Seven: Company Sergeant-Major Katapoli, King’s African Rifles

Ashanti 1900, no clasp, high relief bust (696 Pte. Katapoli, 2nd C. African Regt.); Africa General Service 1902-56, 3 clasps, Somaliland 1902-04, Jidballi, East Africa 1913-14 (696 Cpl. Katapoli, 2nd K.A. Rif.); 1914-15 Star (113 Cpl. Katopola, 2/K.A.R.); British War and Victory Medals (113 CSM Katapola 2/KAR); Army Meritorious Service Medal, G.V.R., 1st issue (113 C.S. Mjr. Katapoli. 2/K.A.R.); King’s African Rifles L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 1st issue (113 C.S. Mjr. Katapoli. 2/K.A.R.) contact marks, otherwise nearly very fine or better and a rare group (7) £1200-1400

M.S.M. London Gazette 3 June 1919. One of only 19 M.S.M’s awarded for war services to any of the six K.A.R. (Nyasaland) battalions in existence at the war's end.

It is very unusual to obtain documents relating to any native soldier who has served the British Empire in Colonial times. The documents of C.S.M. Katapoli prove the exception. Despite inaccuracies and omissions, compounded by errors in copied clerical documents, it has been possible to piece together with some accuracy, the life and times of Katapoli.

Katapoli was born in 1877 in the village of Naliwanda in the foothills near Zomba mountain and was brought up during a time when Arab slavers were extremely active and inter-tribal fighting was commonplace. When the 2nd Battalion of the Central Africa Regiment was formally raised in early 1899 Katapoli was one of the early recruits. He was a short stocky twenty two year old, just under 5'5", and assigned to 'A' Coy. at Fort Lister.

Incredibly within three months of joining he was on the high seas, having embarked with his battalion at Chinde in Portuguese East Africa. The battalion was posted for garrison duties to the island of Mauritius in order to relieve the 2nd King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry for service in South Africa. After only 7 months the regiment was posted to Berbera and Sheikh in British Somaliland, becoming the first African Troops to serve there and where the ‘Mad Mullah’ had begun his twenty year jihad with British Authority. It was here that Katapoli was to complete his musketry training.

The next shock came five months later in late July 1900 when Lt.-Col. Brake D.S.0. was ordered to take half the battalion, or 4 companies, including 'A' Coy to the Gold Coast, for the Ashanti campaign. In his first action at Jachi, Katapoli was involved in a bayonet charge involving 60 enemy dead and the death of a Senior War Captain. A further two actions followed before the decisive battle of Obassa on 30 September 1900, his company having before first reached Kumassi, the Ashanti capital on the 1 September. This has been described as a hard fought victory over a courageous enemy.

Early in 1901, Katapoli was one of 40 men of the 2nd Battalion to return to British Central Africa with the 1st Battalion C.A.R., thus missing the Gambia Expedition, in which the remainder of his battalion took part. After four separate sea voyages to East Africa, West Africa and Mauritius, he began 3 months well deserved leave. He stayed in B.C.A. attached to 1/C.A.R. until the return of his battalion from the Gambia. During 1902 the Central Africa Regiment was renamed the Kings African Rifles (Nyasaland). Thus his Battalion became 2/K.A.R.

In November 1902, Katapoli was once again in Somaliland with the 2nd Battalion, taking part in the second and third expeditions. By good fortune he just missed the disastrous action at Gumburu, where, in April 1903, 'A' Coy his former Coy and 'C' Coy were wiped out with the loss of nine British officers. He also missed the action at Darratoleth five days later. He was subsequently stationed at a place called Gaffero, well inland. On 6 January 1904, Katapoli took part with 'B' Coy at the battle of Jidballi, in which they suffered casualties. Thereafter he was involved in operations in north-eastern Somaliland, bordering on Italian Territory. In July 1904, after a stop-over in Mombasa for 3 months, Katapoli returned to British Central Africa, shortly to be renamned Nyasaland. For Katapoli the longest period of home leave and garrison duty in his own country was to last for nearly three and a half years when his company was based at Fort Manning, situated near Fort Jameson in North Eastern Rhodesia. The military service of Katapoli, like all others, was based on 3 year contracts. In 1908 he was to re-engage for a further 3 years prior to further overseas service. For his next tour of duty he was to serve in Nairobi, Mombasa, Jubaland and Zanzibar on garrison duties. During this time he became a marksman in musketry achieving maximum points in one year and gaining promotion to Lance-Corporal and Corporal in 1909 and 1910.

In 1911 the 2nd K.A.R. was disbanded and many joined the German Colonial Army in German East Africa (Tanganyila), then a
friendly nation. Many others returned to their villages. Not so Katapoli, known also on paper as Katapola and even Katapolo. He was re-engaged in the same year for a further three years on his return from Nairobi. In January 1912 he was back again in British East Africa, with 'B' Coy of I /K.A.R. and disembarked at Kismayu, Jubaland. He took part in the Mareham Patrol and was involved in a number of minor actions under the command of Captain Giffard. 'B' Coy was selected for permanent garrison duty in Jubaland and at the outbreak of the Great War he was stationed at Yonti on the Juba River. Moved with alacrity to the German East Africa border his company was in position for the early action which took place in the Umba Valley in early September 1914. On 15 January 1915 he was part of a small force which landed and subsequently captured Mafia Island, garrisoned by the Germans and situated at the mouth of the River Rufiji where the German warship Konigsberg had sought refuge. Katapoli was one of ten men
wounded, in his case by a bullet which passed through his left calf. He continued to serve with his unit until August 1915 when he returned to Nyasaland on completion of an extended period of duty. He was discharged at Zomba on the 24 May 1916 as his time expired.

His Coy Commander in East Africa, Captain C. G. Phillips, who later commanded the 3rd Battalion of 2 K.A.R., gave him a very good character reference but considered that Katapoli had reached his ceiling as a good but slow Corporal, excellent in action, but that he would make a very unsatisfactory Sergeant. However, Corporal Katapoli, after leave, instead of retiring at once reengaged for a further three years and left for Nairobi via Chinde on 24 August 1916. The presumption must be that Katapoli was stationed at the depot at Mbagathi for training duties. Whether he took the field in G.E.A. with one of the two battalions of 2 K.A.R. is uncertain. On 16 November 1916 he achieved the rank of Sergeant and a year later on 1 December 1917, he was again promoted to C.S.M. What is certain is that he was at Mbagathi on 28 February 1918, when he was charged with using recruits for his own fatigue and reprimanded!

The Mbagathi training camp closed down in March 1919, and Katapoli returned to Nyasaland where he was finally discharged on 30 June 1919. Katapoli had been awarded the Kings African Rifles Long Service and Good Conduct Medal on 27 September 1918, backdated to 4 March 1917. He also achieved the distinction of becoming the first Nyasalander to receive this award, presented to him in 1919. The very last entry on his service record shows that he was issued with his three first World War medals four and a half years later on 25 June 1923.