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King’s Rifle of Africa

This is the life history of my grandfather as written to me (Peter D Ilmolelian by my mother, Mrs (Dr) G. M. Ilmolelian.

At the age of 28 years (in 1938), my grandfather, Mr Peter Frank, was enrolled in the King’s Rifle of Africa. He was taken to Nairobi (Kenya) but did not tell my mother where else he visited during the struggle of removing the Germans from Tanganyika. He was lucky to return safe and with good health. He showed to his family the photographs of the life of a fighter. My mother was about six years old then.

My grandfather never talked of being honoured. However, he played different roles in the Government offices as an Office Supervisor during the colonial times up to the independence of Tanganyika (now Tanzania) in 1961. His last work station was at the Amani Malarial Institute in Tanzania.

He is a member in the British Legion.

His essential statistics:

Mr Peter Frank was born in Tanga Province, Tanzania — then Tanganyika. He was the second born child of Frank and Rhoda. His father was a teacher.

He got married in 1930 and had a baby daughter known as Grace Mary (my mother). According to my mother, it was a very hard time for the family as her mother (my grandmother) had to care for 5 children on her own.

Mr Peter Frank was among the first batch of students at a Secretarial College in Tanzania.

He played an accordion and the photograph is with my mother’s sister who lives in Tanga, Tanzania.

He died in 1973 and was laid to rest at in Korogwe district, Tanga, Tanzania.

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