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The Society of Malaŵi Journal

PROFESSOR EMERITUS (SAM) GEORGE SHEPPERSON, CBE.

John Catton

At 98 years, Sam was one of the last surviving members of the King’s African
Rifles & East African Forces Association to have served during WWII throughout the
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whole 11 (EA) Division Burma campaign enduring the famous advance in the
Kabaw Valley which led to the establishment of the Chindwin Bridgehead, and where
there were more casualties due extreme tropic heat, malaria, disease, venomous
snakes and other wild animals than fighting a ruthless and cruel enemy. General Bill
Slim said that no troops other than African Forces could have made such a major
advance down the Kabaw Valley through the monsoon season while facing the threat
of sheer brutality at the hands of the Japanese.
His academic career seemed to know no bounds and much has been recorded
in other tributes, while at the same time his memory was absorbed by the haunting
sounds of African music. He wrote “those who were present when the KAR marched
out of Burma through the night after the completion of the last patrols, will recall how
the askari sang almost continuously; the jungle roads were dusty, but the rains had
gone; the Japanese were far away, and Christmas was just across the Chindwin.” He
asked: “Did the Africans make no contribution to the literary records of these
cataclysmic conflicts which were so rich from other countries? Surely, the
contribution lies in the heritage of the askari song in the vernacular. African askari
songs came out of the rich context of nyimbo and developed in imagery, form and
content as military ballads, often on the march.” Those of us, like Sam, who have
marched to these evocative tunes will have them set in our soul for ever.
With the reviving of the KAR journal, Rhino Link, in 1993, Sam approached
the editor suggesting that recordings of the askari marching songs at the “Victory
Searchlight Tattoo” held at Ranchi at the end of the war in 1945 might be featured.
The Band music and unaccompanied Marching Songs were transcribed onto tapes and
made available to association’s members. Shortly after this, the ‘Life and Times of the
KAR’ video film was made, and the recorded music brought alive the vivid scenes
from the past and found their natural place in all the sequences. The 50 min film,
which includes a personal view of the KAR’s role in the Burma campaign by Colonel
the Viscount John Slim and can be viewed on the KAR website:
www.kingsafricanriflesassociation.co.uk
Sam, and his wife, Joyce, were hospitable hosts and welcomed fellow
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members to his home in Peterborough. On his 90 birthday, a few friends celebrated
the day with a tea party, and despite being gently pressed to recount some of his life’s
memories he spoke little about his past service experiences in Burma, but spoke
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fondly and at some length about John Clare, the 19 century poet, who was born and
had lived a few miles away. Sam was a rare and gifted soldier, scholar and poet.

John Catton is the Editor of RHINO LINK, the Journal of the King’s African
Rifles & East African Forces Association.

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