Harry Fecitt

The Final Shots in Portuguese East Africa

Thumbnail image for The Final Shots in Portuguese East Africa February 11, 2011
This entry is part 1 of 6 in the series Harry Fecitt

ShareSHORTCOL September 1918 On September 1 1918, The German Schutztruppe commanded by Colonel Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck was moving northwards away from a fierce and costly battle fought over the previous two days at Lioma. The Schutztruppe’s strength on 1st September was 176 European officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and 1,487 African Askari plus a large [...]

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Fighting the Aliab Dinka Southern Sudan, November 1919 – May 1920

Thumbnail image for Fighting the Aliab Dinka Southern Sudan, November 1919 – May 1920 February 25, 2011
This entry is part 2 of 6 in the series Harry Fecitt

Share  In southern Sudan in 1919 the Aliab Dinka, Bor Dinka and Mandari tribes inhabited an area west of the upper White Nile river.  The tribesmen tended to be tall and fit-looking cattle herders who were adept at using spears.  They had little if any time for western conventions such as wearing clothing or paying [...]

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The Action Around OK Pass, Somaliland Protectorate, 1st to 3rd March 1919

Thumbnail image for The Action Around OK Pass, Somaliland Protectorate, 1st to 3rd March 1919 February 25, 2011
This entry is part 3 of 6 in the series Harry Fecitt

ShareDuring the Great War internal security still had to be maintained throughout the vast British Empire.  One continuous problem facing the British was the ongoing insurgency in the Somaliland Protectorate inspired by the Dervish leader Sayyid Muhammad Abdullah Hassan, the so-called ‘Mad Mullah’.  This insurgency had been running sporadically since 1901 and adjacent Italian territory [...]

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The fight at Gurin, The Cameroon Campaign 29 April 1915

Thumbnail image for The fight at Gurin, The Cameroon Campaign 29 April 1915 February 25, 2011
This entry is part 4 of 6 in the series Harry Fecitt

ShareIn April 1915 Captain Derek Wetherall Pawle, 2nd Battalion The Border Regiment, was aged 27 and serving on secondment with the 2nd Battalion of The Nigeria Regiment, West African Frontier Force. At that time British, French and Belgian allied forces had invaded the Cameroons, Germany’s largest West African colony. The Germans put up a spirited [...]

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The fight at el Wak, Northern Province, Kenya 23rd August 1926

Thumbnail image for The fight at el Wak, Northern Province, Kenya 23rd August 1926 March 26, 2011
This entry is part 5 of 6 in the series Harry Fecitt

Share The background In the summer of 1926 No.4 Company of the 3rd King’s African Rifles (3 KAR) was stationed at Wajir and Mandera in Kenya’s Northern Frontier Province.  The company commander sent out regular patrols to monitor security activities along the border with Italian territory.  Jubaland had been ceded over from Kenya to Italy [...]

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The Maruka Patrol: The Central Highlands of British East Africa September to October 1902

Thumbnail image for The Maruka Patrol: The Central Highlands of British East Africa  September to October 1902 March 1, 2011
This entry is part 6 of 6 in the series Harry Fecitt

ShareBackground In 1901 the colonial authorities in British East Africa (now named Kenya) had completed a railway line from Mombasa on the Indian Ocean coast to Kisumu on Lake Victoria.  Ferries then transported passengers and goods across the lake to and from Port Bell in Uganda.  Having thus spent nearly 500 million pounds sterling (nearly [...]

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