What 'colour bar'? Soldiers of African descent in standard British regiments - by which I mean not recruited specifically among and named for a group such as the British West Indies Regiment - are emerging as historians examine papers and files. The ban of officers (only officers) was in King's Regulations but it was not enforced - as well as Tull we have Captain Risien Russell of the Royal Army Medical Corps, Lt George Bernand in the Royal Field Artillery, and Ltd Reginald Collins in the Royal Fusiliers.
My website (jeffreygreen.co.uk) has pages 066 and 122 dedicated to this subject and names them and other men and officers of African descent.
The rule in King's Regulations was assumed to have been applied but we now know it was ignored (how many times?). The presence of men of African descent seems to have been assumed to exclude regular units in part because we know so little about the range of possible recruits who volunteered or received their papers, and because we know the BWIR and African regiments had only black troopers.
Take a look at the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography's entry on Sir Herbert McDavid (he was a POW in Germany). That many of the black soldiers who have been identified results from the fact that after the war they were entertainers and their stories have come down to us. The nature of the problem can be seen in the career of Jimmy Cooney (my website page 139) whose obituary in the Morecambe, Lancs., newspaper in 1932 said that his England-born son had served in the war. The son has not yet been identified. (Cooney is very common name.)
Keep looking - with an open mind
Jeff Green
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Message Received: Aug 06 2014, 08:31 AM
From: "msherwood"
To: [log in to unmask]
Cc:
Subject: Re: Glasgow Cathedral's 4th Aug 2014 Commemorations for WWI Centenary.
Just watched bits of this. Truly remarkable that just for once the Africans are recognised!
Is anyone researching how many 'Black Brits' were accepted by regiments, despite the colour bar promoted by the government?
-----Original Message-----
From: The Black and Asian Studies Association [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Peter B Freshwater MA, DipLib, FSA Scot
Sent: 06 August 2014 07:26
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Glasgow Cathedral's 4th Aug 2014 Commemorations for WWI Centenary.
The BBC programme including the service can be seen on http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04cp610/world-war-one-remembered-across-the-commonwealth
and can, I believe, be downloaded. That at least would help you identify contributions on particular aspects of the War.
I hope this helps.
Peter
Peter B Freshwater MA, DipLib, FSA Scot
Email: [log in to unmask]
On 05/08/2014 08:39, Angela Allison wrote:
> I've searched the internet in vain for an order of service & transcript re. the Glasgow Cathedral's 4th Aug 2014 Commemorations for WWI Centenary. esp. re. contributions from India, Africa, Caribbean.
>
> Can anyone help?
>
> Cheers
>
> Angela Allison, Coventry UK
>
> -----
>
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