“The First and Last Shots Were Fired in Africa”
Claire Horton on the Untold African Story of the World Wars
Claire Horton, Director General of the Commonwealth War Graves
Commission (CWGC), speaks about Africa’s overlooked role in the World
Wars and the ongoing effort to honor those who died.
Q: What role does the Commonwealth War Graves Commission play in
Kenya and across Africa?
In Kenya alone, the CWGC maintains 38 sites where 8,637 casualties are
commemorated. We employ 45 staff and work with 14 contractors across the country
to care for these cemeteries and memorials. Security and support services at our sites
also contribute to local livelihoods.
Across East Africa, including Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Madagascar,
Zambia, Zimbabwe, and the DRC, we maintain a further 78 sites where more than
8,200 casualties are commemorated.
Globally, the CWGC commemorates 1.7 million men and women from the
Commonwealth who lost their lives in the two World Wars. Founded by Royal
Charter in 1917, we work on behalf of the governments of Australia, Canada, India,
New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Our cemeteries and memorials
are found in 23,000 locations across more than 150 countries.
But here in Africa, our work carries a deeper responsibility of ensuring that the
contribution of African soldiers, porters, and carriers is fully recognized.
Q: Has Africa’s role in the World Wars been overlooked?
Yes — undeniably.
Very few people realize that both the first and the last shots of the First World War
were fired in Africa. These were truly global conflicts with global consequences, and
Africa was not a sideshow but was central.
Hundreds of thousands of African soldiers and even more porters and carriers
supported campaigns across East and Southern Africa. Yet for decades, their
contribution received little international recognition.
Before the First World War, it was not common practice to mark or care for the
graves of “ordinary” soldiers. The Commission was revolutionary in 1917 when it
established the principle of equality in death that all should be commemorated
equally, regardless of rank or background.
However, when it came to Africans who died outside the European theatre, even the
Commission did not always live up to that principle. That is why our current work to
address historic inequalities in commemoration is so important.
We are determined to correct the record.
Q: What is being done to tell the African story more clearly?
We firmly believe more must be done to raise awareness about Africa’s contribution.
In Kenya, we are working with partners to develop educational materials, capture
oral histories, and establish heritage and tourism trails that honor African
servicemen and women.
We are also collaborating with the National Museums of Kenya, the Kenyan Defense
Forces, and the Ministries of Culture and Tourism to integrate CWGC sites into
national heritage narratives. Soon, some of our cemeteries will feature on the
Magical Kenya platform as important historical destinations.
Education is key. A CWGC-sponsored animation telling the story of African porters is
being jointly developed by the Technical University of Kenya and Central Saint
Martins in London. Engaging young people ensures these stories live beyond
textbooks.
Q: What challenges does the Commission face today?
Our challenges fall into four areas: maintenance, climate change, conflict, and
relevance.
Our cemeteries and memorials are ageing and require increasing care. Climate
change adds pressure, particularly as water and other resources become scarcer. We
are committed to sustainable approaches to conservation.
In some regions affected by conflict, access to sites can be restricted. But we take a
long-term view: when peace returns, we return to restore.
Perhaps the greatest challenge, however, is relevance. The World Wars are now
outside living memory. Our task is to ensure the next generation understands why
these sacrifices matter.
Q: What are some recent successes in Africa?
We have identified nearly 7,000 previously uncommemorated names.
Likely burial grounds have been discovered in places such as Voi and Mombasa
through archival research and community engagement. Plans are underway to
determine how best to commemorate these sites in consultation with local
communities.
A new memorial is underway in Cape Town to honor 1,600 Black South Africans who
were not previously commemorated. In Sierra Leone, proposals are advancing for a
memorial to an additional 930 men.
The growth in our online audience and increasing engagement from African partners
is also encouraging. The fact that, more than 100 years later, individuals are still
remembered by name is itself remarkable.
Q: What is your vision for Kenya and Africa going forward?
Our ambition is to become a global leader in commemoration for all time — unbound
by geography or date.
In Kenya specifically, I want to ensure that all Kenyans who died in the World Wars
are properly commemorated. That includes progressing plans in Nairobi, Mombasa
and Voi.
We want to work closely with communities to tell the stories of porters, soldiers, and
carriers. We want our education initiatives to expand. We want more visitors at our
sites. And we want to champion the incredible Kenyan staff who care for these
memorials every day.
Above all, we want to honor those who died by sharing their stories with the world.
Q: Your final message?
We are committed to achieving true equality in commemoration but we cannot do it
alone. Collaboration, trust and local engagement are vital.
More than a century ago, a promise was made: that those who died would be
remembered forever.
Our mission is to ensure that promise includes Africa.
All of our work with the descendants, families and communities of those brave
Kenyans who served and died is based on local engagement, collaboration and trust.
Whether it is our joint work with the National Museums of Kenya, the Kenyan
Defence Force or the Ministries of Culture and Tourism. Or our collaboration with
community associations, volunteer-led support networks and heritage groups.
So, as this important work takes shape, we want to hear from you. You can share
your thoughts and ideas with us via our website at www.cwgc.org or by email at
kenya@cwgc.org
This is your country’s history. You are the descendants of the people we want to
honour. It is you who have the thoughts and ideas on how best to commemorate the
porters, soldiers, and carriers who died. It is you who will know best how to tell their
stories.
