King and Country

Crossing the railway just South of the Jamati (as in Jamatini) and the Anglican "Cathedral" you see a familiar dark brown sign: Commonwealth War Graves Dodoma Cemetery. Following the sign you come to an immaculately tended oasis of orderliness and calm, sudden in the surrounding dusty urban sprawl. The gate is locked but a notice tells you to ring the office - in Nairobi - for the "key". It's a combination lock. elaine-in-dodoma, aka Mrs Scrooge, saved the cost of an international phone call and climbed over the low fence. Nearly all the graves are from WW1, mostly South African soldiers, their gravestones engraved with the Springbok emblem of the regiments. Some are "A victim of the Great War known unto God".
Tanzania, German East Africa as it was then, saw some action in the First World War. A dashing German General called Von Lettow led the British a merry dance as he retreated, with an elite band of African Schutztruppe but heavily outnumbered, across 4000km of East Africa, finishing the war undefeated. The campaign furnishes the usual mix of heroism and farce. There is also a lovely post script. Quoting from the Footprint Handbook to Tanzania: In 1964 the German Bundestag finally voted the funds to settle the back pay owing to the Schutztruppe at the surrender in 1918. Over 300 veterans, some in faded and patched uniforms presented themselves at Mwanza. Only a handful had their discharge papers. Those who didn't were handed a broom and taken through arms drill, with the orders given in German. Not one man failed the test.

Surprisingly there are three or four German graves, marked with the Iron Cross, in the Dodoma Cemetery including Leopold and Edmund von Breitenbach who died within weeks of each other in 1916. I have heard that enemy soldiers also share the Commonwealth graveyard in Morogoro and maybe others in Tanzania. It also seems that the Commission took over an existing civilian graveyard in Dodoma as there are a few earlier graves including a very imposing one:
Hier ruht Friedrich Frech
Sektionsingenieur bei Ph Holtzmann + Cie
geboren 20 VII 1852 in Stuttgart
gestorben 23 XII 1909
Opposite the gate at the far end is a square stone monument with inscriptions in English, Arabic, Hindi(?), and Urdu(?): God is one His is the victory. In memory of the brave Hindus, Sikhs, Muhammadans who sacrificed their lives in the Great War for their King and Country.
On either side of this are some World War II graves including some Moslems. The other Second World War graves are just inside the gate: Eight South African Airmen all dated 4 August 1940.
In the far left hand corner is a row of 14 African graves, some of whom have only one name. eg Buried in this plot S34 private Simoni.
African Native Medical Corps 14th July 1918.
John the gardener came and unlocked the gate while I was there and I congratulated him on keeping the place so beautifully. It is the cleanest, neatest place I have seen since I arrived here. It's just a pity you have to be dead to get this level of service.