Meru and I remember looking out the window and thinking it would be great to trek through the hills along this stretch of road. However, the letter does record one skirmish. Below I have tried to trace the places and dates in his letter and compare them with other contemporary accounts. I have also tried to find out more about Korogwe and what was happening there between July and November We stayed in Kilindini harbour [i.
We entrained and got as far as Voi that night, going on to Taveta, where we stopped the night again [5th July]. We then went to Mochi, where I went into a rest camp [6th July] , having left my M. A week later [13 July? The next afternoon [14 July? Cape Corps, etc. We did a very slow eight miles that night, and formed a lager by a bridge which we had to cross over in the morning. The Pangani is a big river, and so it was an important bridge [Zuganatto Bridge?
The Huns had been sniping the road a good deal. I doubled across the bridge with my scally wags, who are as a matter of fact fine scrappers [ not technical military terms to my knowledge! To draw a long story short we blazed away at the bush, the people in the laager doing the same thing, and the Huns cleared off.
There were about 15 whites and blacks. I have been sitting down here doing nothing ever since, except odd jobs such as post staff officer; now I am O.
After that show, columns were sent out to strafe the Hun, which they did, capturing his gun [Action at Segera Hill — see below] , and the sniping ceased. I have put in an application for the K. I met Captain Green and Wheeler in the W. This dates the letter after 1st August Small raiding parties kept interfering with our telegraph line, and convoys between Korogwe and Handeni, and finally, early on the morning of the 13th July, a determined attack was made on the road bridge at Korogwe, which was, however, successfully beaten back.
