East Africa

The war in East Africa is referred to in a few of the letters, but none of the Sladdens were involved in the campaign there.

The East African Campaign was a series of battles and guerrilla actions, which started in German East Africa (modern-day Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania) and spread to portions of Mozambique, Northern Rhodesia, British East Africa, Uganda and the Belgian Congo.  The main objective for the German forces in East Africa was to force Allied governments to keep military forces and supplies in Africa, rather than send them to fight in Europe. By threatening the important British Uganda Railway, it was hoped British troops would invade East Africa, where a defensive action could be fought.  This strategy achieved only mixed results after 1916 as Allied forces became composed almost entirely of South African, Indian and other colonial troops.

A letter of 23rd February 1916 revealed that Stanley New of Evesham had been wounded in East Africa.