Two lots of sad news to open this newsletter.
Emeritus Professor George A Shepperson, CBE, died on 2 April in Peterborough. I got to know of George through his work on the Chilembwe uprising and other works on Malawi and World War 1.
Brian Tarpey MBE, who was also of the Legion of Frontiersmen with an interest in the 25th Royal Fusiliers in WW1, died on 7 April on Malta.
While both will be missed, their legacy and contribution to our understanding of Africa during WW1, amongst other things, will live on.
Members with an interest in South African Involvement in the war, might find the Wits Rifles site of use.
Back in 2016, South Africa commemorated the Battle of Delville Wood with a stage production called Devil’s Wood. It was directed by Sylvaine Strike and was shown in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. If anyone was able to see it, please could you share your experience of it as there doesn’t appear to be anything more than the publicity material and this little write-up.
Edward Parker England and the East Africa Campaign: “Could a cashiered 52 year-old Lieutenant Colonel of the Royal Artillery win a Distinguished Conduct Medal as a Private in a line infantry regiment? Unlikely as it seems, it did happen during the Great War.”
A pdf of John Bruce Cairnie’s War Diary (3/4 KAR) is now available online.
Some short biographies of men who served in Africa with links to the East India Club, includes a summary of the campaign. Contains information on the two Ryan brothers who died in the same conflict on the same day serving with different units, one with 25th Royal Fusiliers and the other with the Nigerian Regiment.
A collection of posters and propaganda cartoons from SA during WW1 can be found here. I’ve contacted the author to find out about the article.
For anyone interested in the Spanish Flu and its impact on East Africa, Twitter connection WW1EAfricaCampaign (@WW1EACampaign) located this article by Fred Andayi, Sandra Chaves and Marc-Alain Widdowson: The impact of the 1918 Influenza pandemic on coastal Kenya.
As usual, various books are for sale through GWAA.