Black Poppies: Britain's Black Community and the Great War - Softcover

Bourne, Stephen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 075249760X ISBN 13: 9780752497600

Publisher: The History Press, 2014

Synopsis

In 1914, there were at least 10,000 black Britons, many of African and West Indian heritage, fiercely loyal to their Mother Country. Despite being discouraged from serving in the British Army during World War I, men managed to join all branches of the armed forces, and black communities made a vital contribution, both on the front and at home. By 1918, it is estimated that the black population had trebled to 30,000, and after the war many black soldiers who had fought for Britain decided to make it their home. Black Poppies explores the military and civilian wartime experiences of these men and of women, from the trenches to the music hall. Poignantly, it concludes by examining the anti-black race riots of 1919 in cities like Cardiff and Liverpool, where black men came under attack from returning white soldiers who resented their presence, in spite of what they and their families had done for Britain during the war. The first book of its kind to focus on the Black British experience during World War I, this new offering from Stephen Bourne is fascinating and eye-opening.

About this title

About the Author:

Stephen Bourne is a leading expert on black British history. He has written for BBC History Magazine and is a regular contributor to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. He is the author of Mother Country: Britain’s Black Community on the Home Front 1939–45 and The Motherland Calls: Britain’s Black Servicemen & Women 1939–45.

About this edition

• Publisher: The History Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 075249760X
• ISBN 13: 9780752497600
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192