Lunchtime Lecture with Barnaby Phillips: African Soldiers and WW2

What is the course about?

This one-off lecture will look at the experiences of African soldiers who fought for the British in the Second World War. We learn where and how the British recruited in their colonies, to what extent African men were coerced to fight for ‘King and Country’, or whether they did so voluntarily. We look at how they were treated in the British army. We focus in particular on the experience of the almost 100,000 Africans who went to Burma to fight the Japanese in what was Britain’s longest land campaign of the entire war. And we delve into an enduring historical controversy; were the returned ex-soldiers at the forefront of Africa’s post-war struggle for independence, or has their contribution been mythologized and exaggerated?

Tutor: Barnaby Phillips. Barnaby is a journalist, historian and writer. 

What will we cover?

1. British recruitment in Africa. 
2. Why did African men join the British army? Were they forced to do so, or did they do so of their own free well?
3. Racial divisions and hierarchies within the British army. The British said they were fighting for ‘freedom’ and ‘democracy.’ We examine to what extent they practiced equality within their own ranks, and whether this changed as the war went on.
4. Burma. Tens of thousands of Africans travelled by ship to India, and then by land to Burma to fight the Japanese. Many did not return until 1946. We study their journey and their experience.
5. How did the war change the African soldiers who took part, and did such changes contribute to Africa’s rapid progress to independence after the war?
6. Why the contribution of African soldiers to the Second World War is often forgotten…not just in Britain, but in Africa itself.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

You should be able to assess: 

1. How Africa, and specifically Britain’s African colonies, fit into the global geopolitics of the Second World War.
2. How the British went about raising its African army
3. The motivations that might make an African enlist 
4. The extent to which a racial hierarchy determined the structure of Britain’s African army
5. Why the British sent so many Africans to Burma/their contributions there.
6. Ways in which wartime experience broadened the perspectives of African soldiers.
7. The extent to which this may have contributed to rapid political change in Africa after the war.
8. African perspectives on the Second World War (compared to the traditional British point of view).

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

This lecture is suitable both for newcomers to the subject and for those who have some background knowledge. You will need a good grasp of English to keep up with the course.

However, as with most of our history, politics and current affairs courses, an open mind and a respectful willingness to listen to and think about views with which you do not always agree are more important than specific levels of skills.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

The lecture will be enlivened with contemporary photographs. There will be no work outside class. 

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

No other  costs. Notebook if you wish to take notes. 

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

Please see our Africa area for further details.