Christopher Mellor-Hill will present an account of the Africa Naval Expedition that took place between December 1915 and July 1916 and resulted in the capture of Lake Tanganyika. The story inspired the book ‘the African Queen’ by CS Forrester and the film of the same name.
The British and Belgian forces had to recapture the lake from the German forces who had dominated the waterway since the beginning of the war. The Germans had larger and better-armed vessels than the allies could muster. As result, some ingenuity was required to bring suitable boats overland. The story reveals some particularly colourful characters and eccentrics who made the recapture possible.
Christopher works for Noonans auctioneers and dealers. In his role as Head of Client Liaison, he travels around Britain and overseas. He is a regular speaker at various medal societies and conventions, including the London Medal Club, which he founded, and he often exhibits at the Orders & Medals Society of America.
This meeting will be held in Cobham. Members of The Western Front Association and non-members are equally welcome. We ask for a modest £5 donation on the door. This includes tea, coffee and biscuits at the break (before the Q&A session with the speaker).
Members joining us at Cobham can use our new cashless card system and use their credit card/phone with the new reader that will be available at the signing-in desk.
To help make things easier and safer, we are asking those coming to Cobham to bring their own mug for coffee or tea.
Christopher’s talk starts at 8pm. Doors open at Cobham at 7:15pm and the meeting starts at 7:45pm.
The photo shows HMS Mimi being dragged overland towards Lake Tanganyika (National Archives ADM 137/268)