Key dates and events

Military Career

Arthur Edward Aitken began his military career in 1880, when he was commissioned from the Royal Military College into the 97th Foot. He later transferred to the 29th Foot, then into the Bombay Staff Corps, beginning a long career in the British Indian Army.

He served in the Sudan Campaign of 1885, where he was present at Hasheen, Tofrek and Temai, receiving the Egypt Medal with two clasps and the Khedive’s Star. He rose steadily through the Indian Army, becoming Colonel in 1911.

During the First World War, Aitken was appointed to command Indian Expeditionary Force “B” in East Africa. He led the force during the 1914 Tanga operation and later retired with the honorary rank of Brigadier-General.

First World War Service

At the outbreak of the First World War, Arthur Edward Aitken was a senior officer in the Indian Army. In October 1914, he was appointed to command Indian Expeditionary Force “B”, a force sent to East Africa during the early stages of the war.

Aitken led the force during the attempted capture of Tanga in German East Africa in November 1914. The operation ended in defeat and became the defining episode of his wartime career.

Although his reputation was affected by the Tanga campaign, his later service and conduct were subsequently reviewed, and he retired in 1918 with the honorary rank of Brigadier-General.

Remembered in History

Arthur Edward Aitken is remembered as a long-serving British and Indian Army officer whose career spanned the late Victorian army and the First World War. His name is most closely associated with the East African campaign and the 1914 Tanga operation.

Although the campaign affected his reputation, his service record shows decades of military duty, active service in Sudan, senior command in the Indian Army, and retirement with the honorary rank of Brigadier-General.