Military Hierarchy, Race and Ethnicity in the German East Africa Campaign: The Case of the Rhodesia Native Regiment (1916-1918)

Abstract

Historically,military hierarchy is often informed by a number of factors that originate from abroader social context. In the colonial society of early twentieth century Africa, race and ethnicity represented defining factors in shaping military hierarchy and culture. However, when commanders and soldiers were faced with the tensions and hardships of actual warfare, other issues such as merit could arise and become important in determining authority. The Rhodesia Native Regiment's participation in the German East Africa campaign of the First World War illustrates how racial and ethnic stereotypes could be challenged by the experience of armed conflict.However, it also shows that since colonial society was seen at the time as essentially permanent, the temporary impact ofwartime urgency could not seriously challenge its influence. With the outbreak of the First World War in 1914,Southern Rhodesia's small white settler population of just 30,000was eager to participate in the conflict. They were extremely patriotic toward Britain but also saw wartime military service as a way to earn self-government and nationhood in the future. Many white Rhodesian men, frustrated by the delay in forming local units, rushed off to Britain to enlist there or to rejoin their old regiments. Elements of the British South Africa Police, the permanent security force of the colon)!,took part in engagements in German South WestAfrica and EastAfrica in the early days of the conflict. Eventually, two battalions of white soldiers were formed to fight in the war's African campaigns. In 1915, the First Rhodesia Regiment helped subdue rebellious Afrikaners in South Africa, participated in the invasion of German South WestAfrica and was disbanded within a year. Later in 1915,the Second Rhodesia Regiment was formed and fought in the gruelling bush war of the German EastAfrica campaign. In 1914,officialsof the Native Affairs Department had informed the African majority that this was a 'white man's war' and they would not be involved. Memories of African resistance to colonial conquest in the 1890swere still strong and local white administrators and settlers were afraid that the war would encourage rebellion. Also, if wartime sacrifice was meant to earn whites future political rights in a colonial context then similar service by Africans would not be appropriate. However, these concerns were overshadowed by the fact that the whites ofSouthern Rhodesia, despite the highest enlistment rate in the empire, quickly began to run out of manpower. In 1917 the Second Rhodesia Regiment had to be pulled from the field and demobilised as there were not enough replacements for the many men lost to tropical disease. The idea of forming the