King's African Rifles: a History - Softcover

Whatever one may think about the rights and wrongs of colonial rule, it is hard to deny that during the first half of the this 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 force 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 it's 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.

Disappointed at not being able to continue with the Indian Army in 1947, Malcolm Page went to East Africa and found himself in the Somaliland Scouts, a unit then still heavily influenced by Indian Army traditions. He remained with them for four and a half years before returning to the British Army. Through long membership of KAR and East African Forces Dinner Club his acquaintanceship with other East African unit grew. Malcolm Page retired from the Army as a Brigadier in 1978, and spent the next thirteen years in the computer industry. He has written extensively on East African affairs.