The Kenya Regiment was a unit of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

that recruited primarily from White Kenyans and some Ugandans with Black Kenyan recruits increasingly employed most notably, during the Mau Mau conflict. Formed in 1937, it was disbanded at the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

in 1939. It was reformed in 1950 and participated in the suppression of the Mau Mau uprising (1952–56) and was finally disbanded on Kenyan independence in May 1963.

History

The British colonial administrations in East Africa relied throughout their existence predominantly on military units recruited among Africans and commanded by Europeans. The various units were consolidated into the

King's African Rifles The King's African Rifles (KAR) was a multi-battalion British colonial regiment raised from Britain's various possessions in East Africa from 1902 until independence in the 1960s. It performed both military and internal security functions within ...

in 1902. In 1907 the idea of a white settler defence force was discussed. The "Kenya Defence Force" was eventually established under the Defence Force Ordinance 1928. The Ordinance "made provision for the compulsory registration of all European males of British nationality in the Colony up to the age of fifty years and for their division into three classes according to age. However, those over fifty could also enrol in a fourth class." After questions were raised about control of weapons and potential settler threats to the Kenya Government in 1936, the Force was disbanded and replaced by the Kenya Regiment, formed 1 June 1937. The Kenya Regiment was formed in the aftermath of the

Abyssinia Crisis The Abyssinia Crisis (; ) was an international crisis in 1935 that originated in what was called the Walwal incident during the ongoing conflict between the Kingdom of Italy and the Empire of Ethiopia (then commonly known as "Abyssinia"). The Le ...

(1935). Fearing an Italian threat to the British colonies in East Africa, the

Colonial Office The Colonial Office was a government department of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, first created to deal with the colonial affairs of British North America but required also to oversee the increasing number of c ...

ordered the reform of the military units in

Kenya Colony The Colony and Protectorate of Kenya, commonly known as British Kenya or British East Africa, was part of the British Empire in Africa. It was established when the former East Africa Protectorate was transformed into a British Crown colony in ...

. A section of the Territorial Army was established for white settlers to complement the long-established

(KAR) which comprised black soldiers under white officers. It was originally designated ''Kenya Regiment (Territorial Force)'' and subsequently expanded, also recruiting white settlers in

Uganda Protectorate The Protectorate of Uganda was a protectorate of the British Empire from 1894 to 1962. In 1893 the Imperial British East Africa Company transferred its administration rights of territory consisting mainly of the Kingdom of Buganda to the Bri ...

. At the outbreak of

in 1939, the unit's personnel were re-allocated to the KAR and

Northern Rhodesia Regiment The Northern Rhodesia Regiment (NRR) was a multi-battalion British colonial regiment raised from the protectorate of Northern Rhodesia. It was formed in 1933 from elements of the Northern Rhodesia Police, which had been formed during Company ...

. Kenya Regiment soldiers also formed the basis for the creation of the Kenya Armoured Car Regiment. The regiment was recalled in 1950 and participated in the suppression of the Mau Mau Uprising (1952–56), during which 31 of its members were killed. It was disbanded with the independence of

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

in 1963.

Notable personnel

Roger Whittaker Roger Henry Brough Whittaker (born 22 March 1936) is a British singer-songwriter and musician, who was born in Nairobi to English parents. His music is an eclectic mix of folk music and popular songs in addition to radio airplay hits. He is bes ...

, singer and songwriter, national service, 1954–56.

References

Bibliography

*Guy Campbell ''The Charging Buffalo: A History of the Kenya Regiment 1937–1963'' (London: Leo Cooper, 1986) *Leonard Gill, ''Military Musings'' (Victoria, BC: Trafford, 2003) *Leonard Gill, ''More Military Musings'' (Victoria, BC: Trafford, 2004) *Leonard Gill, ''Remembering the Regiment'' (Victoria, BC: Trafford, 2004) *Ian Parker, ''The Last Colonial Regiment. History of Kenya Regiment'' (T.F.) *

External links

Official website
of the Kenya Regiment Association. British colonial regiments Military history of Kenya Military units and formations established in 1937 Military units and formations disestablished in 1963 British Kenya European Kenyan {{UK-mil-unit-stub