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History of the United Kingdom during the First World War wikipedia , lookup
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Commemorating the contribution made by BME soldiers during WW1 Introduction. People from all parts of the British Empire contributed to the needs of the war, whether by serving in the armed forces or providing material and financial resources. Most of this contribution was of a voluntary nature. Indeed all those serving in the Indian Army were volunteers. People of colour and the regiments and branches of the services in which they played their part could be found in all theatres of the war. Black Briton Second Lieutenant Walter Tull saw action in France and Italy; African soldiers were also on the western front; four Indians and at least one West Indian were pilots in the Royal Flying Corps; sailors from India, China and Nigeria served in the Royal Navy. The demands of the war meant the forces personnel increasingly relied upon the economies of the colonies to feed them and provide many of the raw materials necessary to maintain and protect them, such as munitions, timber, cotton, meat, fruit and vegetables. As part of this year’s Black History Month celebrations, and to commemorate the centenary of the start of the First World War, this series of posters examines the experiences of BME soldiers from all around the world, and their contribution and sacrifice made during and after the war. Notes. Africans in the German Army. Little is known about how many of Germany’s Pre-war black population served in the Armed forces. Some certainly did in WW1. WW1 was not just fought in Europe. There were theatres of war in Africa and Asia. In Africa, The Germans used Askari troops called”Schutztruppe”. They fought bravely and were never defeated even after Armistace. Schutztruppe (Protection force) was the African colonial armed force of Imperial Germany from the late 19th century to 1918, when Germany lost its colonies. The colonial force for German East Africa was established by an act of the Reichstag on 22 March 1891; the colonial forces for German West Africa and German Southwest Africa on 9 June 1895. Schutztruppe formations were organizationally never a part of the army or navy. In 1896 Schutztruppe headquarters was established and located at Berlin’s Mauerstrasse, in proximity to the German Colonial Office. German military law and discipline applied to the Schutztruppe. Black Britons. Although little is known of Black Britons in the British army. There is some evidence to show that Black Britons served in WW1 in the Army and Navy. One of the better known stories of Black Britons serving during WW1 is that of Walter Tull. Walter was a keen footballer and played for a local team in Clapton. In 1908 Walter's talents were discovered by a scout from Tottenham Hotspur and the club decided to sign this promising young footballer. He played for Tottenham until 1910, when he was transferred for a large fee to Northampton Town. Walter was the first black outfield player to play professional football in Britain. When the First World War broke out, Walter abandoned his football career to join the 17th (1st Football) Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment. During his military training Walter was promoted three times. In November 1914, as Lance Sergeant he was sent to Les Ciseaux in France. In May, 1915 Walter was sent home with post traumatic stress disorder. Returning to France in September 1916 Walter fought in Battle of the Somme, between October and November, 1916. His courage and abilities encouraged his superior officers to recommend him as an officer. On 26 December, 1916, Walter went back to England on Leave and to train as an officer. There were military laws forbidding 'any negro or person of colour' being commissioned as an officer, despite this, Walter was promoted to lieutenant in 1917. Walter was the first ever Black officer in the British Army, and the first black officer to lead white men into battle. This Photo shows an African who travelled back to Germany after WW1 to serve in the Freikorps in 1919. Walter was recommended for the Military Cross but never received it. British Caribbean. People in the British Caribbean had a great deal of loyalty to the “Mother Country”. When WW1 began, West Indians donated monetary aid to the war effort and also volunteered to fight, joining the British West Indies Regiment. Following the outbreak of hostilities in 1914 many West Indians left the colonies to enlist in the army in the UK and were recruited into British regiments. However, the War Office was concerned with the number of black soldiers in the army and tried to prevent any people from the West Indies enlisting. Indeed, the War Office threatened to repatriate any who arrived. Eventually, after much discussion between the Colonial Office and the war Office, and the intervention of King George V, approval to raise a West Indian contingent was given on 19 may 1915. On October 26 1915, the British West Indies regiment was established. A total of 397 officers and 15, 204 men, representing all Caribbean colonies, served in the BWIR. Of the total, 10,280 (66%) came from Jamaica. By the end of the war West Indians had joined BWIR and had experienced military service in England, Italy, Egypt, India, France, Belgium, Palestine, Mesopotamia (Iraq) and East Africa. Indigenous Australians. Indigenous Australian soldiers fought alongside non-indigenous soldiers in World War I. Initially recruiting officers allowed Indigenous Australians to enlist only if their skin was considered ‘white enough’ but as the war went on, with casualty rates rising and recruitment numbers dropping, the officers weren't as selective. It’s not sure how many Indigenous Australians fought in the war but it is believed to have been around 500-600. They were involved in the majority of the campaigns. Many enlisted with the hope that fighting for the country would in turn change the way they and other Indigenous Australians were treated – to no longer be discriminated against and to be treated equally. Others enlisted for the same reasons as non-indigenous Australians such as to see the world while receiving good pay (the pay was the same for Indigenous and nonindigenous soldiers). In the trenches of the great wars indigenous Australians found respite from the racism and bigotry of mainstream Australia. The service was one of the few places racism wasn't the norm during the first half of the twentieth century. In the trenches Indigenous Australians were considered and treated equal but when they returned home, things went back to the way they were before the war. The men were no longer equal to non-indigenous soldiers who they fought side by side with. They continued to be discriminated against, for example, they couldn’t apply for land under the soldier settlement schemes or even have a drink with their fellow soldiers at the local. NSW serviceman portraits, 1918-1919 - Leslie John Locke. Locke was awarded the Military Med- French Africans. Like Britain, France was a major colonial power. France drew troops from all over “Francophone Africa”. France also had Colonies in South East Asia. Some of the most distinguished African Soldiers were the Tirailleurs Senegalais. "'Black devils' the German soldiers called them, when, fighting like demons, they had forced the Kaiser's shock troops to retreat before them." Despite the name, the Tirailleurs Senegalais were composed of soldiers recruited and conscripted from throughout French West Africa and not just from Senegal. However, recruitment and casualty burdens for Senegalese soldiers often numbered among the highest of the Tirailleurs Senegalais. With the start of World War I, many Tirailleurs Senegalais soldiers were brought to the front in France and served in several important battles, like Vimy Ridge and Somme. They were also for a time amalgamated with black American soldiers in the trenches. French West African troops serving in World War I comprised about 170,891 men, and approximately 30,000 of them were killed. In Senegal alone more than 1/3 of all males of military age were mobilized. Africans. The First World War gave rise to a crucial change in the relationship between Europe and Africa. Over two million people in Africa made huge sacrifices for the European Allies. 100,000 men died in East Africa and 65,000 men from French North Africa and French West Africa lost their lives. Not since the American War of Independence, when 14,000 slaves and freemen fought as black loyalists alongside the British, had such a huge number of people of African descent been involved in fighting for Europeans. Very few were combatant, most of them were used as porters. They were recruited to carry heavy weapons and supplies. They were badly paid and given food which was either of poor quality or entirely foreign to them. While travelling through new territories for them, they often fell sick and were affected by different types of malaria. Britain did not deploy any African troops on European battlefield. British African troops, however, fought in the Middle East and in Africa itself. 55,000 men from Africa fought for the British during World War 1 and hundreds of thousands of others carried out the vital roles of carriers or auxiliaries. Contributing African countries included Nigeria, the Gambia, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), South Africa, Sierra Leo- Asian Troops. India sent over 1 million men to aid the War effort. At that time India included Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh & Shri Lanka. Soldiers were from many ethnic backgrounds such as Pathans, Sihks, Muslims & Hindu’s. The Indian Army during World War I contributed a large number of divisions and independent brigades to the European, Mediterranean and the Middle East theatres of war in World War I. Over one million Indian troops served overseas, of whom 62,000 died and another 67,000 were wounded. In World War I the Indian Army fought against the German Empire in German East Africa and on the Western Front. At the First Battle of Ypres, Khudadad Khan (pictured above) became the first Indian to be awarded a Victoria Cross. Indian divisions were also sent to Egypt, Gallipoli and nearly 700,000 served in Mesopotamia against the Ottoman Empire. While some divisions were sent overseas others had to remain in India guarding the North West Frontier and on internal security and training duties. The Indian Corps won 13,000 medals for gallantry including 12 Victoria Crosses. India’s part in the war is frequently overlooked as a result of the horrors experienced in trench warfare and by Europe’s tendency to home in on battles such as those fought at the Somme and Verdun, which many assume only Europeans fought in. For its endeavours, India expected to be rewarded with a major move towards independence or at the least selfgovernment. When it became obvious that this was not going to happen, the mood in India became more militant. The photo opposite shows Ghurkas from Nepal. African Americans. The United States Government mobilised the entire nation for war, and African Americans were expected to do their part. The military constituted a draft in order to create an army capable of winning the war. The Government demanded “100% Americanism” and used the June 1917 Espionage Act and the May 1918 Sedition Act to crack down on dissent. Large segments of the black population, however, remained hesitant to support a cause they deemed hypocritical. A small but vocal number of African Americans explicitly opposed black participation in the war. A. Philip Randolph and Chandler Owen, editors of the radical socialist newspaper, the Messenger, were closely monitored by federal intelligence agents. Many other African Americans viewed the war apathetically and found ways to avoid military service. As a black resident from Harlem quipped, “The Germans in’t done nothing’ to me, and if they have, I forgive ‘em” Most African Americans nevertheless saw the war as an opportunity to demonstrate their patriotism and their place as equal citizens in the nation. Black political leaders believed that if the race sacrificed for the war effort, the Government would have no choice but to reward them with greater civil rights. “Coloured folks should be patriotic”, the Richmond Planet insisted. “Do not let us be chargeable with being disloyal to the flag”. Black men and women for the most part approached war with a sense of civic duty. Over one million African Americans responded to their draft calls, and roughly 370,000 black men were inducted into the army. Charles Brodnax, a farmer from Virginia recalled “I felt I belonged to the Government of out country and should answer to the call and obey the orders in defence of democracy”.