A smiling airman in uniform, wearing a life vest and holding flight gear, stands beside a small dog sitting on a plane wing.

Flight Sergeant James Hyde, a fighter pilot serving with No 132 Squadron, Royal Air Force, pictured by a Supermarine Spitfire with ‘Dingo’, the squadron commander’s pet dog, at Detling, Kent, England. Hyde, from San Juan, Trinidad, arrived in Britain more than two years previously to commence his training.

WORLD WARS 1 and 2: West Indian, African and African American in The BRITISH ARMY

An Archive of Black Commonwealth SERVICE PERSONNEL who fought in the British Army during both world wars

This comprehensive archive was compiled by Ariadne Henry, Cambridge City Council, for Black History Month 2020, from The Imperial War Museum Open Access photos .

West Indian troops in Britain

Two soldiers in uniform stand before a brick building, one adjusting a tall mounted Bren gun while the other holds a notebook.

Two members of the Royal Engineers, Sapper Sinclair (left) and Sapper Dunn, both from Jamaica, pictured with a Bren gun, at Clitheroe, Lancashire.

West Indian labour force in Britain

Five men wearing work clothes or suits lean over and examine the large, dark mechanical components of a transport vehicle.

A group of West Indian technicians seen working on the engine of a tank in a transport repair shop.
They are, from left to right, Tom Martin from Portland, Jamaica, Fred Thomas, Ben Anderson and Arthur Jones, all from Kingston, Jamaica and Tom Prescodd from Trinidad.

Bomber Aircrew

Two smiling airmen in uniform with sergeant stripes and sheepskin boots sit together on their gear at an airfield.

Two bomber aircrew, Sergeant J Dickinson from Canada and Sergeant F Gilkes from Trinidad wait to board their aircraft for a raid on 30 July 1943.

THE AUXILIARY TERRITORIAL SERVICE IN JAMAICA, WWII

EAST AFRICA PIONEERS BACK HOME AFTER MIDDLE EAST SERVICE

Two men in uniform and pith helmets stand outside, with one speaking to the other while more figures gather in the background.

Men of the African Auxiliary Pioneer Corps arriving home on leave after service in the Middle East were met by six chiefs from Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika. Picture shows:- Mr A J Cox, Resident of Buganda, hearing from Goswa Kasaja of Bugwere Eastern Province, Uganda, one of the Pioneers – how Allied pilots shot down enemy planes. C. 6 APRIL 1943

THE DEFENCE OF THE DOMINIONS AND COLONIES, 1939-1945

An officer in a white tropical uniform and pith helmet walks between two rows of soldiers standing with rifles on shoulders.

The Acting Governor of the Gold Coast in British West Africa, Sir George London, inspecting members of the Accra Home Guard, 11 June 1942.

AMERICANS IN BRITAIN

Two Black soldiers in military uniform stack white rectangular blocks outdoors, one wearing a helmet and one wearing glasses.

GIs in Britain: Two soldiers working on the railways.

View Full Archive of West Indian, African and African American Service Personnel in the British Armed Forces during the World Wars

archive of black soldiers who fought in the British Army ww1 and 2, compiled by Ari Henry, Cambridge City Council for Black History Month 2020, from The Imperial War Museum Open Access photos

VIEW DOCUMENT HERE:
Black Commonwealth Service Personnel in the British Armed Forces during the World Wars. PDF

Achive of black soldiers who fought in the British Army ww1 and 2, compiled by Ariadne Henry, Cambridge City Council, for Black History Month 2020, from The Imperial War Museum Open Access photos.

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