Arthur Aitken

Major General Arthur Edward Aitken (1861–1924) was a British military commander.

Born in Rochford^[1] in Essex, by the time of the 1871 Census he was a 9-year old pupil at a school in Brighton, Sussex.^[3]

He began his military career in 1882 as a cavalryman.^[4] Following the outbreak of the First World War, Aitken led the first notable incursion into German East Africa at the head of Indian Expeditionary Force B,^[4] and was defeated at the Battle of Tanga in early November 1914.^[5]

The battle is often known as the "battle of the bees" for the swarms of bees that repeatedly interrupted fighting,^[6] with both sides fleeing for cover. Aitken had been overconfident and not attempted any reconnaissance work in the area.

The German defence forces were led by Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck,^[5] who never suffered a defeat during the war.

Aitken's troops were routed and retreated.^[5] There were delays in publishing the details in Britain.

Notes

References

• Chappell, Mike (2005). The British Army in World War I: The Eastern Fronts. The British Army in World War I, Volume 3. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1841764019. 
• Farwell, Byron (1989). The Great War in Africa, 1914–1918. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0-393-30564-3. 
• Paice, Edward (2008). Tip & Run: The Untold Tragedy of the Great War in Africa. London: Phoenix. ISBN 978-0-7538-2349-1.