King's African Rifles
The King's African Rifles was a British Colonial Auxiliary Forces regiment raised from Britain's East African colonies in 1902. It primarily carried out internal security duties within these colonies along with military service elsewhere during the world wars and other conflicts, such as the Malayan Emergency and the Mau Mau uprising. The regiment's enlisted soldiers were drawn from the native Africans, while most officers were seconded from the British Army. During the 1960s, as part of the decolonisation of Africa, more African officers were commissioned into the regiment before it was gradually disbanded. KAR battalions would go on to form the core of newly established armed forces throughout East Africa.
Uniforms
Until independence, the parade uniform of the KAR comprised khaki drill, with tall fezzes and cummerbunds. The latter items were normally red, although there were some battalion distinctions with Nyasaland units, for example, wearing black fezzes. Prior to 1914, the regiment's field service uniforms consisted of a dark blue jersey and puttees, khaki shorts and a khaki fez cover with integral foldable cloth peak and neck flap, the designs according to Sealed Patterns procured from India. To note, although this was official regulation, a caption from 1898 describes the equipment and uniforms as being 'anything procurable' and equipment shortages plagued the regiment throughout its early years.In 1898, good conduct stripes were also introduced, carrying an extra shilling for those who had not been sentenced for imprisonment, confined to barracks for seven days, to a fine of more than five shillings, or corporal punishment. In addition, they also wore brown leather equipment similar to the 1888 Slade–Wallace British equivalent, but locally produced. 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, all the dark blue items were replaced with khaki equivalents and a short pillbox hat 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 with coloured hackles.
Formation
Six battalions were formed in 1902 by the amalgamation of the Central Africa Regiment, East Africa Rifles and Uganda Rifles, with one or two battalions located in each of Nyasaland, Kenya, Uganda and British Somaliland:- 1st Battalion with eight companies
- 2nd Battalion with six companies
- 3rd Battalion with seven companies and a camel company
- 4th Battalion with nine companies
- 5th Battalion with four companies – the senior battalion as it was the first to be raised.
- 6th Battalion formed from three infantry companies, the camel corps, militia and mounted infantry of the local forces in British Somaliland.
The 5th and 6th battalions were disbanded by 1910 as a cost-saving measure by the Colonial Office 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 and the Dervishes. Lt-Col. Alexander Cobbe of 1st Battalion KAR, was awarded the Victoria Cross 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 KAR began the First World War with 21 small companies in three battalions : the 1st Nyasaland, 3rd East Africa 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, including artillery or organised reserves and the companies were, in reality, large platoons of 70 to 80 men.
File:Askari monument dar es salaam.jpg|thumb|220px|The Askari Monument in Dar es Salaam
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 were 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 was appointed to command British East African forces in 1917 that genuine expansion began. The 1st Battalion was doubled, and the 6th Battalion was raised from Schutztruppe of the former German East Africa and then it too was doubled. The 7th was formed from the Zanzibar Armed Constabulary and the Mafia Constabulary. Later in 1917 many other duplicate battalions were created as the first four battalions 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, 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
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 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.Second World War
The KAR fought in several campaigns during World War II. It fought against the Italians in Italian East Africa during the East African Campaign, against the Vichy French in Madagascar during the Battle of Madagascar, and against the Japanese in Burma during the Burma Campaign. The Somaliland battalions defended the colony against the Italian invasion of August 1940, but were forced to retreat and evacuate after defeat in the Battle of Tug Argan from 11 to 15 August.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.. 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.
File:African Troops in Burma during the Second World War SE1884.jpg|thumb|220px|Troops of 11th Division on the road to Kalewa, Burma, during the Chindwin River crossing
The two divisions included East African, Ghanaian, Nigerian, and South African troops. The Ghanaian and Nigerian troops came from the Royal West African Frontier Force. Under the terms of a war contingency plan, a brigade each was provided from the Gold Coast and from Nigeria for service in Kenya. A Nigerian brigade, together with two East African 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 of the 1/6th Battalion was awarded the Victoria Cross.
The 11th African Division was disbanded in November 1941 and the 12th African Division was disbanded in April 1943. In 1943, the 11th Division was formed and it fought in Burma. Two independent infantry brigades were sent from East Africa to India for service in Burma. The 22 Infantry Brigade served in the Arakan in XV Indian Corps, while the 28th Infantry Brigade was in 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, nine independent garrison companies, an armoured car regiment, an artillery unit, as well as engineer, signal and transport sections.