Driving with the M.T during the East Africa Campaign - Recollections of the Army Service Corps during the First World. East Africa by Motor Lorry and The Royal Army Service Corps in East Africa - R H Beadon;W W Campbell

Behind the wheel in the East African Bush

In this unusual first-hand account from one of the side-show theatres of the First World War, William Wallace Campbell recounts his experiences serving in the East African campaign as a driver for the British Army Service Corps Mechanical Transport division. Unlike the stalemate of the Wester Front, the East African campaign was a mobile conflict fought primarily between British Imperial forces and German colonial troops led by the talented,General von Lettow-Vorbeck. This war’s stage was the vast terrain of German and Portuguese East Africa at a time when it was virtually all bush. This meant that logistical motor transport for the army was problematic in every way. Campbell’s account encompasses the period from 19 November 1917 to 11 February 1919, and describes how these drivers transported wounded soldiers and critical supplies as this ’hit and run’ conflict progressed through a treacherous wilderness of rough tracks, mud, and rivers .Campbell writes compellingly and thrillingly about encounters with local wildlife, ( frequently lions) which were as significant a danger as ambushes by German askaris. Interactions with indigenous people, who had to that point seen little of the modern world, are also fascinating. However, as with all campaigns in tropical climes, disease regularly thinned the ranks more reliably than bullets. This Leonaur edition is accompanied by a thorough overview of the activities of the RASC in WW1, East Africa by Beadon, for context. Contains illustrations and photographs.

Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket.