Anne Samson who is a specialist on the Great War in Africa, takes at a look at the reasons Africa became involved in the First World War, where conflict occurred, how it was managed and the legacy of the war in and on Africa. Anne covers more than the battlefields, considering the diversity of involvement, logistics (medical arrangements and transport), the politics of managing the campaign at local and imperial level and how this compared with the German approach.
Dr Anne Samson runs the Great War in Africa Association and is the author of numerous books and articles on aspects of the Great War in Africa. Her most recent monograph is a biography on Lord Kitchener inspired by his involvement in the war in East Africa. She has also translated Ludwig Boell’s Operations in East Africa and the memoir of Max Poppe who served with the German Schutztruppe. In addition to this she was involved in the creation of a virtual reality production and a heritage tour covering South Africa’s involvement in the war and was a member of the CWGC non-commemorated enquiry in 2020.