The Zanzibar Volunteer Defence Force was a military unit raised in the British protectorate of

Zanzibar Zanzibar is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of many small Island, islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. ...

during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. It was formed to supplement the Zanzibar garrison after defeat in the 4 November 1914

Battle of Tanga The Battle of Tanga, also known as the Battle of the Bees, was an unsuccessful invasion of the Port of Tanga in German East Africa by the British Indian Expeditionary Force "B" on 3–5 November 1914 during World War I. Under the command of th ...

left British forces in the region on the defensive. Though enlistment was voluntary almost the entire able-bodied military-age European population of the protectorate joined the unit. After the British garrison was withdrawn in October 1915 the Zanzibar Volunteer Defence Force and other indigenous units were responsible for the defence of the protectorate.

Background

The British

Imperial Service Infantry Brigade The Imperial Service Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Indian Army that saw active service in the East African Campaign (World War I), East African Campaign in the Indian Army during World War I, First World War. History ...

was defeated in the 4 November 1914

of the East African campaign. This put them on the defensive for the following year due to a lack of troops. British West African troops were tied up in the

Kamerun campaign The Kamerun campaign took place in the German colony of Kamerun in the African theatre of the First World War when the British, French and Belgians invaded the German colony from August 1914 to March 1916. Most of the campaign took place in ...

and South African forces in the

South West Africa campaign The South West Africa campaign was the conquest and occupation of German South West Africa by forces from the Union of South Africa acting on behalf of the British imperial government at the beginning of the First World War. The South Afric ...

. British and Indian troops were also largely unavailable due to commitments in other theatres. British residents in East Africa generally opposed arming native Africans through an expansion of the pre-war King's African Rifles (KAR). They instead banded together in white-only volunteer units such as the Uganda Volunteer Rifles, Northern Rhodesia Rifles, and Nyasaland Volunteer Reserve.

Unit

The Zanzibar Volunteer Defence Force was a development of the Town Guard that had been formed shortly after the start of the war to help the small garrison of one KAR company to defend the protectorate. After the defeat at Tanga the British resident in Zanzibar requested a full battalion of infantry to defend the protectorate; he received four companies of the Gwalior Rifles that had survived the battle. He shortly afterwards reorganised the Town Guard into the Zanzibar Volunteer Defence Force, to supplement the garrison. Enlistment was purely voluntary and open to all military-aged residents of European descent. A history of the war states that "practically every able-bodied member of the small British community" joined the Zanzibar Volunteer Defence Force. The unit was commanded by Captain J. H. Sinclair. In April 1915 the KAR company was withdrawn from the garrison and they were followed by the Gwalior Rifles in October; Zanzibar was thereafter required to be self-sufficient in defence. Despite the earlier misgivings several new units of African infantry were formed, including the Arab Rifles, East Africa Protectorate Police Battalion, Uganda Police Service Battalion and the Uganda Armed Levies. The Zanzibar Volunteer Defence Force was reinforced by a company of the (African) Zanzibar Armed Constabulary. Men from the police were also formed into the Zanzibar African Rifles, which was later incorporated as the 7th battalion of the KAR; the Mafia Island, Mafia Armed Constabulary was also formed at this time.

References

{{Reflist Military units and formations established in 1914 1914 establishments in the British Empire British colonial regiments Military history of Tanzania Military units and formations of the British Empire in World War I