The Rhodesia Regiment was raised in July 1899 to fight for the Queen in the Boer War. In 1914 battalions of the fought in German South West Africa and in German East Africa. More fought with British and South African units on the Western Front. In July 1916 after the Battle for Delville Wood only 407 of the 4 200 Rhodesians and South Africans deployed there survived. In World War II the problem facing the Rhodesian war planners was the appalling slaughter suffered during World War I. This led to the decision to attach Rhodesian units of no more than platoon strength to British and South African units. So Rhodesians fought and died on all fronts and in all services against Nazi Germany, the Italians and later the Japanese. In the RAF almost 100 Rhodesians were awarded the DFC. In 1953 the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland was established. From 1960 onwards radical black nationalist movements began agitating for black rule 'now'. The Federation was dissolved in 1963, but troubles escalated. In November 1965 after the failure of prolonged negotiations to gain Rhodesia independence, UDI was declared and a political deadlock with the British remained unresolved for the next 15 years. During this time the battalions of The Rhodesia Regiment and other units of the security forces, fought long and hard against two heavily armed terrorist organisations armed by Soviet Russia and Red China. Rhodesia got no assistance from a hostile world. Eventually, at the Lancaster House conference in London in 1959 Rhodesia was sold out to a terrorist regime. During the war years many men of the Regimen, both black and white, died and even more maimed, but their fight brought honour to themselves, to Rhodesia and to the Regiment. The Regiment was sadly ignominiously disbanded by the Mugabe regime when it assumed political power in 1980.