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The parade uniform of the KAR comprised khaki drill with tall fezs and sashes. These were normally red, although there were some battalion distinctions, Ugandan units for example wearing black fezs. HISTORY Formation Six Battalion s were formed in 1902 by the amalgamation of the Central Africa Regiment , East Africa Rifles and Uganda Rifles , with one or two battalions located in each of Nyasaland , Kenya , Uganda and Somaliland :
The KAR took part in the campaigns against Mohammed Bin Abdullah (known to the British as the "Mad Mullah") in Somaliland during the early 1900s . First World War The 5th (Kenya) Battalion and 6th (Tanganyika Territory) Battalion [1917-1961 were formed during the First World War, the latter from Askari s of the former German East Africa . Many duplicate battalions were also created. The regiment fought against the German commander Paul Erich Von Lettow-Vorbeck and his forces in German East Africa. Second World War The regiment fought against Italy in Abyssinia , Vichy France in Madagascar and against Japan in Burma during World War II . At one stage the regiment had 44 battalions and several independent garrison companies. Its most infamous member was Idi Amin . During the Abyssinian campaign, in 1941 , Sergeant Nigel Gray Leakey of the 1/6th Battalion was awarded the regiment's first and only Victoria Cross (VC). Post-War In 1952 , during the Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya, the regiment reformed the 7th (Kenya) Battalion. It was renumbered as the 11th (Kenya) Battalion in 1956 . The regiment actively assisted in operations against the insurgents. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd battalions saw service in the Malayan Emergency where they were heavily involved in fighting Communist rebels, suffering 23 dead. When the various nations that made up the regiment became independent, the regiment began to break up:
The regiment's last Colonel-in-Chief was HM Queen Elizabeth II . The extent to which KAR traditions influence the modern national armies of the former East African colonies varies from country to country. In Tanzania for example a mutiny in 1964 led to a conscious decision to move away from the British military model. In Kenya on the other hand the title of Kenya Rifles survives and the various campaigns in which the KAR distinguished itself in both World Wars are still commemorated. BATTLE HONOURS The regiment's battalions were not awarded Colours until 1924 , as colours were not traditionally carried by rifle regiments. The colours had many of the regiment's Battle Honour s emblazoned on it. The old colours were replaced in the 1950s .
1. awarded 1908 for services of The Central Africa Regiment SEE ALSO REFERENCE |