At the outbreak of the First World War, the settlers of Kenya felt that it was their duty to take up arms for their king and country. They attempted to band together and form several different independent volunteer corps out of a rather limited population base. In the end, the various units were combined into one, which was given the title of the East African Mounted Rifle Regiment. As organized in August of 1914, the regiment consisted of the following: 1914 Regimental Headquarters, with: 1 command cavalry ctand 1 cavalry MG stand (1 die) 6 "Squadrons," each with: 1 recon cavalry stand Notes For 1914 1. The "squadrons" were lettered as A to F. 2. Use the British cavalry statistics for movement and fire, but do not give the regiment the cavalry bonus for close combat. 3. Considered the unit as Trained, Morale: 9 for 1914. 4. For figures, use a mixture of either Boer or Imperial Yeomanry figures from the Second Boer War. The unit was known for its lack of uniformity. 1915 In 1915, the regiment was reorganized. A unit of scouts was added to the headquarters, and D and F "squadrons" were disbanded to provide needed personnel for transport service. The regiment now had: Regimental Headquarters, with: 1 command cavalry stand 1 cavalry MG stand (2 dice) 1 recon cavalry stand 2 "Wings," each with: 2 recon cavalry stands Notes For 1915 1. The right wing had A and C "Squadrons", the left had B and E "Squadrons." 2. Considered the unit as Experienced, Morale: 9. 3. Consider the recon cavalry stand in the headquarters as Elite. (Among its members was G. J. Pretorius, the famed big game hunter from the film Out Of Africa.) 1916 By early 1916, it became very apparent that the rank and file serving in the East African Mounted Rifles were wasted in the role that they were serving in. Additional officers for the transport service and newly formed King's African Rifle units were badly needed, with the result that there was an extreme shortage of men who were familiar with the conditions in Africa who could fill those posts. Accordingly, the East African Rifles were called on to release additional men throughout the year, so that by mid-1916 the regiment was reduced to: East African Mounted Rifles, 1916 1 command cavalry atand 1 recon cavalry stands 1 cavalry MG stand (2 dice) Notes For 1916 1. Considered the unit as Experienced, Morale: 9. 1917 By March of 1917, the Regiment was disbanded, though its person nel served on throughout East Africa to the end of the war. Back to Table of Contents -- Command Post Quarterly # 6 To Command Post Quarterly List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1994 by Greg Novak. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com