Mimi And Toutou Go Forth

by Giles Foden

"It's the duty of the Royal Navy to engage the enemy wherever she is afloat" is the order of the day, but their lordships would never have imagined what they would be letting themselves into when they sent Lt. Spicer Simson and his ragtag expedition to sink three German Steamers on Lake Tanganyika in central Africa. Spicer Simon, when he wasn't AWOL, would perform ritual baths for his African bearers, who quickly christened him Lord Belly Cloth. Fitzcarraldo meets Heart of Darkness, this is rich, vivid and flashmanesque in its appeal - military history at its most absorbing and entertaining

Genres: History, Africa, Nonfiction, War, World War I, Military History, Tanzania

318 pages, Hardcover

First published September 30, 2004

About the author

Giles Foden was born in Warwickshire in 1967. His family moved to Malawi in 1971 where he was brought up. He was educated at Yarlet Hall and Malvern College boarding schools, then at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, where he read English. He worked as a journalist for Media Week magazine, then became an assistant editor on the Times Literary Supplement. He was deputy literary editor of The Guardian between 1995 and 2006 and is currently Fellow in Creative and Performing Arts at Royal Holloway, University of London. He is a Professor of Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia, and still contributes regularly to The Guardian and other journals.

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you ever needed convincing that truth can be stranger than fiction, then this book ought to do the job. It’s the story of the “Battle of Lake Tanganyika”, actually a series of engagements during 1915-16, and this account is dominated by the personality of the British commander, Geoffrey Spicer-Simson, portrayed in the book as a vainglorious boaster and an inveterate liar who inhabited a fantasy world in which, in his own mind, he had performed all sorts of heroic actions. In 1915 he was the oldest Lt. Commander in the Royal Navy and probably the most incompetent. He had been court-martialled twice in peacetime, once for running his ship aground and once for colliding with and destroying a liberty boat, an incident in which one man died. In 1914 he was given command of a gunboat called the Niger. It was sunk by a U-Boat whilst at anchor and whilst Spicer-Simson was in a hotel on shore, taking tea with his wife and her lady friends. After that he was in disgrace and given an admin job processing transfers from the Merchant Navy into the Royal Naval Reserve.

Spicer-Simson’s chance at redemption came when a big game hunter from Africa, John Lee, travelled to London with a plan to attack German ships operating on Lake Tanganyika, which had disabled the only Belgian vessel on the lake. Normally, getting ships on the lake would involve transporting them in sections to be assembled at the lake itself, but Lee explained the Germans had many spies amongst the local Congolese, and that any ships being constructed would be attacked and destroyed before they were ready. The only option was to use boats that could be launched straight away on arrival. It was decided therefore, to transport two 40-foot motorboats to the lake, via ship to Cape Town and train to the Belgian Congo by way of Southern and Northern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe and Zambia). The main problem was that the railway didn’t extend the whole way and the journey involved the boats being manhandled over 146 miles of rough terrain, including a 6000ft climb over a range of mountains called the Mitumbas.

Spicer-Simson was supposed to name the two vessels and initially suggested HMS Cat and HMS Dog, which were rejected by the Admiralty. He then chose Mimi and Toutou, which this book tells me are French equivalents of “Miaow” and “Bow-wow”. These were accepted, and Spicer-Simson thought it uproariously funny that he got one over the Admiralty in this way.

The author considers why Spicer-Simson was placed in command, concluding that it was probably due to him being the only available officer of appropriate rank. I suspect the Admiralty also consoled themselves with the thought that nothing that happened on Lake Tanganyika could affect the outcome of the war in Europe.

Much of the book is taken up with the remarkable story of getting the boats to the lake, and both that tale, and that of the battle(s), are told in very lively fashion. There was one part where I disagreed with the author’s interpretation of Spicer-Simson’s own account, but that is a minor matter. I purposely avoided reading about the outcome of the lake battles beforehand, and that meant the book read like a novel for me. For the same reason, I won’t describe the detail in this review.

Giles Foden is of course best known for his works of fiction. If those are written in as lively a style as this book, then they will be worth reading. I might make a note to do exactly that.

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Given his chequered career, it is surprising that Spicer was ever considered for the post, let alone given it. Perhaps Sir David saw some streak of heroism in Spicer hitherto unperceived or perhaps, as seems more likely, there was simply nobody else available."

Spicer, according to Foden, is that type of vain-glorious ego-maniac that seems to attract authors and movie-makers. He is at the center of this recounting of a little appreciated African conflict between Germany and Britain during World War I. There was a danger that victory by Germany in Europe (and that was a distinct possibility in 1915, would lead to a grab of opponents colonies as well.)

"In London during the summer of 1915, Spicer embraced the Tanganyika project with gusto. All the torpor and guilty self-laceration of the past few years was forgotten at a stroke. Perhaps he knew this was his last chance—that there was no other way of becoming a hero than going to Africa and making a successful expedition."

Secrecy and planning rolled along with a few “bumps in the road.”

"Spicer had sworn the doctor to absolute secrecy, so when he returned home the night after he had accepted the job, he told his wife only that he was joining Spicer on an expedition abroad. “Oh, didn’t he tell you, dear?” she replied. “You’re going to Lake Tanganyika via Rhodesia and the Congo River. Amy Spicer-Simson telephoned me this afternoon and we had a long talk about it.”"

Spicer is always the hero of his stories though in real life, according to Foden’s account, he can miss shooting a large animal at ten feet and is not competent to direct the fire of his guns on Mimi and Tutu, the small boats that are to challenge the Germans for supremacy around Lake Tanganyika.

The battle scenes are adequately described and there is depth to the discussion of politics in this part of Africa. Spicer’s gaffs become more predictable and annoying, like a little child constantly interrupting the telling of a good story.

Foden notes that another perspective on this significant African contest is provided by the novel, The African Queen.

[Corto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once, after reading a complicated article on Marine Corps logistics, I asked an officer of said service and branch, "How the hell do guys ever actually get from point A to point B?"

With a weary shake of his head, he responded, "Most of the time, only by sheer force of will."

That sentiment covers a large portion of the action of this book- a very well written and intriguing history of one of the least known naval actions in WWI, in it's least known theater, East Africa.

What lies in these pages is a strange story of an eccentric and under-qualified Royal Navy officer and the expedition he led to keep the Germans from maintaining uncontested control of Lake Tanganyika. The British launched the expedition only because they felt they should control any patch of water where a RN vessel could float, and only realized later the economic implications of German dominance in the region.

Foden writes a very colorful and well documented history, fleshing out the only other popular account of this battle which appears in Byron Farwell's "The Great War in Africa".

Foden also takes the time to relate the contributions of the indigenous Africans who made the victory possible.

Thoroughly enjoyable read. I passed it up when it came out years ago, because it seemed too ridiculous, but it's a fascinating story. If reading about Naval history, WWI or imperialism in Africa interests you, put it on your to-read list.

[Tim Mercer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book for several reasons. Primarily it is about Spicer-Simpson who was the leader of the British expedition that transported the 2 gunboats overland to Lake Tanganyika and subsequently commanded them in their luckily successful encounters. Unfortunately he is a classic example of incompetence saved by hard working subordinates. With officers like Spicer-Simpson, the British empire was doomed. In my opinion his only redeeming feature is that he was also responsible for naming the gunboats Mimi and Toutou. Cool names for gunboats I think.

However this book is fascinating with its description of the African landscape and life of the period as well as how the expedition overcame many of the problems in transporting the ships. Even 100 years ago the landscape was changing as Europeans finished their claiming of the continent. They had at a minimum significantly changed the lifestyles of the native tribes if not exterminated or completely subjugated them. However their story is peripheral to the story told which is primarily about the man and his involvement in the expedition. The book itself is written in a very easy to read style. 4.5 stars for it's entertainment value.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I have myself crossed Lakes Victoria and Tanganyika and am a huge fan of Huston's African Queen I read Foden's book with great interest. Mimi and Toutou were two armed motorboats transported by rail and on foot from Cape Town to near Kigoma to take on a formidable German naval presence. The Belgians, allies of the British also make an appearance.This very well-written, densely researched book is worth buying alone for the portrait of the vainglorious Geoffrey Spice-Simpson, inveterate liar, incompetent naval "commander" and wont to wearing a skirt in the tropics. The final engagements with the German "navy" led to a relatively small number of horrific maimings and deaths.

The book also contains a sketch of the most distinguished participant in the WW1 East African war, von Lettow-Vorbeck, who effectively beat the British with his askaris and his skilful guerrilla tactics. When news of Germany's defeat in Europe finally percolated to Africa, Lettow-Vorbeck, wishing to surrender, was told by the enemy:"Awfully sorry, old chap, but we have no facilities for prisoners of war here. Would you mind frightfully marching your chaps to Abercorn?" I am open to correction but I recall this was a distance of some 1000 miles. Abercorn, now Mbala, has a statue commemorating the parlous British victory. I have seen it.

Lettow-Vorbeck, an honourable Prussian, had no truck with Hitler. In the early 1950s a Brit or a South African financed a return visit for him to Tanganyika. He received a hero's welcome.

But this book is primarily about the arduous trek made by Spicer-Simpson and his men, many of whom were as unhinged as he was.

[AJ Payne · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

I am not a big reader of military history (or small reader for that matter).
It just doesn't excite me, so books about military history are typically not
at the top of my list - and even when I add them, I tend to avoid reading
them. It's probably an unfounded bias since I wouldn't say I have read
enough of them to have a real opinion on the genre. But, that's how it's
been. Then, a coworker gave me this one to read, and since I was actually
handed the book and given an in person positive review... I figured I had to
do it.

It took me over a year to read it, because it was one of the books I left on
my desk and read page by page over various breaks or lunch periods. But, I
am glad I read it. It was fascinating and certainly covered an aspect of
military history in Africa that I was completely ignorant about. And it was
told in a novelistic style, so certainly wasn't dry and academic. Of course,
having an eccentric main character didn't hurt the telling of the story,
either. So, if there are more military history stories of this ilk, I may
not be as hesitant to read the genre. I even enjoyed the last portion of the
book in which the author recounted the making of The African Queen and his
own travels to east Africa to unearth some of the details of the story (or
at least connect with it). So, all in all, a very nice book. And definitely
something that provides great insight into the colonial period during World
War I. No complaints from me.

[Gilbert Payson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. The story of a British man who accomplishes heroic feats in spite of his incompetence and personal idiosyncrasies. At times I laughed myself to bits

[Daniel Ragsdale · Rating 5 out of 5]

The truly weird and wholly true story that inspired the novel, and the all-time great movie, The African Queen!

[Susan Mudambi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This made it to my “to read” list only because of a planned trip to Tanzania. I wanted to find a novel set in Tanzania but settled for this odd mixture of military history and romanticizing British colonialism and not sure what else. How many books have dialogue interspersed with footnotes to obscure histories, Joseph Conrad, Evelyn Waugh and the African Queen? The main character, Commander Spicer was, well, a character, a farcical, too odd to be believed historical figure that just can’t be real but was. I learned a lot about a very sketchy episode of World War I, but found the book frustrating.

Read this with another traveler or history buff. You are going to want to complain about it with someone else, to wonder aloud together why it leaves you laughing uneasily, how it annoys you, and why you keep reading it to the end.

[Shannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mimi and Toutou's Big Adventure was a book with potential. Set in Africa during World War I, I was intrigued, especially having read Running the Rift, Purple Hibiscus and The Thing Around Your Neck earlier this year. I had hoped Mimi and Toutou would help me understand how events in the early twentieth century shaped the experiences of the fictional late twentieth century/early twenty-first century characters in these books. Instead, it was the story of a specific battle between the British and the Germans, with an emphasis on Britain's efforts to get two ships from England to Lake Tanganyika.

If you're a fan of war history or interested in battles, ships and bizarre English characters, this book might be worth a read. For me, the author missed a chance - time and again - to either zoom in on one of the peculiar (but interesting) characters in this story or to zoom out and situate the story within the broader scope of history. Either would have been more satisfying to than reading about a pulley system that moved two boats over a mountain.

[Nocheevo · Rating 2 out of 5]

The supposedly Great War, WWI, had numerous sideshows. Little forgotten battles. Often triggered by left field strategic thinking and carried out with lack lustre intent in some forgotten corner of the globe that generally slipped in to a diminutive satire of the larger European play.

Mimi and Toutou Go Forth covers one such campaign in East Africa. The British plan to engage German forces on Lake Tanganyika, which is the longest Lake in the world and was of great strategic advantage in Central Africa at the time.

With no British naval forces on the lake an expedition was undertaken to transport two reconditioned gunboats overland through central Africa, defeat Germans and........ I am not too sure, East Africa hardly was going to open a flank on the Western front. A plan later riffed upon with the film the African Queen. The expedition was undertaken by third string naval officers and the freebooter types lurking about in colonies. It plays a bit like a real life Catch 22. A farce in the face of jingoism.

A generally enjoyable easy read. Humorous without eliciting belly laughs. A more fiction styled narrative may have worked better.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The little-known true story of the Battle of Lake Tanganyika during World War I that served as the inspiration for C. S. Forester's The African Queen and great film adaptation. An engrossing, entertaining tale of swashbuckling action and adventure, and comical ineptitude.

[Lonette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an unusual read for me. The storytelling was fun, but I’m not sure how historically accurate it was.

In World War 1, Belgian and British troops fought against German forces in Africa. British big-game hunter, John Lee, noticed that the Germans had control of Africa’s Lake Tanganyika and he traveled to London to report this fact to the Royal Navy, and to suggest a plan for the Admiralty to send motorboats to challenge the three German steamships that patrolled the lake. This would require the vessels to be shipped to South Africa, and then transported overland to the landlocked lake. Since most of the experienced naval officers were already at sea, the Admiralty chose the incredibly eccentric Geoffrey Spicer-Simpson to lead the Naval Africa Expedition. The author described him as, “a man court-martialed for wrecking his own ships, an inveterate liar and a wearer of skirts.” Well, that piqued my interest, I must say.

Several times I found myself giggling at Spicer-Simpson’s antics. He wanted to name the two launches that were assigned to him Cat and Dog, but the Admiralty disliked the names and told him to choose different ones, so he selected Mimi and Toutou, which Spicer-Simpson said meant “miaow” and “bow-wow” in French. Spicer was one of the most egocentric, bombastic figures I have encountered in nonfiction. He loved to tell anyone who would listen about his heroism, most of which was fabricated. Modesty would never be an adjective used to describe Spicer-Simpson. He also had a talent for insulting allies, which caused quite a few problems, although he was a resounding success with the local Ba-Holo-Holo tribe who lived on the shores of Lake Tanganyika. They had formerly been allies with Germany, but Spicer-Simpson’s peculiarities entertained them so much, that they shifted their loyalties to him. My favorite of these peculiarities was when the commander began wearing a skirt, not a kilt mind you, but a skirt, that I believe his wife designed for him. The natives loved this attire because it showed off the colorful tattoos of snakes and butterflies that covered Spicer-Simpson’s body. I wish there had been pictures in the book! He even had monogrammed, hand-made cigarettes.

Despite Spicer-Simpson’s chaotic leadership, the flotilla managed to either capture or sink three of the German boats. The final campaign required the taskforce to defend the land operations from the lake. Spicer-Simpson found that the harbor was defended by what appeared to be a heavily-armed fort, so he opted not to attack and went elsewhere. Imagine his chagrin when he discovered that the fort’s big guns were made of wood! Needless to say, the commander was thoroughly chastised for this.

All-in-all, I liked the book, but I probably will not be reading it again.

[Harry Buckle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply a 'must read.' A true story featuring a number of remarkable English eccentrics and their battle to retain control over an almost ocean sized lake in central Africa. I just re-read this having found my copy (originally called Mimi and Toutou Go Forth ) propping up the corner of an old copper rum still in my office: Don't ask! If you have even a vague liking for Alexander McCall Smiths series of African/Botswana stories then this real world adventure-will make you smile. Despite this being a First World War contest over a strategically important part of Africa, the true misery of that terrible time is more than softened by the situation where local conditions and distance from 'the real world' were as much if not more a part of the problem than the need to prevail over the Germans. Echoes - even then, of a by gone age. The real story though is about the English eccentrics and adventurers...'lets take some little steam boats from the Thames overland several thousand miles through the wilds of Africa and sort out those dastardly chaps on the lake. ' Actually one of my favourite books - and rediscovering it then meant taking the rest of the day away from the typewriter. I think for only the second time here on GR I would say: 'Please get this...I don't think you will be disappointed.' If it wasn't a true story it would make an exotic fiction. Actually years later in the '60's when the despotic and dangerous Idi Amin had seized control in Uganda he declared war on the US Navy. This caused considerable merriment and scorn in the US media considering that, much like days of Mimi and Toutou , Amin also only had a couple of very ancient smallish river steamers in his navy. Given Uganda firmly also located in central Africa, when the US really studied the matter they found the likely logistics of transporting ships thousands of miles through desert and jungle not so simple. As their spokesman at the time said...shuffling his feet with embarrassment...'We might- just-possibly-hard to imagine-but taking into account the conditions and the need- err- we might not just bother!' Now days of course a drone or two would be despatched to bomb the wrong targets. But back to the sunnier times of Tea drinking English Navel Officers wearing skirts and Giles Foden's wonderful 2004 book...Mimi and Toutou. Get it and Enjoy. The explanation of why I happen to have a full size working rum still in my office is for another day...it would be good for 'the blog' section on GR but I can't figure out how to make that work..so possibly the days of eccentrically incompetent Englishmen in hot climates aren't yet over...no skirt though. Yet.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been on my shelves for years, I'm not sure when or where I got it. I decided it needed reading. First of all I had always been under the impression it was a novel, a humorous tale, but humorous fiction is very hard to get right, so it has languished at the bottom of my TBR pile.
It is not a fictitious romp, it turns out this is a thoroughly researched account of true events. Events so outrageous that they couldn't be made up. I was shocked, horrified and totally entertained by this book. It is history made totally accessible, readable and entertaining. I will be now pressing this book into the hands of as many people as possible, just so that I can talk to them about it afterwards.

[Ruthanne Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful telling of one of the strangest, unlikely battles in WWI. It is believed to be, loosely, the basis for the C.S. Forester book The African Queen. I don’t normally like war stories, but I thoroughly enjoyed this well written romp thru a piece of the war. If you are a WWI enthusiast, this is a book for you. If you, like me, adore The African Queen, book & movie, read this for some fascinating background.

[Victoria Starbuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining, but some questionable assumptions about people’s feelings and actions that Foden doesn’t support with primary sources.

Last chapter is a departure from standard historical writing, giving some insight to methods for inclusion of local perspectives. Perhaps unintentionally, also unveiling some of the authors biases.

Might be a 3.75

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, the actual British military part was good, the book ended with an explanation of how the movie the African Queen was made and not really worth reading. Glad I got the book for or small money from a used book seller. It was barely worth the $4

[Alexander Chetkovich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah yeah fine. Fun little story about the ridiculousness of Europeans and "African" history. Vaguely disjointed from time to time. Could see the strain of writing an historical book for a popular audience off the back of about three sources.

[Matthew Parsons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy reading account of one of the many strange small battles fought around the globe that were overshadowed by the slaughter in Europe. A colourful cast of characters and an interesting story make it worth reading

[Jeroen Van de Crommenacker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I would enjoy this book more. It’s a fun telling of a minor historic episode in Africa, but probably the subject is a bit too thin.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly absurd.

[Jansie Both · Rating 5 out of 5]

brilliant!

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read, insane patch of history.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This should have been a fascinating book. However it was badly written and dull. I kept getting lost as to what was happening and didn’t care it was so boring.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The timeless tale of incompetent leadership and men in kilts.

[Howard Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but last few chapters focus on the making of The African Queen.

[Paschalis]

elibrary

[Arno Rohwedder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read, discussion on WWI naval campaign on Lake Tanganyika. i'm probably biased in my interest as I've lived in the direct area for 5 years.

[EstherCW · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5