CWGC - Mombasa (Mbaraki) Cemetery - British Memorial - Lieutenant L.H. Le-May, Special List and 6th Bn. King's African Rifles. 24th February 1919.

Mini-Sitrep XVIII - Among Lois' [Ashwanden] papers, the family came across a wonderful letter …….. "Dear Mr Lemay [Lois Ashwanden's uncle?] Having arrived here under the flag of truce, I learn from Mr Mundell, your old Comrade, that you have got a commission in the KAR. Allow me to heartily congratulate you on this splendid and quick promotion, seeing you were only Lance-Corporal when, fortunately, it fell to my lot to be of some use to you, on that eventful day of Goraragna [Geraragua?], on the tenth of March 1916.

I was very glad to learn later on, my people had left you at Moshi at a Greek's place: I am afraid you might not have been able to get out of the war all right, had you been compelled to follow our retreating troops and to undergo all the ensuing hardships, as poor old Battersby had to. You remember you had to give up everything that was found on you? Your property, including a check book, a 5 rupee note, a cigarette box and a humoristic poem of a certain Colonel's adventure on Kidongoi or Vamanga, was later returned to me, and was carefully stowed away by myself in order to secure it for you. After peace has been declared I shall send it on. At the same time be prepared, dear Mr Lemay, that, whenever I shall come across you again, I shall make it pretty hot for you.

Do you remember your yarn about the Turks having opened the Dardanelles to the Allies? It gave me a shock that time, though I did not believe it. It wants much whisky to flood away the recollection of that tale of yours on that memorable field. Anyhow, though you are an enemy of the Huns, one Hun, at least was awfully glad to hear of you becoming a Lieutenant, for I am fully aware of the fact that you amply deserved it, recollecting the gallant way in which you rode against our position and did your best to get out of the scrape when you found that you had been ambushed. At that time, both of us believed Captain Douglas, who was riding with you, had been killed in action that same day. Now I gather, he had escaped unhurt. Fancy Captain Mundell tells me, he is the same Douglas, that one time, behind Besit [Bissil] Camp, tried to catch me and my party, when we had lost our mules, early in the morning, in a skirmish with Imp. Indians, about 750: we were about 20 then. It was by a mere chance that this same Capt. Douglas just before Christmas last month, escaped a somewhat unpleasant fate, when I, with my patrol nearly entered Umbugne, where he camped, without being aware of my presence; he had hardly anyone with him to make a proper resistance.

It will interest you to know that I have been through all the fighting at Kahe and Kondoa, without getting hurt at all: sometimes I was in a very awful situation. During the last months I led the life of a wandering Beduin with the last German patrol here in the North of the Colony: it has been the worst time of the war for me, full of hardships and privations, sometimes nearly unendurable. You will hear more about it, should we ever meet again.

I came into Mkalama to discuss certain points with Captain Mundell: if General Smuts agrees to certain proposals, my soldiering will come to an end, for this war anyhow. In Captain Mundell I had the honour and the pleasure to make the acquaintance of one of the most amiable gentlemen of our foes, the EAMR, upon whose camp I looked down so frequently from the heights of Elemoharasha Mountain. We haye exchanged mutual recollections of early warfare between Bonl, Longido and Engare Nairobi: I have spent a nice time in Mkalama in his company, that I shall never forget it. Hoping that you have not quite forgotten me I remain, dear Mr Lemay, with many salaams Yours sincerely Signed - R. DE HAAS Lieutenenat of reserve, A.D. Volunteer of War, German Army.

Gazette 17/3/1920 - Probate and Administration in respect of Lionel Henry Le May late of Donyo Sabuk who died at sea en route to Cape Town on or about 28/2/1919. Applied for by Samson Donelly of Nairobi.

EAMR photo - the Regimental Soccer Team