Robert Adolphus Smith
Despite this enthusiasm, the War Office was reluctant to allow Black soldiers to fight against white European forces…
First World War Service and Sacrifice
Pte James Munroe Franklin, Battle of the Somme
James was born in Mississippi and while still young his family moved to Hamilton, a port city in…
Richard “Dickie” Barr: Service, Sacrifice, and a Cornish Life
Richard “Dickie” Barr was born in 1888 at Perranuthnoe, near Penzance, the son of a miner of African…
Walter Tull – Footballer, Soldier, Trailblazer
Walter Daniel John Tull (28 April 1888 – 25 March 1918) is remembered as one of the most…
The Inspiring Story of Walter Tull, British Football Pioneer and War Hero
Walter Tull’s story is one of remarkable courage, resilience, and groundbreaking achievements in the face of daunting societal…
First World War Service and Sacrifice; Gershom Browne, (1898-2000)
Born in British Guiana (now Guyana), Gershom lived in rural Bagotsville, he was officially too young to enlist…
James Samuel Risien Russell (1863-1939 )
Born in Demerara, British Guiana (now Guyana), Russell’s father, William Russell, was a wealthy sugar plantation owner and…
Private Bai
Private Bai of the Gold Coast Regiment was the first confirmed Commonwealth casualty under fire in the First World War….
George A. Roberts (1891-1970)
He became one of the first black men to join the British Army when he was enlisted as…
Charles Wotten (1895-1919)
At the end of the war, Charles remained in Liverpool where the Black community had grown to 5,000…
David Clemetson (1893-1918)
This heritage meant that David Clemetson’s family was part of the elite in Jamaica which dominated the then…
Lionel Turpin (1896-1929)
He gave his address as Collingwood, North Shields. According to Lionel’s children, “He (Lionel) felt British. He was…
Walter Tull (1888-1918)
In 1908 Walter started a career in football when he was signed by east London amateur side Clapton,…
Cyril Blake (1897-1951)
Although little is known about Blake himself, he would be one of thousands of black seamen from all…
First World War Service and Sacrifice – Richard (Dickie) Barr (1888-1955)
Dickie Barr was born in Perranuthnoe. He was the son of a miner, Richard Barr, who was of…
First World War Service and Sacrifice – Louis Achoy (1896-1918)
A Trinidadian as a 19-year-old sailor he was recruited in Newcastle upon-Tyne by the Northumberland Fusiliers, 1st Tyneside…
Harold Brown (1899-1955)
Harold would be one of three children with a brother called Gordon and a sister called Ada. After…
First World War Service and Sacrifice – George Edward Kingsley Bemand (1892-1916)
Born in Jamaica, George was the eldest of four children born to a white father, George, and a…
