Colonial troops
‘V’ for Victory?
This photograph of an Indian soldier on board a troop ship to Singapore in 1941 confronts us with a familiar gesture from the Imperial War Museums archives. The soldier thrusts his head and arm through the ship’s porthole, and appropriates Churchill’s well-recognised ‘V for Victory’ symbol with the fore and middle fingers of his right hand. Incidentally, he isn’t attempting to be rude! Churchill himself didn’t realise that the ‘V for Victory’ symbol made with the palm inwards could be an insult until his aides briefed him.
'Exploring black people's involvement in the First World War': Free workshop reviewed
I was invited to speak at a workshop on 15 October at the Imperial War Museum, London, on black people’s involvement in the First World War. I was honoured to be part of a panel where the work of each speaker complemented one another. I was asked to present my findings on research into the commemoration of African and Caribbean servicemen after the war ended. I was also asked to give my thoughts, along with the panellist Anna Maguire, one of IWM’s PhD students, on photos from the IWM’s collection on soldiers from the British West Indies Regiment, the South African Native Labour Corps, and the Nigeria Regiment, and finally a session with questions to the panel.
It’s A Long Way to Tipperary: colonial troops and First World War music
Alexander MacGregor, a British officer who served with the Indian army, wrote about an interesting musical performance in his diary:
Remembering the Gallipoli Campaign, April 1915 – January 1916
In his memoir, Over There with the Australians (1918), R. Hugh Knyvett, an Australian officer, pondered on the preoccupation with the Anzac experience at Gallipoli:
Looking for Home? New Zealanders in London during the First World War
Anna Maguire reflects on the activities of New Zealand troops in the capital and the London and the First World War Conference, organised by IWM and the Centre for Metropolitan History (IHR).
‘We hope to give the lads a little cheer’: marking Christmas during the First World War
During the First World War, the troops made an effort to mark Christmas, despite the obvious difficulties. Words, objects and images from Imperial War Museums’ collections and elsewhere reveal how the soldiers negotiated some space for family, sharing and festivity.
Discovering the Experiences of Indian Soldiers in the First World War using the Indian Soldiers' Fund reports
IWM's Parveen Sodhi investigates the reports of the Indian Soldiers' Fund to find a new point of access for the history of Indian troops during the First World War.
Guest Post: Black Poppies – Britain’s Black Community and the Great War
To mark the publication of his new book, 'Black Poppies', Stephen Bourne reflects on researching Britain's black community and the First World War.
The Challenges of Remembering: Researching Empire and War
To mark the publication of IWM's guide to Researching the British Empire in the First World War, Anna Maguire reflects on the challenges of remembering war and empire.