King's African Rifles: A History

By Malcolm Page

“This comprehensive and complete history charts the story of the East Africans from their formation in 1902 through to the drawdown of the British Empire.” —Soldier

Whatever one may think about the rights and wrongs of colonial rule, it is hard to deny that during the first half of the 20th century those African countries, which then came under British administration, enjoyed a period of stability which most now look back upon with a profound sense of loss. Paradoxical though it may seem, one of the bulwarks of that stability was each country’s indigenous army. Trained and officered by the British, these forces became a source of both pride and cohesion in their own country, none more so than the King’s African Rifles, founded in 1902 and probably the best known of the East African forces.

In this, the first complete history of the East African forces, Malcolm Page, who himself served in the Somaliland Scouts for a number of years, has had access to much new material while researching the history of each unit from its foundation to the time of independence.

Historians in several fields will be grateful to him for having put on record this very important period in the annals of both Great Britain and East Africa while the memories of many who served there were still fresh, and they themselves will perhaps be most grateful of all for this lasting tribute to the men they served and who served them, for in that shared sense of duty lay the true spirit of East African Forces.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Mar 30, 2011
• ISBN: 9781473815780

Book preview

A HISTORY OF

THE KING’S AFRICAN

RIFLES

AND

EAST AFRICAN FORCES

The Battle Honours of

THE KING’S AFRICAN RIFLES

King’s

African

Rifles

A HISTORY

MALCOLM PAGE

First published in Great Britain in 1998 by

LEO COOPER

Reprinted in this format in 2011 by

Pen & Sword Military

an imprint of

Pen & Sword Books Ltd

47 Church Street

Barnsley

South Yorkshire S70 2AS

Copyright © Malcolm Page, 1998, 2011

ISBN 978 1 84884 438 4

The right of Malcolm Page to be identified as author

of this work has been asserted by him in accordance

with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

A CIP catalogue record for this book is

available from the British Library

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For our Askari

CONTENTS

MAPS

FOREWORD

by The Rt Hon The Lord Alport PC TD DL

A generation has passed since the King’s African Rifles and East African Forces ceased to exist. Yet for those British ranks who served with them before, during and after the Second World War the bonds of comradeship remain strong, as does the affection felt by the officers for the Ascaris whom they trained in peace and led in war.

Brigadier Malcolm Page served with one of the most attractive and volatile units of the East African Command and his experience has encouraged him to write a history of the King’s African Rifles and East African Forces covering the whole span of the years when they existed.

The attraction of service in East Africa was of course also generated by the marvellous countries stretching from the Horn of Africa to the Zambesi. It is good to know that the contribution of KAR and the East African Forces have made to the success of the independent African countries which are now in existence has been immense and enabled those countries, at any rate to some extent, to avoid the disasters which have occurred elsewhere in post-colonial Africa in recent years.

It is right that, while the memory of that service is still fresh in the minds of those who served in East Africa, a comprehensive history should be published and I am delighted to think that future generations, who will not have the opportunity and advantage of serving with Her Majesty’s Forces in East Africa, will be able to obtain from the following pages some idea of the history and achievements of this remarkable part of the fighting forces of the British Crown.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am indebted to the following for the loan of, and permission to reproduce, photographs in their possession: By permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University, from the Royal Commonwealth Collection, 1, 19; G.B. Lambert Esq, 2, 3; Lt-Col Peter Mulloy, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12; Brig Michael Biggs, 5, 6, 34; Capt John Watson-Baker, 17; Capt R.E. Vanderpump, 18; Lt-Col J.A. Gibb, 22; Col H. J. Lowles, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27; Major John Spurway, 28; Major Geoffrey Whitworth, 29; Major B.J. Lambert, 31, 32; Rhine Link, 33; Officers of the Kenya Regiment, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39; Professor George Shepperson, 41; Lt-Cdr Barry Mitchell, 42, 43. The map on p. 98 has been redrawn from a sketch kindly loaned by Brig Michael Biggs.

INTRODUCTION

The idea for this book came from my colleagues of the Rhino Link team, as we surveyed the growing quantity of material sent in by members for publication in Rhino Link, the newsletter of the KAR and EA Forces Dinner Club. With the Club approaching its fiftieth anniversary it seemed appropriate to mark the event and to capture and to put before a wider audience the experiences of our members. These are in many cases rare, sometimes unique, and almost certain never to be repeated. At the same time it was necessary to set them in a historical context; this extended to include social, economic and political considerations, as so much has changed since these events took place.

The book, as it has emerged, is an end-to-end history of the KAR and the East African Forces. It does not aspire to be another Moyse-Bartlett; it covers a longer period, until after Independence for the territories involved, and is wider in scope, as it has covered many non-KAR Corps, organizations and units which were excluded from Moyse-Bartlett’s book by his terms of reference. It draws on individual experiences to a large extent, but relies heavily on published works, particularly Moyse-Bartlett, for those events which lie outside the scope of the living testimonies available to me. Versions of events sometimes vary. When there has been doubt about dates, places and other details, I have relied on Moyse-Bartlett and the Army Commander in Chiefs’ Despatches, particularly those of FM Lord Wavell. For political and strategic settings I have drawn heavily on Churchill’s The Second World War. For colonial history the two main sources were Thomas Pakenham’s The Scramble for Africa, and Jan Morris’ Pax Britannica trilogy. For the rest I have been wonderfully supported by members of the Club – and others – who have ransacked attics, rummaged in memories and plundered photograph albums to produce much previously unpublished material. Notes on other sources and suggested further reading are given in the Bibliography on page 275.

I would particularly like to thank Brigadier Michael Biggs, the Club President, Major General Rowley Mans (who also appears as Toto in the book), Lt Col Richard Corkran and Captain Peter Stocken of Rhino Link, Brigadier Ken Timbers of the RA Historical Trust, members of the Kenya Regiment Association – especially Ken Weaver and Carol Gurney, Professor George Shepperson, Lt Cdr Barry Mitchell REAN, J.A.L. Hamilton Esq in respect of the West African connections in Burma, Roger Perkins, the author of Regiments and Corps of the British Empire and Commonwealth (an invaluable work of reference), plus all those who sent me material or submitted to being interviewed by me. Iris Norton kindly assisted with the maps, and I am most appreciative of the patience of my brother-in-law, Ronald Meacham, for his careful reading of the drafts.

With so much to cover, I have concentrated on the major campaigns: against the Mullah, German East Africa, Italian East Africa, Madagascar, Burma, Malaya and Mau Mau, with linking narrative, followed by the runup to Independence and a little beyond, plus some specialized appendices. But this does not give the full picture. Units of the KAR were in West Africa in the early days of the century, rounding the Cape to get there. Their furthest north is probably represented by some men who were prisoners of war in Germany during World War II. Their furthest east was to reach the Irrawaddy in Burma, also in World War II. I have sought to tell a story of military prowess, initiative, fortitude, gallantry, improvisation, loyalty and heroism, together with occasional light relief. I hope that something of the spirit of the age, and of the dedication and comradeship of the KAR and EAF have come through. It has – to my regret – not been possible to be able to tell it all, and balance may be lacking in places. With so much to cover, some omissions are unavoidable. The faults are mine alone.

Malcolm Page

Henley on Thames, Jan 97

GLOSSARY

FOREWORD TO SECOND EDITION

It is some 50 years since the East and Central African territories covered in this book achieved independence from UK and it is 15 years since the book was published. Much has happened in the countries concerned and for the veterans – the survivors of World War II are at least 85 years old.

As a generalisation, all territories have experienced constitutional and other changes. In the main the political systems left in place by the departing colonial power – based on the Westminster model- failed to survive, or, if they did, became distorted in the process. In most cases there were dictatorships, some by Army officers seizing power. The most flagrant was that of Idi Amin in Uganda, while President arap Moi in Kenya held his country in an iron grip for almost 20 years and Malawi (Nyasaland) was ruled by President Dr Hastings Banda for 40 years and was one of the countries worst-hit by AIDS. Tanganyika took over the anachronism of Zanzibar and became Tanzania.

Tangental to our story is the seizure of power in Mogadishu by Major General Siad Barre in 1968, eight years after the former British Protectorate of Somaliland merged with the former Italian UN Mandated territory of Somalia. This resulted in a military governor being sent to Hargeisa to control the former Protectorate, while power was concentrated in Mogadishu. There was growing unrest that boiled up into a civil war in 1988, in the course of which Hargeisa was bombed relentlessly, so that 60 to 70% of its buildings were destroyed, with the emphasis on public buildings such as hospitals and schools. The eventual outcome in 1991 was that the civil war spread southwards and Siad Barre was forced to flee and died in exile. The former Protectorate declared itself independent of Mogadishu and started to rebuild itself politically, structurally and economically – very slowly.

The general situation is better now. Kenya has introduced a Prime Minister as a check on arbitrary Presidential actions and has a new constitution. The white farmers were mainly resettled with UK government assistance, while those who remained grow coffee and tea and have added cut flowers to their exports – mostly to UK supermarkets. Malawi has had an economist as Head of State for the past six years. In that time he has transformed the economy; he achieved food stability first and the GDP has grown by 7.5% over each of the past five years. It is in recognition of these achievements that President Dr Bingu Wa Muthaika has been selected to be Chairman of the Africa Union.

Uganda has held presidential elections and the country continues stable. It could be on the brink of an oil bonanza; large finds have been made and already China has bought 50%. Kenya has oil expectations too, off Lamu. There are thoughts that there might be a refinery in Kenya to serve both Uganda’s and Kenya’s outputs.

Against this background, the veteran askari have had mixed fortunes. In Kenya, for example, they had their pensions administered effectively and also had the benefits of a well established branch of The (now Royal) British Legion. In some other countries they were less fortunate and those receiving pensions found that they were eroded by the effects of inflation. The only askari who were entitled to pensions were those with long service or who had been wounded – plus widows. The majority of men (particularly WWII veterans) received gratuities on demobilisation. Britain made financial settlements on her ex-colonies and protectorates on independence for the continuing payment of pensions to veterans, police, civil servants etc. Unfortunately, these arrangements did not always stand up and many veterans became destitute. Some compare their lots unfavourably with those of French and Italian veterans, whose paymasters still ensure regular payments directly to them.

The (now) Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League (RCEL) was founded in 1921 by Field Marshal Earl Haig and Jan Christian Smutts. They have 56 member organisations across the former Empire and Commonwealth. Their aim is to ensure that no eligible ex-military servant of the Crown is neglected. At the least they try to ensure that each needy veteran receives one good meal per day. They raise funds to this end, with generous support from The Royal British Legion (TRBL). Some territories have achieved self-sufficiency – Zambia, Malaysia, Nigeria and Ghana, are examples.

Fund raising is conducted by the small RCEL staff, which is based with TRBL at Haig House, 199 Borough High Street, London SEI 1AA. RCEL funds been boosted in past years by the Jubilee Appeal, which raised £3.5 million in 2002 and the Askari Appeal, which was conducted by the King’s African Rifles and East African Forces Association, under the direction of Colonel Fergus Mackaine-Bremner, assisted as Treasurer by Major Peter Fawcett. Distribution of funds is through RCEL channels, against bids from member organisations. Fergus has visited Kenya three times to take part in the distribution of aid to the needy old men.

It is with their past service to the Crown and their present needs in mind that this second edition of the History of the KAR&EAF is offered.

Henley on Thames, 2010 Malcolm Page.

MAP 1

Chapter 1

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Giving up what one has is always a bad thing.

Queen Victoria to Lord Salisbury, 1890

The Scramble for Africa in the late 19th Century led to the formation of the King’s African Rifles on 1 January, 1902. The original six battalions came from units established as the situation had demanded in the various territories where British rule was being introduced. Before 1 January, 1902, there had been the Central African Regiment (previously the Central African Rifles), the Uganda Rifles, the East African Rifles and various levies and units in Somaliland. There were also several Indian Contingents, and the remnants of Emin Pasha’s Sudanese in Uganda. The original six battalions did not include the 6 KAR that was formed during the closing stages of the 1914/18 war, in what became Tanganyika; the first unit called 6 KAR was a mixed Indian/Somali battalion.

British, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Belgian interests were in conflict in Africa. Britain was concerned for the security of the Nile headwaters and the southern exit to the Red Sea. The discovery of quinine and other medicines for tropical use, the development of the steam ship and the railway, and the opportunities to expand trade that they provided, all stimulated the rapid development of colonial empires in East Africa. Some European countries also wanted to export their surplus populations, while others wished to suppress the slave trade – the source of Arab prosperity on the coast and the scourge of the peoples living inland.

The first East Africans to be trained on European lines were Zanzibaris. In 1877, when the Sultan of Zanzibar agreed to the Royal Navy engaging local men, Lt Mathews of HMS London recruited and trained 300 Zanzibari Arabs. This number eventually increased to 1,300 all ranks, and Mathews, with Admiralty permission, became a Brigadier-General in the Sultan of Zanzibar’s army.

Livingstone’s activities focused interest on the horrors of slavery and the opportunities for Europeans in Africa. He discovered Lake Nyasa in 1858 and his reports included news of the great Lualaba River that ran north from somewhere west of Lake Tanganyika. Other missionaries followed Livingstone and trade followed the missionaries; later came administration and settlement. Settlement progressed in various degrees, according to the nature of the territory and as opportunities for cash crops and minerals were detected. When administrations developed, law and order had to be enforced. The Arab slave traders were particularly dangerous as their business was disrupted. Against this background young and comparatively junior officers raised and led some very ad hoc bodies of men. The archetype was Captain F.D. (later Lord) Lugard of the Norfolk Regiment, who went to East Africa in 1888 to shoot elephant. He also considered joining the Italians in their war against Ethiopia and rescuing Emin Pasha, the German-born Governor/scientist isolated in the Equatorial province of Sudan, whom many considered to be a second Gordon.

First, his attention focused on an incident involving the African Lakes Company. A coastal Arab (ie: half-caste) slaver named Mlozi was persecuting the Ankonde people and the potentially important town of Karonga at the head of Lake Nyasa, which controlled the road from Lake Nyasa to Lake Tanganyika. The British had attacked Mlozi with the support of the Ankonde and another tribe, after he had forced them out of Karonga. The attack was successful, but the allies disappeared with their ivory and other plunder. Karonga was rebuilt, but Mlozi’s power was still intact and had to be destroyed if the area was to be pacified. Lugard offered his services to the British Acting Consul and was appointed to lead the expedition. With a nucleus of some twenty British and South Africans he went to Blantyre and then on to Bandawe on the lake, where, with the aid of the Free Church Mission, he selected his allies. He decided against the Angoni, but recruited among the Atonga, who had lost many of their villages. In an assault on the slavers’ stockade Lugard was shot in both arms and the attack was abandoned.

After Lugard recovered from his wounds and when the gun he had sent for had arrived, the attack was renewed. The force had been reorganized into three separate tribal companies and the adjacent countryside was under better control. The 7-pounder gun had been bought by the Nyasa Anti-Slavery and Defence Committee and reached Lugard in January, 1889. The forts were bombarded three times with little effect, by which time Lugard had left the scene and smallpox was rife in the slavers’ camp. Lugard recommended setting up a military headquarters on the plateau between the two lakes, with garrisons at both ends, to be provided by a force of 1,000 men, with officers and NCOs from the Indian Army.

This proposal was implemented shortly after Nyasaland became a Protectorate. Capt CM. Maguire of the 2 Hyderabad Lancers raised the force, beginning with forty Sikhs and thirty Muslim cavalrymen from his own regiment. Their first objective was a Yao slaver named Chikumbu, who had attacked two British coffee planters at the end of 1891. By 1894 the force was 350, a mixture of Sikhs and locally enlisted men. In 1896 they were called the British South African Rifles, but this was changed to 1 Bn Central African Rifles two years later. In 1897 and 1898 they were in action under the officer who later became Sir William Manning, against the Angoni and the Anguru peoples, and three companies were detached to north-east Rhodesia, where they remained until 1901. These commitments led to the formation of a second battalion in 1899. They co-operated with the Portuguese against the Yao chief Mataka and in the same year 100 men took part in a punitive expedition in north-east Rhodesia, during which they marched 1,000 miles in two months.

2 CAR was sent to Mauritius to replace the Mauritius Regiment, but were unpopular with the Creole people. The battalion arrived on 29 June, 1899; seven officers, thirty-two Sikhs and 878 Africans, with 220 wives and seventy-seven children. The unit was unarmed and poorly equipped, as most of their kit was shipped later. The men were allowed out of barracks only in groups of ten or more, for self-protection. The battalion was reinforced by eleven officers and a sergeant major, and gained a good report at their annual inspection in November. But because of constant Creole hostility they were moved to Flat Island, an inhospitable place without adequate water. They were then ordered to British Somaliland to operate against the Mullah. Some of the troops were cooped up on a ship for five weeks, pending adequate arrangements being made for the move. In Berbera they were armed and equipped for operations and took over from an Indian battalion which returned to Aden.

In the same year shortages of British military manpower led to the CAR being sent to the Gold Coast, where a dispute with the Ashanti over the Golden Stool, their symbol of royal authority, had got beyond the control of the local garrison. On 19 June, 1900, four officers, seventy-three Sikhs, 276 African askari and a machine-gun detachment, plus a medical officer and a hospital, left Zomba for Ashanti, under the command of Major A.S. Cobbe, with half of 2 CAR to follow from Berbera. Cobbe and his men were in action in August, but they suffered heavy casualties in thick bush, with Cobbe among the wounded. Lt Col Brake, Headquarters and four companies of 2 CAR arrived on 13 August and were in the operational area a week later. They fought several actions in conjunction with the West African Frontier Force; Brake was invalided home in September and Major A.F. Gordon took over. The campaign ended in an operation in which two companies from each of 1 and 2 CAR took part, when they earned praise from the commandant of the West African Frontier Force (Willcocks) and Manning for their discipline, drill and shooting. They returned to Nyasaland via the Mediterranean, (having gone out round the Cape), so they circumnavigated Africa.

The other half battalion of 2 CAR moved to the Gambia following the murder of two commissioners and their police escort in June 1900. They travelled to Bathurst by the SS Dwarka; Brake rejoined them when the ship called at Gibraltar. At Bathurst the women and children, together with H Company, were disembarked and Brake advanced at once. With the rest of the field force, including four companies of 3 Battalion, West Indian Regiment, they sailed up the river and eventually landed at Tendaba. Their objective was the stockaded town of Dumbutu, which they reached after a three-hour advance through long grass. Two companies of 2 CAR, under Major Plunkett, moved round to the left flank to get between the village and the French border. Surprise was complete and when the defenders finally surrendered more than forty men were dead and over 200 men and women were captured. Losses on the British side were one carrier killed and four men wounded. There were some sweeping-up operations, including tax collection and the capture of over 200 rifles.

The British and French administrations mounted a joint operation against Fodi Kabba, who was a problem to them both. The West Indians went back to Sierra Leone, apart from one company. The French guns pounded the walls of Fodi’s main town, Madina, until it capitulated; Fodi was among the killed. 2 CAR was not directly involved in the fighting. Afterwards they destroyed some of the remaining towns belonging to Fodi’s followers. Due to a shortage of officers, 2 CAR had borrowed three RN officers when they first arrived at Bathurst, who did well in command of troops.

Brake and his men went to the Gold Coast next, to put down a mutiny in the West Indian Regiment, which took them two weeks. The majority of 1 and 2 CAR returned to Zomba in January, 1901, but representative detachments of both battalions went to England. On 26 June King Edward VII inspected them at Marlborough House and presented medals for both the Ashanti and the Gambia campaigns. They were also inspected by Lord Roberts, saw the Royal Tournament, a military exhibition and a review of the Household troops, before returning to Nyasaland in July.

In what became Kenya the Imperial British East Africa Company (IBEAC) received a Royal Charter in 1888, to exploit the region of the Great Lakes and take over the British concessions negotiated with the Sultan of Zanzibar earlier. Britain also occupied Kismayu. The British wanted a Cape to Cairo route, while France sought west to east suzerainty. IBEAC did not have the kind of backing that Cecil Rhodes gave to the Africa Lakes Company; by 1892 it was nearly out of money and ready to pull out of Uganda. The company collapsed in 1895 and the British East Africa Protectorate was declared – with the support of missionary and humanitarian interests. It covered present-day Kenya and the land west of the Juba River. Italy gained control of the Jubaland east of the river from the Sultan of Zanzibar.

The new Protectorate’s soldiers were formed as the East African Rifles, and consisted of Sudanese, Swahili (ie: coastal Africans), Punjabis and locally recruited tribesmen in equal numbers. They were based on the Company’s own body of armed guards which had been formed earlier from Sudanese, Somalis and Swahilis. The Inspector-General wrote fifteen years later that they were ready made but really untrained troops. The first Commandant was Major G.P. Hatch, with headquarters at Fort Jesus, Mombasa. The establishment authorized in 1895 allowed for 300 Punjabis, 100 Sudanese – but this was increased to 250 soon afterwards – 300 Swahilis and 200 mixed men. India was asked to send fifteen trained gunners and some hospital attendants.

Their first sortie, in 1896, was against the Wakamba, who had burned some police posts set up to prevent slave trading. The operation was successful, with the help of 800 Masai. A large collective fine was imposed, villages were burned and a barracks was constructed in the heart of Wakamba territory to discourage recurrence. Jubaland had a garrison of 300; mixed Sudanese, Somalis and Wagosha. Pay and conditions were better than in Uganda, where a mutiny was put down by Kenyan troops in late 1897/early 1898. Harrison marched eighty men 360 miles in nineteen days to get to the scene, and the railway line, although incomplete, was pressed into service to transport the remainder of the force, including numbers of carriers.

After the Ugandan mutiny the battalion was reorganized into five Sudanese and three Swahili companies. The Indian Contingent remained until their contracts expired in October, 1900, when they were replaced by a fourth Swahili company. There were a punitive raid against the Kikuyu in 1901, and a campaign into Jubaland in 1899/90, which led to a proposal for the battalion to be increased to 1,500, but it was not approved in full. Attempts to raise a company of fifty Masai failed. A Camel Corps was formed in the Jubaland, which was very effective locally but could not be used elsewhere. Kenya was soon a colony in all but name. The priority became economic development and the highlands gained importance over the coastal belt.

Emin Pasha had been governor of Equatoria, and Henry Morton Stanley (then employed by King Leopold of the Belgians) was commissioned to rescue him in 1887 as a byproduct of his west to east exploration of the Congo. Mackinnon, the Chairman of a major shipping company, signed treaties with the Sultan of Zanzibar and some up-country tribes, and established the headquarters of the British East Africa Company at Mombasa. Apart from Stanley, a German named Peters was looking for Emin Pasha. The German Government claimed that Peters was on a private mission, but by May, 1890, he was reported to have signed a treaty with Mwanga that gave Germany a Protectorate over Uganda. Lord Salisbury played his master-stroke before the Kaiser could ratify the Protectorate proposal. Britain owned the three-square-mile rock of Heligoland which had, by 1890, become the key to the Kiel Canal. Salisbury stressed its importance to the German Ambassador and proposed an exchange. In July Salisbury explained his plan to the Queen; in return for tiny Heligoland she would gain at least 100,000 square miles of Africa – Zanzibar, Uganda and Equatoria. The Queen grumbled a little and made the remark at the head of this chapter; but the deal was done and the Nile headwaters were almost secure. A month later Salisbury agreed with the French Government their sphere of influence, including several million square miles of the Sahara. Uganda was now firmly British.

Lugard had taken service with the IBEAC in 1890 and had gone to Uganda with a force of fifty Sudanese and Somalis, and 270 armed porters. The country was on the brink of civil war and many expected that the recent murder of Bishop Hannington would be avenged. After extensive negotiations with King Mwanga, Lugard signed a treaty that gave him a recognized status in Uganda for two years. Lugard was then reinforced by Capt W.H. Williams, seventy-five Sudanese, a hundred Swahilis and a second Maxim gun; the better armed porters were formed into two companies and given extensive training. A further group arrived from the coast, to increase the force to 650, of whom 300 were reasonably well trained. Lugard was opposed by the Moslem party in Uganda and the Bunyoro. In their first battle Lugard was successful, but his Bagandan allies did not pursue the defeated enemy and the victory was incomplete. By this time Stanley’s deputy, A.J. Mounteney-Jephson, had reached Emin and taken him to Zanzibar. Behind him Emin had left his Sudanese soldiers, which Lugard had heard were the best military material in Africa. Lugard set up Forts George and Edward during his search for them, then found them at Lake Albert, with their commander, Selim Bey. Selim had declined to enter German service, saying he was still the servant of the Khedive. He used the same argument to Lugard, but agreed to serve in alliance with the British pending the Khedive’s agreement. Pay was to be four rupees per man per month (Selim received 420 per month). This compared with sixteen rupees per African soldier and eighteen to each Indian soldier in the East African Rifles. The agreement with Selim is the basis of the 4 KAR claim to be the senior battalion in the KAR.

Lugard engaged about 600 rifle-armed men; most of them locally enlisted, only the officers and NCOs remained from the original force. They had large households and lived on the land. Lugard was short of Europeans and realized that the Sudanese had become very self-sufficient in their exile. They amounted to 8,200 men, women and children, including 1,153 unarmed men. He set up five forts and garrisoned them with over half the men, calling them 1st and part of the 2nd battalions. The remainder, with Selim Bey, went to Kampala, where he integrated them as three companies, No 1: Old Sudanese, No 2: New Sudanese and No 3: Zanzibari.

Controversially, Lugard resolved a civil war by arming Anglicans against French-tutored Roman Catholics and Muslims, and divided the country into six provinces; two to the Anglicans, three to the Muslims and one to the Catholics. Lugard returned to the coast in June, 1892, with a railway survey party under Capt J.R.L. Macdonald and an Indian escort. But Macdonald was ordered back to Uganda to investigate complaints about Lugard and his methods, which the British Government had learned about from claims for compensation made by the French missionaries. His report criticized Lugard and his methods.

There were now serious problems with the Sudanese, who were split between enlisted and unenlisted men. Selim Bey would not agree to more men being converted to enlisted status. Eventually Macdonald ordered the Sudanese to take an oath