World War One began in 1914 and ended in 1918, at exactly 11:00 on the morning of Sunday 11 November. Remembrance Day recognises those who were lost during the war and takes place on the nearest Sunday.
On this day, people recognise and pay tribute to those who served, past and present, by holding a two-minute silence and by wearing a red poppy.
Poppies grew on the fields of World War One and have been used to remember soldiers who have lost their lives since 1921.
Don’t forget – Join our Military, Veterans and Partners (MVP) Community for Remembrance Day event in the Atrium on Thursday 9 November, 9:00 – 14:00, with guest speakers and a Bugler to play The Last Post.
As part of recognising Remembrance Day, our REACH network are sharing more about some of the forgotten, unsung heroes who gave their lives in service and support.
“Take a second to imagine the people who served. Close your eyes if it helps. Are they a man, or a woman? How tall are they? What build are they? What hair style did they have? How fast are they? Are they intelligent?
I may be a bit presumptuous here, but my guess is that you may not have imagined someone whose first language wasn’t English? You may not have pictured someone with a turban? You perhaps didn’t consider someone of a different faith?
And that’s fine, there’s no shame in that.
As human beings, it’s natural to revert to stereotypical ideas and portrayals, coupled with our own personal history and experiences, when we’re given a generic topic to think about.
But here is the interesting thing. Did you know that almost a third of British troops who served in the First World War were non-white? That’s one in three. That’s a pretty large population, don’t you think?
But why don’t we know about them?
The then undivided Indian Army raised, trained, and deployed 2.5 million troops, both men and women, during the Second World War, on land, sea, and air – the largest volunteer army in history. 22 of the 34 Victoria Crosses won in the Burma Campaign were won by soldiers of South Asian origin – from modern day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal.
The estimated output of timber, woollen textiles, and leather goods, as well as three quarters of its steel and cement from the Indian sub-continent, were diverted to the defence of the British Empire. Making it one of the largest contributors to the British, Commonwealth and Empire’s war effort. That’s a pretty healthy contribution, wouldn’t you say? But why don’t we know about them?
Over a million men and women from what were European colonies across Africa served in combatant and non-combatant roles. More than six hundred thousand Black Africans fought for Britain, in North and East Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Burma. That’s a lot of people, over quite a wide distribution, but why don’t we know about them?
Roughly twelve thousand men and women from the West Indies were in active service in the Royal Air force serving as fighter pilots, air gunners, mechanics, ground staff and administrators. Six hundred West Indian women were recruited for service in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) working as clerks, drivers, and mechanics. Thousands of West Indian seaman joined the Merchant Navy, carrying vital supplies across the Atlantic.
There are millions of people from the Commonwealth who have and continue to serve alongside the British Armed forces since the First World War, with over six million alone in World War Two, defending the freedoms and way of life we enjoy today. But we often don’t know about them.
So… let’s get to know them.
Below are a series of links and resources where we invite you to read up a little more about those who we don’t know about, the forgotten, the unsung heroes, the many who gave their lives in service and support so that we can have a better future.
Read
Imperial War Museum – why were they forgotten?
Imperial War Museum – how the West Indies helped the war effort
Commonwealth contribution to First World War to be commemorated
Black History Month 2023 – recognising outstanding contributions
South Asian Heritage Month – stories of remembrance
Watch
The World’s War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire:
So, on Remembrance Day, let’s remember everyone, as the act of service does not discriminate between race, ethnicity, gender, or religion, and so neither should our thoughts and our prayers. We will remember them.