Fake News in West Africa
Once the threat to West Africa was removed by Operation Torch led by General Eisenhower in North Africa the focus moved from The Gambia to mobilizing the West African 81st Division for deployment to Burma.
The nature of the training and the unsuitability of the African troops for European service made the Division's destination obvious.
The move was a major operation. It took place just before Edgar Whitehead took over Q (Operations), so his direct interest was limited. As was foreseen, the maintenance of security over the move was very difficult. Before long the Officers were transferring their accounts to Bombay! The Admiralty became concerned, too, over the security of the convoy.
Edgar was appointed to the War Establishment Committee of the West African Command. Soon, a signal reached the General from the WO criticizing lack of security. This did not concern Edgar's Department so he had no intention of speaking at the staff conference called to see what could be done.
Suddenly in the middle of the discussion, the General turned to Edgar and said, "Whitehead, you're a bloody politician, you ought to be used to pulling the wool over peoples eyes, haven't you got anything to suggest?"
Edgar replied, "Well, Sir, my staff know the conference is about the 81st Division. If I have your permission to return to my office, slam down the files on my desk, and say, 'Everything's altered at the last minute as usual,' I think that will get all round the camp in a few hours."
He got permission. It worked.
(The first West African commissioned officer spent some time in Edgar's Mess when on a course at Achimota and made himself very popular. He had a university degree, was a very fine cricketer and later did very well in Burma. Edgar met him again in 1957 when they were both diplomats in Washington.
The war office put a ceiling on the number of European Officers and NCO's the Command might have so they determined the allocation of the limited manpower to provide the maximum combatant force with the minimum administrative backing. Edgar later adapted this principle most successfully to the Rhodesian Civil Service. The system gave stimulus to Africanization particularly at NCO level, as there was no limit on the number of Africans.)
The historical novel Whitewashed Jacarandas and its sequel Full of Possibilities are both available on Amazon as paperbacks and eBooks.
These books are inspired by Diana's family's experiences in small town Southern Rhodesia after WWII.
Dr. Sunny Rubenstein and his Gentile wife, Mavourneen, along with various town characters lay bare the racial arrogance of the times, paternalistic idealism, Zionist fervor and anti-Semitism, the proper place of a wife, modernization versus hard-won ways of doing things, and treatment of endemic disease versus investment in public health. It's a roller coaster read.
References:
- Sir Edgar Whitehead's Unpublished Memoirs, Rhodes House, Bodleian Library, Oxford University, by permission.
- Photo Credit:
Joshua Tigo