Chambeshi Monument

The monument bears a plaque which reads: On this spot at 7.30 am on Thursday 14th November 1918, General von Lettow-Vorbeck, commanding the German forces in East Africa, heard from Mr Hector Croad, then District Commissioner Kasama, of the signing of the Armistice by the German government, which provided for the unconditional evacuation of all German forces from East Africa.A second plaque in the Bemba language ends with the words Twapela umuchinshi kuli bonse abashipa abalwile mu nkondo iyi ("We honour all brave soldiers who fought in this war.

)[1]The message given to General von Lettow-Vorbeck was a telegram sent to Croad which read Please send the following to General von Lettow-Vorbeck under a white flag - The English Prime Minister [sic] sent notice that on 11th November an Armistice was signed and that the fighting on all fronts should cease on 11th November at 11 o'clock.

Most accounts of the war say that Lettow-Vorbeck surrendered at Abercorn, 250 km to the north, giving the impression that he penetrated just the few kilometres to Abercorn from German East Africa but that is only because he was instructed by Allied commanders in Northern Rhodesia to march his troops there for the official surrender on 23 November 1918.

[3] The British force had been waiting in the Abercorn area to attack the German forces coming from northern Mozambique, thinking they would make for Lake Tanganyika, but General von Lettow-Vorbeck had evaded them by turning south-west towards Kasama.

Its tiny British population evacuated to Mpika,[4] except for nine who set up two Maxim guns at the Chambeshi, but they did not know how to work them.