The Battle of Tanga in November 1914 was the first major event of WW1 in the long and bloody East African Campaign. The British Indian Expeditionary Force was defeated by a German force mainly formed of African soldiers and local volunteers.

For the duration of the battle, an Indian Medical Service ship weighed anchor off the coast. The stores and equipment from a field ambulance were carried ashore as Indian nurses and servicemen worked alongside British officers to treat the wounded.