My Grandparents' war

[Thunder]

I wasn't planning to watch tonight's episode with Emeli Sandé, but the mention of the Mau Mau atrocities peeked my interest. For anyone who doesn't know about the Mau Mau war in Kenya in the 1950s th epeople wanted independence an dthe British Government refused to give it to them resulted in atrocities both by the Mau Mau and also by the British Government. It is only very recently the British Government has said anything about the insurgence and their over the top response. Everything changed after the Sues crisis/lies by Prime Minister Anthony Eden in August 1956 and countries in the former British Empire started to get their independence from Britain and the fact that Britain couldn't afford to keep armed troops there. The apartheid in Zambia (formerly Northern Rhodesia) was something I didn't know about. In 2011 the British Government paid out £19.1 million for people who had been tortured by the Colonial administrations but HM Government denied liability for the events as they said it was carried out by the colonial administrations (hmm!). The papers on the rebellion were released in the FCO 141 records at TNA (the series with use of insecticides in the binding) and the records that the FCO said didn't exist until they were dragged into an admission at the High Court of Judicature in London.

I am sure most of us have had ancestors who have fought for the British Empire (as was) often against the wishes of the countries they occupied, it gives food for thought.

[jonwarrn]

but the mention of the Mau Mau atrocities peeked my interest.

I think you mean piqued.
You certainly have a wide range of interests!

[jonwarrn]

In 2011 the British Government paid out £19.1 million for people who had been tortured by the Colonial administrations but HM Government denied liability for the events as they said it was carried out by the colonial administrations (hmm!).

I haven't seen the programme, I must watch it, but I think the compensation was announced in 2013.
Mau Mau torture victims to receive compensation - Hague
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22790037

The papers on the rebellion were released in the FCO 141 records at TNA (the series with use of insecticides in the binding) and the records that the FCO said didn't exist until they were dragged into an admission at the High Court of Judicature in London.

Here's a link to your recent post on that subject
viewtopic.php?t=650

You got it right there, at the High Court of Justice, not the High Court of Judicature (is that in India?)

[Norfolk Nan]

This is interesting on a personal level as a family member was in the army then and ‘forever changed’ by the experience. He never discussed it but this programme and the links here (thank you) will shed some light on it for us.