TIMELINE OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR

BLACK BRITONS IN THE

Add the key dates related to Black Britons (and Caribbean men in British regiments) to your timeline.

1786 1800s 1907 AND 1914

Black Poor Committee set Growth of Black British Alien Act and Manual of up to support poor Black communities, especially Military Law states any and Indian people in London. in port towns. “person of colour” may enlist (Includes Black Loyalist and have “the privileges of a veterans of American War natural-born British subject”, of Independence.) 1915 but also prevents Black or any foreign soldiers from Noman Manley, a Jamaican being commissioned officers 1 1914 law student at Oxford enlists (ranks above sergeant). with his younger brother. The Colonial Office tries to Despite making friends in discourage the recruitment of training, on promotion to 7 MAY 1915 Black soldiers, but decisions in 1916 he faced left largely to individual prejudice from soldiers and Engineering student, George recruiting officers. The result other non-commissioned Edward Kingsley Bemand is inconsistent, with multiple officers, leading him to give (1892–1916), is commissioned Black British and West up his rank and move as a Second Lieutenant, and Indian recruits rejected regiments. Manley’s brother is possibly the first Black (including men who paid was sadly killed in 1917, British .2 He declared for their own journey to but Manley survived and himself of ‘pure European Britain to enlist) but also later helped lead Jamaica descent’ on application. many accepted. to self-governance. Bemand is killed in action on Boxing Day 1916. His brother Harold is also killed in 1917.

27 OCTOBER 1915

David Louis Clemetson (1893–1918), a Cambridge student from a wealthy Jamaican family, is commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Pembroke Yeomanry. Clemetson declared himself not of ‘pure European descent’ on his application. Clemetson serves in Macedonia, is treated for shell shock in 1916, then serves on the Western Front where he is killed in Sept 1918.

1. Commissioned officers include ranks from Second Lieutenant to General and are trained at a military academy. Non-commissioned officers (NCO), such as or Sergeants, are lower ranking and don’t receive academy training.

2. BlackPoppyRose research reveals Bemand’s father’s surname was Bernard, but ‘Bemand’ was entered in service records. BLACK BRITONS IN THE BRITISH ARMY

31 DECEMBER 1916

The 224 strong Coloured Section, the only all Black unit raised in Britain (British and 27 JANUARY 1916 MAY 1917 West Indian recruits), is sent to Mesopotamia (Iraq) as Conscription for single men Kent-born is skilled drivers and clerks. aged 18–40. Extended to commissioned as a Second The soldiers later complain married men in May. Lieutenant in the 23rd of a pay cut on arrival. (2nd Football) . Tull, raised in an East London orphanage before becoming 1919 JUNE 1918 one of Britain’s first Black professional footballers, had Existing Black population and Army already seen years of service, in UK grows to around Council officially states that having enlisted in 1914, 20,000 as Caribbean service “British subjects of colour” served on the Western Front, people look to settle in Britain may be enlisted into combat been treated for shell shock after the war. Race riots or other units of the and returned to the Front break out in multiple port British Army. before being made an officer. cities, including Cardiff, Tull is killed in action in Liverpool and Glasgow. March 1918. Despite attempts Black individuals (including his body was not recovered. former servicemen) and their properties are attacked 1920 AND 1925 and, in Liverpool, young Bermudan Charles Wotton Aliens Order and is murdered by a White mob. Special Restrictions (Coloured Seaman) Order require Black seaman (including British subjects) to register with police and prove nationality.

Image credit: Imperial War Museum, © IWM PST 5110

Image credit: Imperial War Museum, © IWM ID: 9204884 BLACK BRITONS IN THE BRITISH ARMY

Study each of the sources below, then answer the questions on the following page.

SOURCE 1: SOURCE 2:

Constitution of the Forces, Photographs of Walter Tull (1888–1819), The Manual of Military Law 1914. George Edward Kingsley Bemand (1892–1916) and David Louis Clemetson (1893–1918). ‘Commissions in the Special Reserve of Officers are given to qualified candidates who are natural born or naturalised British subjects of pure European descent.’

Cited in Costello, Ray, Black Tommies: British Soldiers of African Descent in the First World War, p92. Commissioned officers are higher ranking officers (from Second Lieutenant to General) who are trained

at a military academy

SOURCE 3:

Images of Tull and Bemand credit: Imperial War Museum: From the diary of Black Glaswegian livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk. Image of Clemetson credit: Clifton College Archives. Tull, Bemand and Clemetson all served Arthur Roberts, recalling an as commissioned officers (Second Lieutenants) in the British Army incident when he lost his section during WWI. All three were killed in action. during the Third Battle of Ypres.

‘If I stopped one person for information, SOURCE 4: I stopped a dozen but one seemed to contradict the other… Yes a soldier may be as welcome as the flowers in May with his own mob, Evening Express (Liverpool) 11 June 1919. but others help very little a strayed comrade of another battalion... Throughout the dark ‘[They] by the hundred have thrown dirty night I doggedly [determinedly] splashed themselves upon the mercy of the authorities. about and the dull grey wet morning found In dozens they presented themselves to the me dreamingly plodding, God knows where? bridewell yesterday afternoon and evening, I remember walking towards a cluster of and before today’s dawn broke there were tents and timber wagons. The next thing I between 600 and 700 black men safely housed remember was I was half lying against a wagon at their own request in the main bridewell with the rain beating on my face and my own (local jail) at Cheapside. During the day this section officer giving me a good drink of rum.. number has been considerably increased.’ Everybody was pleased to see me...’ Cited in Costello, Ray, Black Tommies: British Soldiers of African From Arthur Robert’s diary cited in Miller et al., As Good As Any Man: Descent in the First World War, p145. The article describes race riots ’s Black Tommy, p93-4. Roberts was born in Bristol and in Liverpool in 1919. Following the murder of Bermudan Charles raised in Glasgow by his father, a ship’s steward from Trinidad. A Wotton, Black residents of the city rushed to a local jail (bridewell) battalion is a military unit of around 300 to 1,000 soldiers. for their own protection. BLACK BRITONS IN THE BRITISH ARMY

Study the sources on the previous page then answer the following questions.

1. Read source 1. What is the meaning of this ruling for Black British recruits in WWI?

2. Study source 2 and the profiles of Tull, Bermand and Clemetson in the timeline. What similarities and differences are there between their stories?

3. Read source 3. What can this extract tell us about the experiences of individual Black soldiers during WWI?

4. Compare sources 3 and 4. What does this tell us about attitudes towards Black servicemen during and after the war?

5. Make notes. Using all the sources and the timeline, to what extent do you agree with the following statement: “Black British/Caribbean/African service in aid of the British war effort was a key part of victory in WWI”?

Extension: Some historians have commented on the “archival invisibility” of Black soldiers in the British Army. What do you think is meant by this? How could these problems be overcome?