Barotse Police

[Harry Fecitt]

"Victoria Falls Regatta - The Barotse Police who were paraded on the day of the Regatta and whose band played selections."

Here is an interesting postcard.

The postmark looks like 1910. The handwriting states: "These are the Police who will parade in front of the Duke of Connaught at Victoria Falls which I hope to visit. Cheap excursion from Cape Town 19 pounds 10 shillings."

[Harry Fecitt]

THE BAROTSE NATIVE POLICE

In 1899 Britain agreed to protect Barotseland, now located in western Zambia, and in 1901 the British High Commissioner at the Cape, Alfred Milner, proclaimed the formation of the Barotse Native Police, authorizing its strength at 300 African Rank and File led by white officers and NCOs from the British South Africa Police.

The Ruler of Barotseland, the Litunga, was not too keen on the idea but he was talked into accepting it. At that time the westernmost parts of his territory were being ravaged by slavers operating out of Portuguese West Africa (now Angola).

(A future Boundary Commission was to award most of these areas to Portugal.)

By 1902 240 men had been recruited and trained and allocated between five districts.

In his report for 1902 the British Resident, Major R.T. Coryngdon BSAP, commented:

?The corps is recruited chiefly from the Batoka natives, who take to the routine and discipline at once and who will make smart and reliable soldiers; a few Mashukulumbwe who contrary to expectations are amenable and obedient; and a few Barotse, who, though more intelligent, do not seem to take to the military life at all.

Experience has shown that it is always advisable to police a country with, if possible, natives from an alien tribe; . . .?

In the Rhodesias, unlike in British West and East Africa and Nyasaland, there were no regular native military units and so the Police were regarded as a military force.

The force was armed with rifles and two Maxims complete with pack saddles and tripods.

A suggestion to recruit 25 Sikhs to be employed as NCOs instead of the whites was accepted but never adopted as the African NCOs quickly proved themselves capable of commanding small detachments and patrols.

Whilst the Barotse Native Police did not have to fight any major engagements it carried out its duties professionally, maintaining the authority of Lewanika the Litunga, whilst also representing British interests in the region.

In 1905 the force now totaled 300 African Rank and File and eleven white officers, and was inspected by Lord Roberts at Victoria Falls.

A main operational task at that time was the prevention of the illicit traffic in rubber, arms and slaves across the Portuguese West Africa border.

In 1910 the force, now numbering 370 Africans, twelve white officers and six white NCOs, was inspected at Victoria Falls by His Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught.

He became Honorary Colonel-in Chief of the force, and, it is said, gave permission for the force to use the regimental march of the Royal Engineers: ?Wings?.

By now the duties of the force had been widened to include policing activities in the towns of Livingstone (now also known as Maramba), Broken Hill (now named Kabwe) and Ndola, just south of the Katanga border.

In 1912 the Barotse Native Police and the North-Eastern Rhodesia Constabulary were amalgamated into The Northern Rhodesia Police.

The unit was to fight hard and well during the Great War on the north-eastern border and in German East Africa.

Further reading:

?The History of The Northern Rhodesia Police? by Tim Wright. ISBN 0-9530174-4-3

?The Story of The Northern Rhodesia Regiment? by W.V. Brelsford.

?In Remotest Barotseland? by E.C. Harding

[leigh kitchen]

Thanks, I was about to start searching the web for info on this force.