Look at this man.

When do you think he lived?

Where do you think he was from?

What is he wearing and why?

What do you think he might be remembered for?

STARTER

Khudadad Khan was born in Dabb Village, Punjab State, Pakistan. When war broke out he joined the Army as a Sepoy or Private soldier and served as a machine gunner. In October 1914 his

regiment was sent to the front line in France. All the gunners were killed

apart from Khan who was badly wounded. For his bravery in France

and his involvement in preventing the German Army reaching vital ports,

Khan received the Victoria Cross. He was the first native-born Indian to

receive this honour.

A1,440,500 Indians fought for Britain during the first world war · 47,000 were killed

· 65,000 were wounded · 15,000 soldiers from

the West Indies Regiment saw action in France, Palestine, Egypt and Italy during the first world war

· 2,500 of them were killed or wounded

From the Guardian newspaper, 2002

B “We wanted to

go. Because the island government told us that the king said all Englishmen must go to join the war. The country

called all of us." From a 2002 interview with George Blackman – a Jamaican man aged 105 who fought in WWI

C When they arrived,

they often found that fighting was to be done by white soldiers only - black soldiers were assigned the dirty and dangerous jobs of loading ammunition, laying telephone wires and digging trenches. Conditions were appalling. From an article in the Guardian Newspaper about Jamaican soldiers in WWI

E When we got home, if you

got a mother or father you have something, but if you're alone,

you got to look for work. When I come I had nobody. I had to look

for work. I had to eat and buy clothes. Who going to give me

clothes? I didn't have a father or nobody. Now I said, 'The English are no good.' I went to Jamaica

and I meet up some soldiers and I asked them, 'Here boy, what

the government give you?' They said, 'The government give us

nothing.' I said, 'We just the same.'“ George Blackman

talking about his experience as a Jamaican soldier in WWI.

Interview happened in 2002

D Daily Mirror, 25

Jan 1915. The Victoria Cross is one of the greatest awards you can get in the army.

F A WWI

newspaper (date unknown)

•

G The Daily Dispatch, 8 August

1917. A report on parent protests to their daughters associating with Black men.

H "Any person who is for the

time being an alien may… be enlisted in His Majesty's regular forces, so, however, the number of aliens serving together at any one time in any corps of the regular forces shall not exceed … one alien to every fifty British subjects, and that an alien … shall not be capable of holding any higher rank in His Majesty's regular forces than that of a warrant officer or non-commissioned officer." A special announcement that appeared during WWI in The Manual of Military Law.

Your tasks:

Write the title Black and Asian Soldiers in World War One

1. Use source A to complete these heads and tails in your book:

Heads:

Soldiers from India and the West Indies

About 15,000 of these soldiers were

They fought in many countries

Almost 1.5 million were

Tails

From the West Indies

From India

Fought for Britain in World War One

Including France and Egypt

2. Find a source which:

i. Was made at the time of WWI

ii. Was made recently

iii. Gives a positive view of the experiences of black and Asian soldiers in WWI

iv. Gives a negative view of the experiences of black and Asian soldiers in WWI

3. Look at source G. Why do you think parents might protest about ‘white girls consorting with coloured men’?

4. Extension Look at Sources B and C. Do they suggest different things about the importance of black and Asian soldiers in WWI? If so, why do you think this might be?

• Draw a black or Indian soldier in middle of the page. Imagine you are this person.

• Make spider lines coming out about imagined experiences that you had during WWI.

• Design a page of the Delhi Daily or the Kingston Post. Conduct an interview with your imagined character, discussing his/her wartime experiences.

Born in Kingston, Jamaica.

Signed up to fight for Britain in 1915

Worked as a stretcher-bearer in France

MY FICTIONAL WORLD WAR ONE SOLDIER

Example

Delhi DailyInterview with a war hero

Name:

Where were you born?

I was born in Mumbai in 1895, and spent my childhood there

What made you sign up for war in Europe?

I heard that Britain needed help, and wanted to take this opportunity to see some of the world

When did you leave India?

I left India in 1915, shortly after I signed up for the army. I was nervous and excited. I was still only a boy.

Where were you posted?

Were you rewarded for your bravery?

2nd December 1918

Delhi DailyInterview with a war hero

Kingston postInterview with a war hero

ASSESSMENT:

We will soon be working towards a levelled assessment on this topic.

The assessment will be on organisation and communication (writing skills)

You will be asked to produce a report about the role black and or Asian people in WWI and or WWII.

We will talk more about how to do this next lesson.

TODAY’S homework:

Find outWhat different nationalities did Britain call upon for

help with the war effort? Make a list in your book.