Moravian Messenger Nov 2020

moravian
NOVEMBER 2020
messenger
Remember the forgotten
In memory of those names we never knew, and whose stories we were never taught, from the First World War.
photo credit: pixabay.com
The factory/house roof was of corrugated iron so when the big game rifle was fired each round sounded as if it was coming from a piece of artillery. The African troops along the riverbank fired at a largely unseen enemy who feared to rush the position due to the 'artillery' barrage. In the middle of the engagement a messenger arrived for the British officer. He took the white tablecloth from the house dining room, tied it to a pole and raised it aloft. The firing ceased. Shortly afterwards German representatives met with the officer and they were given the following telegram: 'Please send the following to General von Lettow-Vorbeck under a white flag - an Armistice has been arranged and fighting on all fronts will cease on 11th November at 11 o'clock - signed Van Deventer', a South African who was the head of British forces in East Africa.
As there was no one to formally surrender the full force to, the actual surrender took place with all assembled forces at Abercorn, now Mbala in Zambia, when the General von Lettow-Vorbeck and the German officers and their 1,168 Askaris finally and formally laid down their arms on the 23rd November. So ended the tragedy that had flared across the world from that shot at Sarajevo. The German general was granted the unique privilege of marching his German troops through the Brandenburg Gate on his return home. He had led a now largely forgotten campaign in Africa but even more disregarded and forgotten are the Askaris who fought for both sides. Some fought under duress, fighting for Empires they had no participation in eventually finding the fate of their homeland was decided in the gilded splendours of Versailles. A monument to the missing, for few formal records were kept, sits now rather forlornly
on a roundabout in Mbala, reduced in scale to avoid excessive costing.
While the war was being fought by proxy using largely African troops, colonial life went on. Belgium had vast possessions in Africa. Even before the war Great Britain and Germany were in discussions about the take over and division of Portuguese possessions in Africa! On 3rd February 1915 there had been a conference in London between Belgian and British officials defining new boundaries between their possessions. The frontiers were amended: many sections mere straight lines across country which meant the 'native inhabitants of the areas assigned to either party under Article 3 who have hitherto been under the administration of the other party are now deemed to be subjects of GB or Belgium as per the new frontier. The implementation will be immediate'.
continued inside on pages 138-139
From a Lion to a Tiger Moth
(page 136)
Br Francke
- a missionary scholar
(page 137)
A Century since the ordination of the first Tibetan ministers in West
Himalaya (page 139)
An assembly held recently at Fulneck School
(page 140)