Voi - Taveta Railway

Voi Taveta Railway - Voi - Tavete Railway War was declared on Aug 5th and the farmers and settlers immediately formed volunteer bands to protect the Mombasa -Nairobi - Uganda railway which was the lifeline of Kenya and Uganda. On Aug 16th German Schutztruppe under Colonel Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck invaded Taveta from German East Africa and advanced to Salaita Hill on the road to Voi and from here on Dec 5th he attacked Tsavo Bridge. The British were based at Maktau, 50 km to the east. Supplies, especially water, were of major importance so in Feb 1915 the British began to build a railway from Voi to Maktau to enable a large camp to be established and on Sept 3rd a skirmish north of Maktau led to the award of the VC to Lt W T Dartnell who is buried in Voi. On 12th Feb 1916 the South Africans suffered 138 dead in a failed frontal assault on Salaita Hill which the Germans subsequently abandoned in favour of hills to the north of Taveta

Advanced Africans Attacked Bands Battlefields Build Buried Dartnell Declared Enable Especially Established Failed Favour Formed Frontal Immediately Importance Invaded Lettow Lifeline Maktau Mombasa Nairobi Protect Schutztruppe Settlers Skirmish Subsequently Suffered Tsavo Uganda Volunteer Vorbeck

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