East Africa

Timeline of events (from source material contemporary with the Great War from a British perspective).

1914

13 August	Dar-es-Salaam attacked by the British.
20 August	Taveta occupied by the Germans.
5 September	Abercorn attacked by the Germans.
7 September	German reverse near Tsavo.
10 September	Kisi occupied by the Germans.
12 September	Germans defeat near Kisi.
2 October	British victory at Gazi.
4 November	British defeat at Tanga.

1915

8 January	British occupy Mafia off Rufiji River.
19 January	Germans capture Jasin and three Companies of British troops except 40 Kashmiris (ammunition depleted).
28 February	Blockade of coast declared.
6–9 March	Small successes on Victoria Nyanza.
29 April	Brigadier General Tighe to command.
30 May	▶ Fighting round Uganda Railway, lakes and north-east Rhodesia (April and May).	▶ Sphinxhaven (Lake Nyassa) captured by Lieut. Dennistoun, RN.
25 June	Bukoba (Lake Victoria Nyanza) captured by Brigadier General J. Stewart.
28 June, 26 July	Fighting near Abercorn (north-east Rhodesia).
11 July	The SS Königsberg is destroyed in the Rufiji River.
10 September	Renewed activity; Skirmish south of Songwe River.
14 December	Sir H. Smith-Dorrien appointed Commander-in-Chief.

Sources: Various material contemporary with the war have been used to compile The Great War On This Day and its associated Compendium.

On This Day pages are styled as timelines and have been transcribed from two out-of-copyright sources: Chronology of the War (1918-1920), and History of the Great War – Principle Events 1914-1918 (1922). The spelling of place-names is a particularly convoluted subject. Some names were spelt differently depending on source, others have changed over time for various political or geographical reasons. In general, spelling of place names are original to British use at the time of, and shortly after, the war. Some typos have been altered or corrected for consistency. Similar events between these sources have been amalgamated; as a result the date and wording may differ to their original texts.

Compendium entries form the central hub of (a) An index-like collection of places, people, ships, battles, political events, etc., and (b) Words and phrases of the Armed Forces of Great Britain during the Great War. The majority of these have been transcribed from Chronology of the War (1918-1920) and Soldier and Sailor Words and Phrases (1925) respectively, the later which is reflected in the language used and some may seem derogatory by today's standards.

Images come from scans or photographs of original sources, Wikimedia Commons, and the Imperial War Museum's online collections under the IWM Non-Commercial Licence. Attribution is given separately to the latter and does not come under the general licence of this site. Please be aware that some images, although very few, may depict distressing scenes.

Advisory note: The information in these sources may not accurately represent updated histories, present-day spellings, or geographical borders. It is also written from a British perspective, and words such as "enemy" are used extensively. For further details and a full list of sources, click here.

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