Page 23 - A4 Journal 2018 R16

A Broader Perspective

More facts about the First World War

It wasn’t just white soldiers who took part in the First World War, many soldiers were from a Black and Minority Ethnic origin.
In 2014 research by Keele University resulted in a publication that is the main source for this article:
Black Britons
Little is known about the ethnic origin of the troops from the UK but there is much
evidence to suggest that there were many soldiers of minority ethnic origin representing
the home countries. Indeed , one of the most famous was Walter Tull, a professional
footballer who played for Northampton Town.

Walter Tull joined the 17th (1st Football) Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment on
21 December 1914 and, after progressing through the ranks, was promoted to be the
first ever Black officer in the British Army, and the first black officer to lead white men into
battle. Whilst he was recommended for the Military Cross he never received it, and he
was killed in action on 25 March 1918.

Asian Troops

India sent over 1 million volunteer men to aid the War effort. At the time, India included Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri
Lanka, and the soldiers were from many ethnic backgrounds such as Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus. 62,000 of these troops paid
the ultimate sacrifice, and another 67,000 were injured and the Indian Corps won 13,000 medals for gallantry including 12
Victoria Crosses. Whilst India played a major part in the Allied victory, with many of their troops fighting at the Somme and
Verdun, and they expected to be rewarded with a major move towards independence, this was not to be, and so began the
move towards militance in the struggle for independence.
African Americans
The US Government mobilised the entire nation for the War. Dissent was not allowed,
but many African Americans viewed the war with apathy and found ways to avoid
military service. As a black resident from Harlem quipped, “The Germans ain’t done
nothin’ to me, and if they have, I forgive ‘em”.

However, most African Americans saw the war as an opportunity to demonstrate their
patriotism and the vast majority of them approached the war with a sense of duty.
Some 370,000 black men were inducted into the army, three of them being pictured
on the left in a German dug-out near the Canal du Midi.

Africans
Over two million people in Africa made huge sacrifices for the European Allies. They came from Nigeria, the Gambia,
Rhodesia, South Africa and Sierra Leone. In all, 55, 000 men from Africa fought for the British during World War 1, with many
more being recruited in non-combatant support roles. 100,000 men died in East Africa and 65,000 men from French North
Africa lost their lives. Britain did not deploy any African troops on the European battlefield although British African troops did
fight in the Middle East and in Africa itself.
French Africans
Like Britain, France was a major colonial power at the time of the First World War, and they drew troops from all over
“Francophone Africa” and their colonies in South East Asia. Some of their most distinguished soldiers were the Tirailleurs
Senegalais, or “Black Devils” as the Germans called them. Who were conscripted not only from Senegal but from throughout
French West Africa. These conscripts served in several important battles, like Vimy Ridge and the Somme, and out of some
171,000 men, approximately 30,000 were killed.
British Caribbean
Following much debate, and Royal intervention, the War Office established the British West Indies Regiment, who saw service
in England, Italy, Egypt, India, France, Belgium, Palestine, Mesopotamia and East Africa. Over 15,000 men, saw service in the
BWIR, of which 66% came from Jamaica.
Indigenous Australians

It is believed that around 600 Indigenous Australians took part in the War, and they were involved in the majority of the
campaigns of the War. In the trenches the Indigenous Australians were considered to be equal to their comrades, but when
they returned home they continued to be discriminated against, something that took many years to resolve.

Africans in the German Army
The Allies were not the only army that was made up with Black and Minority Ethnic troops - the Germans used them in both
Europe and in theatres of war in Africa and Asia. In Africa the Germans used Askari troops called “Schutztruppe”, who

Autumn 2018 | The Journal of the Worshipful Company of Constructors | Page 23