BACKGROUND INFORMATION
INTRODUCTION
Black and Asian soldiers have been a part of British
military history since before the time of the formation
of a standing British Army in 1660. Throughout the
evolution of the British Empire and Commonwealth,
the garrisons established across the world could often
only be sustained by the widespread deployment of
troops recruited overseas, and in the past the British
Army enlisted soldiers in almost every country in
which it maintained garrisons. The British were quick
to recognise and respect the fighting qualities and
potential loyalty of such soldiers; many had their own
long histories as warrior peoples, and combined Western
weapons and military training with their own martial skills.
Our aim with this website is to reveal stories that until
now remained largely unknown and to determine fully
the remarkable achievements of the black and Asian
soldiers who have fought within British-raised regiments
over the last 400 years. We have researched the
Museum’s collections, including its oil paintings, drawings,
watercolours, photographs, medals, uniforms, weapons
and archives and produced a unique and fascinating
record of the black and Asian contribution. Our project
is part of a wider attempt by the National Army Museum
to acknowledge within its galleries the significant presence
of non-white soldiers – from both the Commonwealth
and mainland Britain – as an integral part of the story
of the British Army.
Yet the story of black and Asian people in the Army
is not solely an imperial tale confined to overseas
dominions. From the 17th century up until the present
day Britain’s indigenous black and Asian population has
also served in the Army, making a vital contribution to
our shared history. Nevertheless, many of those who
served with such distinction experienced racial prejudice.
King’s Indian Orderly Officers, 1903.
NAM. 1953-06-42
A Pathan sowar, 23rd Cavalry (Frontier Force), 1908 (c). NAM. 1959-02-24
Hindustani Musalman of 1st Duke of
York’s Own Lancers (Skinner’s Horse)
and a Musalman Rajput (standing) of
3rd Skinner’s Horse, 1910.
NAM. 1953-02-6
Indian Army troops passing through a
communication trench on the Mesopotamian Front, 1917.
NAM. 1965-10-221-90
Men of the Nyasaland Battalion, King’s
African Rifles, practising ambush
tactics in the jungle with a Vickers
machine gun, 1944 (c).
NAM. 1982-06-59-27
Indian soldiers of the 4th, 8th and
10th Indian Divisions giving the victory
salute on their return to India after
serving with PAIFORCE, February
1946. NAM. 1990-08-65-108
www.national-army-museum.ac.uk/baba
PAGE 01
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
INTRODUCTION
Driver-mechanic Lance Corporal
Kisele Kilonzo, East African Reconnaissance Regiment, working on a
tank, Burma, 1945.
NAM. 1982-06-59-132
www.national-army-museum.ac.uk/baba
‘Your Country Needs You’. Colour
photolithograph recruitment poster,
depicting Captain Fedelix Datson of the
Royal Artillery, aimed at encouraging
ethnic minorities to join the Army, 1998
(c). NAM. 1998-10-244-1
PAGE 02
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
MAKING OF BRITAIN (1066-1783)
By the time of the English Civil War (1642-51), Britain’s
black population had been indigenous for hundreds of
years, and was an established part of the workforce.
Some of these men and women were slaves; others
engaged in skilled crafts as free labourers. A small
minority chose employment in the Army. Although at
this early stage there were no formal units of ethnic
troops, black British soldiers served alongside white in
the armies of Oliver Cromwell both at home and abroad.
This included campaigns against the Spanish and
maroons in Jamaica in the 1650s. Black soldiers
later fought in the Duke of Marlborough’s army.
The British Army also recruited Africans as musicians
in the household regiments. A painting in the museum’s
collection by Bartholomew Dandridge dated c1727 shows
a black trumpeter in splendid ceremonial uniform of
the 1st Horse Guards. Being a trumpeter or a drummer
was not a purely ceremonial role. Commanders relied
on musicians to communicate orders to their troops
during combat so they always had a prominent role on
the field of battle. There is always a danger that our
attempts to identify the small number of black soldiers
in this era will come across as a tokenistic gesture,
however we feel that by doing so we are emphasising
that there has been a black community on our shores
for much longer than many people believe.
As Britain’s overseas colonies grew in this period, it
soon became clear that troops from Britain could not
defend them on their own. Local forces were raised in
the West Indies and the Indian sub-continent (present
day India, Pakistan and Bangladesh). The new units
had their own distinct identities, rules and regulations,
uniforms and traditions. They protected trade and
provided internal security in the absence of regular
Army garrisons, as well as countering any threats arising
from rival European powers like France and Spain.
During the American War of Independence (1775-83)
many men of African descent, including escaped slaves,
fought on the British side. These units included His
Majesty’s Troop of Black Dragoons, His Majesty’s
Corps of Black Artificers and His Majesty’s Corps of
Black Pioneers. At the end of the conflict these troops
were amalgamated into a single unit called The Black
Carolina Corps. This unit, alongside locally raised
black forces, later formed the basis of the West
India Regiments in the Caribbean. Because so many
European soldiers in the Caribbean fell victim to tropical
diseases, the British also resorted to buying Creole and
African slaves from plantation owners and slave ships.
By the end of the 18th century, the Army had become
the biggest single purchaser of slaves.
Sepoys of the 3rd Battalion at Bombay,
1773. NAM. 1966-04-7
Changing the Guard at St James’s
Palace, Coloured line engraving, artist
unknown, published 1792.
NAM. 1963-07-32
Watercolour of Bengal Army Troops
by an unknown East India Company
artist, 1785 (c). NAM. 1980-03-22
Watercolour by an unknown Company
artist depicting a Madras Sepoy and
his wife. NAM. 1962-10-16
Kukri, 1750 (c). NAM. 1980-07-58
Watercolour by an unknown Company
artist: Bengal Native Cavalry, 1788 (c).
NAM. 1964-04-18
www.national-army-museum.ac.uk/baba
PAGE 03
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
MAKING OF BRITAIN (1066-1783)
Carib War Medal issued to British and
West Indian forces who took part in
the suppression of the Carib rising of
1772-73. NAM. 1976-03-10
Flintlock musket for the East India
Company, 1779 (c). NAM. 1981-07-24
Deccan Medal issued by the East India
Company to Indian officers and men
for service in Gujerat during the 1st
Maratha War (1778-82).
NAM. 1975-12-7
Silver medal commemorating the
suppression of the ‘Monghyr Mutiny’,
1766. NAM. 1966-11-6
www.national-army-museum.ac.uk/baba
PAGE 04
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
CHANGING THE WORLD (1784-1904)
During the period 1784-1904, Britain rose to a dominant
position among the European trading empires and the
role of black and Asian soldiers in the expansion and
defence of that empire increased. From the global struggle
against Revolutionary and Napoleonic France (17931815) through to the Boer War (1899-1902), black and
Asian soldiers played a key role. From the Caribbean
to South Africa, and from the Sudan to the North West
Frontier, the British utilised the skills and traditions of
local soldiers, whether this was in weapons handling,
tracking, horsemanship and bush warfare.
From the 1790s the Army recruited heavily in the West
Indies, and in addition raised 12 regiments of black
soldiers for service there, in the hope that they might
be better suited to a climate that had proved devastating
to the health of British soldiers. They were composed
primarily of European officers and non-commissioned
officers and black soldiers. Although some free men
were recruited, the Army mainly relied on the slave trade
to provide recruits for these units. Between 1798 and
1806 the Army bought 6,376 slaves for the West India
Regiments, an estimated 7% of all slaves sold in the
British West Indies during this period.
With the abolition of the slave trade in 1807 and
emancipation of slaves in 1834, the Army recruited free
men into the ranks. These included liberated Africans
who had been released from illegal slaving vessels
and black soldiers from the recently captured French
and Dutch colonies in the Caribbean. The West India
Regiments saw much service during the period of the
Napoleonic Wars, including participation in the British
attack on New Orleans (1815). Detachments were later
used in policing actions to defend the borders of British
Guiana and British Belize. The regiments were also used
in Jamaica to suppress the Morant Bay rebellion (1865).
They also served in various campaigns and anti-slavery
actions in West Africa including the Ashanti War (1873-74).
Sepoy Drums and fifers. Watercolour
by East India Company artist, 1800 (c).
NAM. 1985-05-1-1
www.national-army-museum.ac.uk/baba
The most significant locally-raised force of this period was
the East India Company’s Army (later the Indian Army),
which served with distinction on the sub-continent
itself and in places like Afghanistan, Burma, Sudan,
China and Persia. Characterised by strong bonds between
its British officers and their men, it was recruited from
the many ethnic groups in India. Yet religious and ethnic
tensions always existed under the surface and the bonds
that bound the force together could be stretched
to the limit, as during the Indian Mutiny (1857-59).
In the aftermath of the rising the British focused their
recruitment on ‘reliable’ groups thought to possess
‘martial’ characteristics. These included the Sikhs,
Punjabi Muslims and Hindus, Jats, Rajputs, Gurkhas,
Dogras, Pathans, Baluchis and Mahrattas.
During the late 19th century European scramble for
territory in Africa, Britain recruited Africans to defend
its new territories against rival powers and to suppress
any internal threat to imperial rule. In this way famous
regiments like the King’s African Rifles and the Nigeria
Regiment were created. The Nigeria Regiment was
part of the Royal West Africa Frontier Force, formed
to defend the British West African territories by the
Colonial Office in 1897. It also included the Gold Coast
(Ghana) Regiment, the Sierra Leone Battalion and the
Gambia Company. The multi-battalion King’s African
Rifles was formed in 1902 and recruited in Nyasaland
(Malawi), Kenya, Uganda and Somalia. It performed
both military and internal security functions within the
East African colonies.
King’s Colour, 4th West India Regiment,
1795-1804 (c). NAM. 1956-08-73
A Private of the 5th West India Regiment,
1812. NAM. 1950-11-33-42
PAGE 05
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
CHANGING THE WORLD (1784-1904)
Skinner’s Horse at Exercise, 1840 (c).
NAM. 1968-12-31
Sepoy’s turban or shako, Madras Native
Infantry, 1840 (c). NAM. 1956-02-858
Lance Naik, 66th Bengal Native Infantry (Volunteers), 1842.
NAM. 1965-11-68
Sepoy of the Madras Army,1852 (c).
NAM. 1962-04-3-179
Seringapatam Medal 1799.
NAM. 1988-01-20
Photograph by Felice Beato of Sikh
and British Officers of Hodson’s Horse,
1858. NAM. 1956-08-6-20
Photograph of Nusseree Battalion
(later 1st Gurkha Rifles), by Felice
Beato, 1857 (c). NAM. 1959-09-109
Soldier of the 3rd West India Regiment,
1863. NAM. 2000-09-123
Members of the Natal Native Contingent
(NNC) armed with assegais (short
spears) and shields, 1879 (c).
NAM. 1954-06-5-2-12
Drum Major’s sash, 1890 ©, 30th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry (3rd
Belooch Battalion).
NAM. 1980-07-73
Non-commissioned officers and men
of the Gold Coast Regiment stop for
a meal at a makeshift table, 1901 (c).
NAM. 1978-07-7-51
A detachment of the 4th Gurkha (Rifle)
Regiment, 1891 (c). NAM. 1993-06-6623
www.national-army-museum.ac.uk/baba
PAGE 06
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
CHANGING THE WORLD (1784-1904)
Third China War Medal 1900, with clasp
for the Relief of Pekin, awarded to Mule
Driver Ahmad Din, 1st Regiment of
Sikh Infantry, Punjab Frontier Force.
NAM. 1958-11-68-15
Battery Sergeant Major of the Gold
Coast Regiment’s Battery, 1904 (c).
NAM. 1978-07-8-205
Hospital assistants Private Adiatoto
and Private Awo, ‘C’ Company, 2nd
Northern Nigerian Regiment, 1901-02
(c). NAM. 1969-04-48-42
Kurta from uniform of 1st Duke of
York’s Own Lancers (Skinner’s Horse),
1902 (c).
Somali troops with a British Political
Officer, 1905 (c). NAM. 1977-05-51
45th Rattray’s Sikhs, ‘the Drums’ Jat
Sikhs, 1904 (c). NAM. 1953-02-45
A Malikdin Khel Afridi of the 26th
Punjabis, 1904 (c). NAM. 1953-02-37
www.national-army-museum.ac.uk/baba
PAGE 07
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
WORLD WARS (1905-1945)
At no time has the service of Black and Asian soldiers
been more extensive than in the first half of the
20th century. In the First World War (1914-18),
men from Britain’s small black community enlisted,
such as Walter Tull, a talented footballer who played
for Tottenham Hotspur before joining up in 1914.
Black Britons like Tull were joined by recruits from
the Caribbean, many of whom were living in the United
Kingdom on the outbreak of war. Others made their
own way across the Atlantic to enlist in the Army.
During the war around 15,000 West Indians enlisted,
including 10,000 from Jamaica. Although a few served
in regular British Army units, most men from the Caribbean
served in the West India Regiment and the British
West Indies Regiment (raised in October 1915),
serving in France, Italy, Africa and the Middle East.
Twelve battalions of the British West India Regiment
were raised, mainly as labourers in ammunition dumps
and gun emplacements, often coming under heavy
fire. Towards the end of the war, two battalions saw
combat in Palestine and Jordan against the Turks.
Despite their commitment they often suffered
racial prejudice. Several Caribbean volunteers were
rejected by the Army and officials refused to allow
black West Indians to hold commissions. In the early
months of the war, the War Office, concerned with the
number of black soldiers enlisting, even threatened
to repatriate any West Indians who arrived in Britain.
When they served on the Western Front there was also
a reluctance to deploy the West Indian regiments in
front-line positions, rather than as labourers in the rear.
Such attitudes were based on racial stereotypes about
the lack of ‘martial spirit’ possessed by Caribbean men.
All these problems resulted in a mutiny at Taranto in
Italy in 1918 where members of the British West Indies
Regiment were being used on labouring duties that
included the cleaning of latrines for white troops and
Italian labourers.
Soldiers from the Indian sub-continent also fought in
all the major wartime theatres and made a decisive
contribution to the struggle against the Central Powers.
Two infantry and two cavalry divisions had arrived on
the Western Front by the end of 1914 and eventually
140,000 men saw service there. In 1915 Indian troops
arrived in the Middle East, where they fought against
the Ottoman Turks in Palestine and Mesopotamia (Iraq).
Soldiers from the Indian Army fought alongside British
and ANZAC troops on the Gallipoli Peninsula. They also
formed a large proportion of the Allied forces occupying
former enemy territory in East Africa, the Balkans,
Asia Minor and the Caucasus. In total 1.27 million
Indians served as combatants and labourers.
www.national-army-museum.ac.uk/baba
African troops played the key role in containing
the Germans in East Africa and defeating them in
West Africa. Europeans and Indians struggled in the
harsh African climate, but the local inhabitants had the
skills to survive and prosper. By November 1918 the
‘British Army’ in East Africa was mainly composed of
African soldiers. The units involved were the West African
Frontier Force drawn from Nigeria, the Gold Coast
(Ghana) and Sierra Leone, and the King’s African Rifles,
recruited from Kenya, Uganda and Nyasaland (Malawi).
At least 180,000 Africans served in the Carrier Corps
in East Africa and provided logistic support to troops at
the front. Over 60,000 of them came from South Africa.
Black South Africans were restricted to a logistical
role because the South African government feared
arming them. Around 25,000 South Africans were also
recruited to the South African Native Labour Contingent
that served on the Western Front in 1916-17.
During the Second World War (1939-45), over three
million Empire troops served with distinction throughout
the North and East African campaigns, in the
Mediterranean, Western Europe and the Far East.
They included around 10,000 West Indians who enlisted
in the British Army. The War Office did not want to raise
a West Indian regiment but eventually allowed those
who made their own way to Britain to enlist. After much
discussion between the Colonial Office and the War
Office the Caribbean Regiment was formed in April 1944
with about 1,200 men, most of who were volunteers
from the West Indies’ local defence forces. The regiment
was transferred to Italy in June 1944 and later guarded
prisoners of war in Egypt, but did not see any action.
Over 350,000 African troops fought in East Africa,
defeating the Italians in Somaliland and Abyssinia, and
the Japanese in Burma. The West African Frontier Force,
the King’s African Rifles and the Northern Rhodesia
Regiment won many battle honours. The Africans proved
to be notable jungle fighters. Compared with Europeans,
they were more resistant to tropical diseases and heat,
and their sickness rates were among the lowest in Burma.
The Indian Army expanded to over two million
troops, probably the largest volunteer army in history.
Indians served in Western Europe, East and North Africa,
the Middle East, Italy and the Far East. They helped
defeat the totalitarian regimes of Nazi Germany, Fascist
Italy and Imperial Japan. Yet many Indians did not want
to return to the pre-war Imperial status. After helping
defeat the Axis powers they stepped up the struggle
for independence. In 1947 the volunteer Indian Army
formed the basis of the armies of the newly independent
dominions of India and Pakistan.
PAGE 08
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
WORLD WARS (1905-1945)
An askari of the 1st (Central Africa)
Battalion, The King’s African Rifles,
1914 (c). NAM. 1980-04-60-2
The Garhwal Rifles marching down La
Bassee Road, August 1915.
NAM. 1960-12-368-2
A Benet-Mercier machine gun section
of 2nd Rajput Light Infantry in action in
Flanders, during the winter of 1914-15.
NAM. 1995-03-86-9
West African Frontier Force Distinguished
Conduct Medal awarded to Machine Gun
Carrier Musa Bauchi, 1st Battalion,
The Nigeria Regiment, West African
Frontier Force, 1915. NAM. 1984-12-65
Photograph of Indian soldiers in a
trench, Gallipoli, 1915.
NAM. 1976-05-52-77
Photograph of 9th Hodson’s Horse on
the Western Front, 1917.
NAM. 1953-07-25-26
Carved figure of a sergeant of the
King’s African Rifles, 1917 (c).
NAM. 1975-02-1
Signallers from 2nd Royal Battalion
(Ludhiana Sikhs), 11th Sikh Regiment
enjoying a joke, 1936-37 (c).
NAM. 1965-04-63-32
A Bofors gun crew from the King’s
African Rifles, 1939-45 (c).
NAM. 1963-01-55-27
Regimental Sergeant Major Khamis
Jumna of the King’s African Rifles,
1939-45 (c). NAM. 1963-01-55-75
Teaching an Assam Regiment Recruit
to march, 1943 (c). NAM. 1981-117-11
Volunteers line up to enlist with the 5th
Mahratta Light Infantry, 1943 (c).
NAM. 1982-10-31-4
www.national-army-museum.ac.uk/baba
PAGE 09
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
WORLD WARS (1905-1945)
A Sherman tank of Probyn’s Horse
(5th King Edward VII’s Own Lancers)
in Burma, 1945 (c), NAM. 1974-09-79-63
A member of the West Indian Auxiliary
Territorial Service (ATS), 1944 (c).
NAM. 1994-07-283
Carriers of No. 2 Auxiliary Group, 5th
Brigade (Gold Coast), of the 81st West
African Division moving off with their
loads during operations in the Kaladan
Valley, 1944. NAM. 1991-07-214-10
Troops of the Royal West African
Frontier Force in the Arakan, Burma,
1944 (c). NAM. 1991-07-138
Jemadar Bombadier Gurune, Gurkha
Rifles, January 1944.
NAM. 985-11-36-352
Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck
Inspecting Members of the Women’s
Auxiliary Corps (India), 1947.
NAM. 1957-10-9-1-127
Military Medal group awarded to Naik
Goru Ram, 17th Dogra Regiment,
1943-45. NAM. 1993-01-108
Field Marshal Sir Archibald Wavell,
the Viceroy of India, presenting a VC
to a Muslim widow of a posthumous
Victoria Cross winner, 19 December
1945. NAM. 1990-08-65-67
Military Medal awarded to Private M
Peterson, Union Defence Force, South
African Medical Corps, 1945.
NAM. 1995-01-291
Havildar Mohan Lal, Indian Artillery,
receiving the Indian Distinguished
Service Medal (IDSM) from General
Sir Claude Auchinleck, 1944-45 (c).
NAM. 1981-11-72-54
An Indian medical NCO with a wounded
soldier, 1946. NAM.1990-08-65-202
www.national-army-museum.ac.uk/baba
PAGE 10
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
FIGHTING FOR PEACE (1945-2008)
Although Indian independence in 1947 meant that British
units stationed there were now available for other duties,
it actually reduced Britain’s global military capability,
as it no longer had the huge Indian Army at its disposal.
To solve this manpower shortage the decision was made
in 1947 to extend wartime conscription into an obligatory
period of National Service for men between the ages
of 18 and 26. But it was decided not to conscript black
and Asian British men. The bar on black and Asian
soldiers continued throughout the years of National
Service (1946-63).
Black and Asian people could enlist in the Army, but
the Army Council effectively removed their eligibility
for promotion to officer level – and the possibility of
commanding white troops. Although the UK’s ethnic
minority population greatly expanded after the war there
was little growth in recruitment until the late 1960s as
an unofficial quota limited the number of ethnic minority
personnel to a maximum of 3%. Recruitment was
hampered by an underlying racism that regularly featured
in the media via stories of bullying and harassment.
As late as 1997, the Office of Public Management
released a damning report that found evidence of
widespread racism in the armed forces.
In recent years, as domestic recruitment has dried up,
the Army has once again turned to overseas recruits.
In July 2004 there were 5,620 foreign soldiers from
42 countries in the Army (not counting over 3,000
Gurkhas from Nepal), comprising about 7.5% of the
Army’s total strength. After Nepal, the nation with most
citizens in the British Army is Fiji with 1900, followed
by Jamaica with 960. The British Army holds regular
recruitment drives on many Caribbean islands. High
unemployment, as well as historical ties, are often
given as reasons for the high interest among young
islanders in joining the British military.
Today, black and Asian soldiers from Britain and the
Commonwealth assist the Army in a wide variety of
roles such as fighting, counter-terrorism, peace-keeping
and the delivery of humanitarian aid. They all contribute
to the common aim of defending the country through
strengthening international peace and stability.
Official attitudes have gradually improved and today
the Army is keen to reflect the multi-cultural nature of
British society and draw upon the widest possible pool
of diverse talents available. It is committed to recruiting
greater numbers of men and women from ethnic
minority backgrounds. This was demonstrated in the
1998 ‘Partnership Agreement’ signed by the Ministry
of Defence and the Commission for Racial Equality
to promote employment through improved racial
equality practices. This aimed to eliminate all forms
of racial discrimination and harassment in the Army.
Despite this, the perception that the military is a racist
institution persists within some minority communities.
In 2000, minorities made up 7% of the British population,
but were less than 2% of the army’s enlisted ranks
and about 1% of the officer corps.
Indian troops gathered around a carrier,
1947. NAM. 1969-10-590-15
www.national-army-museum.ac.uk/baba
Soldiers of ‘A’ Company, 4th Battalion The
Kings African Rifles, undertake training
in the use of the Bren Light Machine Gun
during a safari from the Sudan border
to Morote, 1956 (c). NAM. 1991-03-14-27
A Company Medical Orderly of the 4th
(Uganda) Battalion, The King’s African
Rifles, treats a Kenyan villager, 1956-57
(c). NAM. 1991-03-14-39
PAGE 11
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
FIGHTING FOR PEACE (1945-2008)
Gurkhas being briefed before a patrol
at the British base at Dhekelia,
Cyprus, 1974. NAM. 1988-09-69-2
Captain David Harding, 3rd
(Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and
Essex) Battalion, The Royal Anglian
Regiment, 1989. NAM. 2008-05-31-2
www.national-army-museum.ac.uk/baba
A black British soldier mans a
checkpoint in Northern Ireland, 1970s.
NAM. 2007-12-6-284
‘Your Country Needs You’. Colour
photolithograph recruitment poster,
depicting Warrant Officer Class Two
Ashok Kumar Chauhan of the Royal
Artillery, aimed at encouraging ethnic
minorities to join the Army, 1998 (c).
NAM. 1998-10-243-1
Gurkha troops applying camouflage
cream before setting out on patrol,
Falkland Islands, 1982.
NAM. 1988-09-13-31
Private Sikeli Qalica, 2nd Battalion,
The Royal Anglian Regiment, mans a
position in Iraq, May 2006.
NAM. 2007-06-8-3
PAGE 12