Wars. The rank and file ( askaris) were drawn from native inhabitants, while most of the officers were seconded from the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. When the KAR was first raised there were some Sudanese officers in the battalions raised in

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...

, and native officers were commissioned towards the end of British colonial rule.

Uniforms

Until independence, the parade uniform of the KAR comprised

khaki The color khaki (, ) is a light shade of tan with a slight yellowish tinge. Khaki has been used by many armies around the world for uniforms and equipment, particularly in arid or desert regions, where it provides camouflage relative to sandy ...

drill, with tall fezzes and

cummerbund A cummerbund is a broad waist sash, usually pleated, which is often worn with single-breasted dinner jackets (or ''tuxedos''). The cummerbund was adopted by British military officers in colonial India, where they saw it worn by sepoys (Indi ...

s. Both of the latter items were normally red, although there were some battalion distinctions with

Nyasaland Nyasaland () was a British protectorate located in Africa that was established in 1907 when the former British Central Africa Protectorate changed its name. Between 1953 and 1963, Nyasaland was part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasala ...

units, for example, wearing black fezzes. Prior to 1914, the regiment's field service uniforms consisted of a dark blue

jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the l ...

and

puttee A puttee (also spelled ''puttie'', adapted from the Hindi '' paṭṭī'', meaning "bandage") is a covering for the lower part of the leg from the ankle to the knee, alternatively known as: legwraps, leg bindings, winingas, or Wickelbänder. The ...

s, khaki shorts and a khaki fez cover with integral foldable cloth peak and neck flap. Askaris wore sandals or were barefoot, on the rationale that the heavy military boots of the period were unsuitable for African recruits who had not previously worn footwear. Fezzes bore an Arabic or Roman number with the wartime-raised battalions wearing theirs on geometric-shaped patches of cloth. During the

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, all the dark blue items were replaced with khaki equivalents, and a short

pillbox hat A pillbox hat is a small hat, usually worn by women, with a flat crown, straight, upright sides, and no brim. It is named after the small cylindrical or hexagonal cases that were used for storing or carrying a small number of pills.

with a khaki cover was worn on campaign. After the war, the khaki shirt was replaced by a collarless blue-grey angora shirt called a "greyback". Officers and senior NCOs wore

slouch hats A slouch hat is a wide-brimmed felt or cloth hat most commonly worn as part of a military uniform, often, although not always, with a chinstrap. It has been worn by military personnel from many different nations including Australia, Ireland, the ...

with coloured

hackle The hackle is a clipped plume or short spray of coloured feathers that is attached to a military headdress, with different colours being associated with particular regiments. In the British Army and the armies of some Commonwealth countries, ...

Formation

Six

s were formed in 1902 by the amalgamation of the

Central Africa Regiment Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

(CAR),

East Africa Rifles East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...

(EAR) and

Uganda Rifles }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sout ...

, with one or two battalions located in each of

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

and British Somaliland: * 1st (Nyasaland) Battalion 902–1964with eight companies (formerly 1CAR) * 2nd (Nyasaland) Battalion 902–1963with six companies (formerly 2CAR) The 1st and 2nd Battalions were also known as the 1st and 2nd Central African Battalions. * 3rd (Kenya) Battalion 902–1963with seven companies and a camel company (formerly the East African Rifles) * 4th (Uganda) Battalion 902–1962with nine companies (formerly the African Companies of the Uganda Rifles) * 5th (Uganda) Battalion 902–1904with four companies (formerly the Indian Contingent of the Uganda Rifles) – the senior battalion as it was the first to be raised. * 6th (British Somaliland) Battalion 902–1910formed from three infantry companies, the camel corps, militia and mounted infantry of the local forces in British Somaliland. On formation, there was no regular staff system in connection with these six battalions beyond the usual regimental staff and an Inspector-General who made two annual tours and reported to the Foreign Office. The 5th and 6th battalions were disbanded by 1910 as a cost-saving measure by the

Colonial Office The Colonial Office was a government department of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, first created to deal with the colonial affairs of British North America but required also to oversee the increasing number of c ...

and out of white-settler concern over the existence of a large indigenous armed force.

Operational history

Somaliland campaigns

During the early 1900s the King's African Rifles took part in the Somaliland campaign against

Mohammed Abdullah Hassan Sayid Mohamed Abdullahi Hassan ( so, Sayid Maxamed Cabdulle Xasan; 1856–1920) was a Somali religious and military leader of the Dervish movement, which led a two-decade long confrontation with various colonial empires including the British, ...

(known to the British as the 'Mad Mullah') and the

Dervishes Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from fa, درویش, ''Darvīsh'') in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity (''tariqah''), or more narrowly to a religious mendicant, who chose or accepted material poverty. The latter usage i ...

. Lt-Col.

Alexander Cobbe General Sir Alexander Stanhope Cobbe (6 June 1870 – 29 June 1931) was a senior British Indian Army officer and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Com ...

of 1st (Central Africa) Battalion KAR, was awarded the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

for his action at Erego, on 6 October 1902. The KAR were part of the British air and ground force that defeated the Dervish movement in 1920.

First World War

The National Archives UK - CO 1069-144-3

The KAR began the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

with 21 small companies in three battalions (each with up to eight companies following the British pre-1913 half-company

establishment Establishment may refer to: * The Establishment, a dominant group or elite that controls a polity or an organization * The Establishment (club), a 1960s club in London, England * The Establishment (Pakistan), political terminology for the military ...

): the 1st Nyasaland (half of the battalion was located in the northeast

), 3rd East Africa (with one company on

Zanzibar Zanzibar (; ; ) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islan ...

) and the 4th Uganda, both of the latter included the 4th platoon of Sudanese with the 4th platoon of 4th battalion being led by Sudanese officers. Additionally, the companies were scattered over British East Africa. Full strength of the KAR in 1914 was 70 British officers, three British NCOs, and 2,325 Africans. There were no organic heavy weapons (each company had one machine gun), including artillery or organised reserves and the companies were, in reality, large platoons of 70 to 80 men. KAR,_Zomba,_Malawi_WZA

In 1915 the KAR was expanded by having the three battalions reorganised into standard four-company battalions, which were then brought up to full strength at 1,045 men each. It was not until early 1916 that the 2nd Nyasaland and 5th Kenya battalions 916–1963were re-raised, this being due to do with white sensitivities in Kenya about arming and training large numbers of black African troops. Later in 1916 the 2nd, 3rd and 4th battalions were expanded into two battalions each through recruiting in their home areas. It was not until General Hoskins (formerly the Inspector General of the KAR) was appointed to command British East African forces in 1917 that genuine expansion began. The 1st Battalion was doubled and the 6th (Tanganyika Territory) Battalion was raised from ''

Schutztruppe (, Protection Force) was the official name of the colonial troops in the African territories of the German colonial empire from the late 19th century to 1918. Similar to other colonial armies, the consisted of volunteer European commissioned ...

'' of the former German East Africa and then it too was doubled. The 7th was formed from the Zanzibar Armed Constabulary and the

Mafia "Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...

Constabulary. Later in 1917 many other duplicate battalions were created as the first four battalions (now called regiments in the British tradition) each raised a 3rd battalion and a 4th or Training Battalion. The 4th Regiment raised an additional two battalions, the 5th, and 6th through recruiting in Uganda. The KAR Mounted Infantry Unit (on camels), originally part of the 3rd regiment and the KAR Signals Company were also raised. Thus in late 1918, the KAR consisted of 22 battalions as follows: * Western Force: 1st KAR Regiment with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions; plus 1st and 2nd Battalions 4th KAR Regt * Eastern Force: 2nd KAR Regiment with 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions; 1st and 2nd Battalion of the 3rd KAR; plus 3rd and 4th Battalions 4th KAR Regt * German East Africa Garrison: 3rd Battalion of the 3rd KAR, 5th battalion of the 4th KAR, 2nd battalion of the 6th KAR, 1st Battalion of the 7th KAR. * British East Africa Garrison: 1st Battalion of the 5th KAR, 1st Battalion of the 6th KAR * KAR Training Force: 4th Battalion 1st KAR, 4th Battalion 2nd KAR, 4th Battalion 3rd KAR, 6th Battalion 4th KAR Part of the KAR's expansion involved bringing up unit strengths to the same size as British and

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

Imperial Service units, while also increasing the numbers of white officers and NCOs. The increase in cadres was difficult due to the shortage of Swahili-speaking whites, as many white settlers had already formed segregated units such as the East African Mounted Rifles, the

East African Regiment East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

, the Uganda Volunteer Rifles and the

Zanzibar Volunteer Defence Force The Zanzibar Volunteer Defence Force was a military unit raised in the British protectorate of Zanzibar during the First World War. It was formed to supplement the Zanzibar garrison after defeat in the 4 November 1914 Battle of Tanga left British ...

. The regiment fought in the East African Campaign against the German commander Paul Erich von Lettow-Vorbeck and his forces in German East Africa. Transport and support into the interior were provided by over 400,000 porters of the Carrier Corps. By the end of the Great War, the KAR comprised 1,193 British officers, 1,497 British NCOs and 30,658 Africans (33,348 total) in 22 battalions, including two made up of former German askaris, as noted above. In ''Armies in East Africa 1914–18'', Peter Abbot notes that the KAR units recruited from former prisoners of war were used as garrison troops by the British, to avoid any conflict of loyalties. However, one of these battalions was involved in the pursuit of a force under Hauptman Wintgens from February to October 1917. KAR casualties in the First World War were 5,117 killed and wounded with another 3,039 dying from diseases.

Inter-war period

During the interwar period, the KAR was slowly demobilised to a peacetime establishment of six battalions, at which strength the regiment remained until the Second World War. In 1938, the regiment was composed of two brigade-strength units organised as a "Northern Brigade" and a "Southern Brigade." The combined strength of both units amounted to 94 officers, 60 non-commissioned officers, and 2,821 African other ranks. After the outbreak of war, these units provided the trained nucleus for the rapid expansion of the KAR. By March 1940, the strength of the KAR had reached 883 officers, 1,374 non-commissioned officers, and 20,026 African other ranks.Andrew Mollo, ''The Armed Forces of World War II'', p. 133

Second World War

Africa Settentrionale prigionieri del Commonwealth catturati nel novembre 1941 dall armata italo tedesca

The KAR fought in several campaigns during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. It fought against the Italians in

Italian East Africa Italian East Africa ( it, Africa Orientale Italiana, AOI) was an Italian colony in the Horn of Africa. It was formed in 1936 through the merger of Italian Somalia, Italian Eritrea, and the newly occupied Ethiopian Empire, conquered in the S ...

during the East African Campaign, against the

Vichy French Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its terr ...

in Madagascar during the

Battle of Madagascar The Battle of Madagascar (5 May – 6 November 1942) was a British campaign to capture the Vichy French-controlled island Madagascar during World War II. The seizure of the island by the British was to deny Madagascar's ports to the Imperial ...

, and against the Japanese in

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

during the Burma Campaign. The Somaliland battalions were heavily involved in defending the colony against the Italian invasion of August 1940, but were forced to retreat and evacuate after defeat in the

Battle of Tug Argan The Battle of Tug Argan was fought between forces of the British Empire and Italy from 11 to 15 August 1940 in British Somaliland (later the independent and renamed Somalia). The battle determined the result of the Italian conquest of British ...

from 11–15 August. Initially, KAR units were deployed as part of the 1st East African Infantry Brigade and the 2nd East African Infantry Brigade. The first brigade was responsible for coastal defence and the second for the defence of the interior. (See 1st SA Infantry Division). By the end of July 1940, two additional East African brigades were formed, the 3rd East African Infantry Brigade and the 6th East African Infantry Brigade. Initially a Coastal Division and a Northern Frontier District Division were planned, but, instead, the 11th African Division and the 12th African Division was formed. African Troops in Burma during the Second World War SE1884

African Troops in Burma during the Second World War SE1884

The two divisions included East African,

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

ian,

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

n, and South African troops. The Ghanaian and Nigerian troops came from the

Royal West African Frontier Force The West African Frontier Force (WAFF) was a multi-battalion field force, formed by the British Colonial Office in 1900 to garrison the West African colonies of Nigeria, Gold Coast, Sierra Leone and Gambia. In 1928, it received royal recognitio ...

. Under the terms of a war contingency plan, a brigade each was provided from the

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

(now Ghana) and from Nigeria for service in Kenya. A Nigerian brigade, together with two East African brigades (the KAR brigades) and some South Africans, formed the 11th African Division. The 12th African Division was similarly formed, but with the Ghanaian brigade instead of the Nigerian brigade. In 1941, during the East African Campaign, Sergeant

Nigel Gray Leakey Nigel Gray Leakey VC (1 January 1913 – 19 May 1941) was a British soldier and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Early life Leak ...

of the 1/6th Battalion was awarded the

(VC). The 11th African Division was disbanded in November 1941 and the 12th African Division was disbanded in April 1943. In 1943, the

11th (East Africa) Division The 11th (East Africa) Infantry Division was a British Empire colonial unit formed in February 1943 during the Second World War. Formation In 1943, the 11th (East Africa) Division was formed primarily of troops from British East Africa. The divi ...

was formed and it fought in

. In addition, two independent infantry brigades were sent from East Africa to India for service in Burma. The 22 (East Africa) Infantry Brigade served in the Arakan under command of XV Indian Corps, while the 28th (East Africa) Infantry Brigade served under IV Corps, playing a crucial role in the crossing of the Irrawaddy River. By the end of the war, the regiment had raised forty-three battalions (including two in British Somaliland), nine independent garrison companies, an armoured car regiment, an artillery unit, as well as engineer, signal and transport sections.

After the Second World War

The regiment played a major role in operations during the Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya. In 1952, the 7th (Kenya) Battalion was reformed; it was renumbered as the 11th (Kenya) Battalion in 1956. 2nd/3rd Battalion, a reserve unit, was raised during the military phase of the emergency in Kenya and was under consideration for disbandment by 1957. A company of the regiment was accused of war crimes in connection with the

Chuka massacre The Chuka massacre, which happened in Chuka, Kenya, was perpetrated by members of B Company, 5th Battalion of the King's African Rifles in June 1953 with 20 unarmed people killed during the Mau Mau uprising. The massacre The 5th KAR B Company h ...

in June, 1953. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd battalions saw service in the Malayan Emergency, where they were heavily involved in fighting Communist rebels, suffering 23 dead. The regiment was retitled the East African Land Forces in 1957. The last Colonel-in-Chief of the KAR was HM Queen Elizabeth II. When the various territories from which the KAR was recruited became independent, the regiment began to break up: * 1st Battalion1st Battalion,

Malawi Rifles The Malawian Defence Force is the state military organisation responsible for defending Malawi. It originated from elements of the British King's African Rifles, colonial units formed before independence in 1964. The military is organized under ...

* 2nd Battalion2nd Battalion,

Northern Rhodesia Regiment The Northern Rhodesia Regiment (NRR) was a multi-battalion British colonial regiment raised from the protectorate of Northern Rhodesia. It was formed in 1933 from elements of the Northern Rhodesia Police, which had been formed during Company ...

(subsequently Zambia Regiment) * 3rd Battalion3rd Battalion,

Kenya Rifles The units of the Kenya Army Infantry are the principal fighting arms of the Kenya Army. The primary mission of the Infantry formations is to fight and win land battles within area of operational responsibilities in the defence of the nation again ...

Kenya Yearbook 2010 * 4th Battalion1st Battalion,

(later formed basis of the Ugandan Army) * 5th Battalion5th Battalion, Kenya Rifles * 6th Battalion1st Battalion, Tanganyika Rifles * 11th Battalion11th Battalion, Kenya Rifles * 26th Battalion2nd Battalion, Tanganyika Rifles The extent to which KAR traditions influence the modern national armies of the former East African colonies varies from country to country. In Tanzania, a mutiny in 1964 led to a conscious decision to move away from the British military model. In Kenya, on the other hand, the title of Kenya Rifles survives and the various campaigns in which the KAR distinguished itself in both World Wars are still commemorated. On the island of

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It ...

which is located off the eastern coast of Africa, a detachment of the King's African Rifles was present until 1960. It was gradually replaced by the newly formed Special Mobile Force (SMF) and Police Riot Unit (PRU). Only the

and the

still exist.

Battle honours

The regiment's battalions were not awarded

colours Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associ ...

until 1924, as colours were not traditionally carried by rifle regiments. The colours had many of the regiment's

battle honour A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In European military t ...

s emblazoned on it. The old colours were replaced in the 1950s. * Ashanti 1900 (awarded 1908 for services of The Central Africa Regiment), British Somaliland 1901–04 * The Great War (7 battalions): Kilimanjaro, Narungombe, Nyangao, East Africa 1914–18 * The Second World War: Afodu,

Moyale Moyale is a market town on the border between Ethiopia and Kenya, and is the administrative centre for two Ethiopian woredas, Moyale of Oromia Region and Moyale of Somali Region. Moyale is the main border post on the Nairobi-Addis Ababa road, ...

, Todenyang-Namuraputh, Soroppa, Juba, Beles Gugani, Awash, Fike, Colito, Omo,

Gondar Gondar, also spelled Gonder (Amharic: ጎንደር, ''Gonder'' or ''Gondär''; formerly , ''Gʷandar'' or ''Gʷender''), is a city and woreda in Ethiopia. Located in the North Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, Gondar is north of Lake Tana on t ...

, Ambazzo, Kulkaber, Abyssinia 1940–41, Tug Argan: British Somaliland 1940,

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

, Middle East 1942,

Mawlaik Mawlaik ( my, မော်လိုက် ; shn, မေႃႇလဵၵ်) is a town in Mawlaik District, Sagaing Region in north-west Myanmar, along the Chindwin River. Etymology " Mawlaik" derives from the Shan language The Shan language ...

, Kalewa,

Seikpyu Seikphyu ( my, ဆိပ်ဖြူ) is the principal town and administrative seat for Seikphyu Township in Pakokku District in the Magway Division of Myanmar, on the right (western) bank of the Irrawaddy immediately below its confluence with ...

, Letse, Arakan Beaches, Taungup, Burma 1944–45

List of commanders

;Inspectors-general * October 1901 – 1907 Brigadier-General William Henry Manning * John Gough * 1909 – 1913 Colonel

George Thesiger Major-General George Handcock Thesiger (6 October 1868 – 27 September 1915) was a senior officer in the British Army during the First World War who was killed in action during the Battle of Loos by German shellfire. His career had encompa ...

Notable servicemen

Idi Amin Idi Amin Dada Oumee (, ; 16 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. He ruled as a military dictator and is considered one of the most brutal despots in modern w ...

, future Ugandan dictator, had joined the KAR in 1946. * Roald Dahl, who writes about it in his book ''

Going Solo ''Going Solo'' is a book by Roald Dahl, first published by Jonathan Cape in London in 1986. It is a continuation of his autobiography describing his childhood, ''Boy'' and detailed his travel to Africa and exploits as a World War II pilot. Plo ...

''. * Robert Fraser, art dealer * General Sir George Giffard * Freddie de Guingand, Major-General, KBE, CB, DSO, seconded to KAR 1926–1931. Chief of Staff to Sir Bernard Montgomery during operations from Egypt to Northern Europe during the Second World War. *

David Gordon Hines David Gordon Hines (8 February 1915 – 14 March 2000) was a chartered accountant who as a British colonial administrator developed farming co-operatives in Tanganyika and later in Uganda. This radically improved the living standards of farm ...

, as an accountant, later Uganda Commissioner developing Co-operative farming *

Peter Hopkirk Peter Stuart Hopkirk (15 December 1930 – 22 August 2014) was a British journalist, author and historian who wrote six books about the British Empire, Russia and Central Asia. Biography Peter Hopkirk was born in Nottingham, the son of Frank St ...

, Journalist, author, historian *

Waruhiu Itote Waruhiu Itote (1922 – 30 April 1993, aged 70-71), ''nom de guerre'' General China, was one of the key leaders of the Mau Mau Uprising (1952–1960) in British Kenya alongside Dedan Kimathi, Stanley Mathenge, Kurito ole Kisio, Musa Mwariama ...

, "General China" in the Mau Mau rebellion *

, VC *

P. J. Marshall Peter James Marshall (born 1933 in Calcutta) is a British historian known for his work on the British Empire, particularly the activities of British East India Company servants in 18th-century Bengal, and also the history of British involvemen ...

, historian of the British Empire in the eighteenth century * Colonel

Richard Meinertzhagen Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen, CBE, DSO (3 March 1878 – 17 June 1967) was a British soldier, intelligence officer, and ornithologist. He had a decorated military career spanning Africa and the Middle East. He was credited with creating and ...

* Lieutenant-Colonel Colin Mitchell – "Mad Mitch" * David Musuguri, Tanzanian military officer * John Nunneley, author of ''Tales from the King's African Rifles'' * Hussein Onyango Obama,

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

's paternal grandfather *

Shaban Opolot Shaban Opolot (1924 – 6 March 2005) was a Ugandan military officer. He served as Uganda Army Commander from 1964 to 1966. Early life Shaban Opolot was born in 1924 in Namusi Nakaloke, Uganda. He could speak multiple languages, including Lug ...

, Uganda Army Commander *

Tracy Philipps James Erasmus Tracy Philipps (20 November 1888 – 21 July 1959) was a British public servant. Philipps was, in various guises, a soldier, colonial administrator, traveller, journalist, propagandist, conservationist, and secret agent. He served ...

, traveller, colonial administrator and conservationist *

John Seymour (author) John Seymour (12 June 1914 – 14 September 2004) was a British author and pioneer in the self-sufficiency movement. In 1976, he wrote ''The Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency''. He had multiple roles as a writer, broadcaster, environmental ...

George Shepperson George "Sam" Albert Shepperson (7 January 1922 – 2 April 2020) was a British historian and Africanist, noted particularly for his work on Malawian and African-American history. He was William Robertson Professor of Commonwealth and American ...

, historian of Malawi * Sir Cyril Taylor, educationist, 8th KAR * John Butler Walden, Tanzanian military officer * Captain

Henry Alexander Walker Brigadier-General Henry Alexander Walker (20 October 1874 – 1 May 1953) was a British Army officer who served with the Royal Fusiliers regiment, and later with the King's African Rifles in the First World War. Military career Walker was the s ...

, 1st Battalion KAR * Eric Wilson, VC

Notes

References

* * *

External links

African Formations – Burma 1930–1947