The world in action

The world in action: Foreign Office Correspondence, 1906-1920

During the project Charlotte identified records that offer rich details for the social historian as much as for the diplomatic specialist. One particularly dramatic example of this is the correspondence of a West African trader to the Foreign Office relating to accusations that he had kidnapped an African child. Originally from Manchester, the complainant argued that although he had indeed carried a 'native boy' back to England with him, this had been done with the boy's consent. He also sought to refute any charges of immorality, pointing out that his previous 'defence [in print] of [Oscar] Wilde's memory as an author of skill did not also imply a defence of Wilde's example as a perverter (sic) of the moral code…' (FO 367/7). For more information on the case see Stephanie Newell's book, The forger's tale: the search for Odeziaku (2006).

There are also poignant cases of families broken apart as those in the UK lost touch with individuals who had travelled to the British colonies to seek their fortune. The families and friends of such people wrote to the Foreign Office asking for help, often sending in newspaper cuttings or photographs. In the case of Joseph Winteringham, imprisoned in Windhoek, a friend wrote to the Foreign Office defending his good character and excellent military service record. Once the Foreign Office had established that Winteringham had indeed served in campaigns in the Sudan and South Africa, it lobbied the German authorities on his behalf. Whether coincidentally or not, Winteringham was subsequently released (FO 367/8). Charlotte also discovered that these Foreign Office sources can throw new light on important events in British colonial history. Although historians have written extensively about the Namibian genocide (1904-8), in what was then known as German South West Africa, for example, their accounts have relied largely on German and Namibian archival sources. This has led some scholars to underestimate the extent of British assistance to German troops in the systematic attack on Herero and Nama peoples. The Germans refused to take prisoners, drove women and children into the desert, established concentration camps, and killed 80 per cent of the Herero and 50 per cent of the Nama peoples. Horst Drechsler had previously argued that the British assistance played a vital part in the German campaign (see his 'Let us die fighting': the struggle of the Herero and the Nama against German imperialism [1884-1915] [1980]), but his claims are now verified by the 1906 Foreign Office correspondence. In particular, the files in FO 367/11 show how the South African and British authorities focused on the expense of the German campaign rather than criticising its ethics and that the Cape Police aided in the monitoring and capture of Herero and Nama leaders.

As a result of her research, Charlotte now intends to write an article on British responses to the genocide of 1904-8.

Charlotte Hastings is a doctoral student at the University of Edinburgh, working on the history of education in Nigeria between 1918 and 1940.