For the Wounded

1915-10-23
Silent
Audio description
1m

'Our Day' charity fundraising badges are pinned to the coats of two black soldiers during WWI.

This mid-WWI Topical Budget newsreel sees 'Our Day' badges being sold on the streets of Britain to members of the armed services, in aid of servicemen wounded in the conflict. The short item provides a rare opportunity to see on film black soldiers who served King and country at that time. No apparent racism is shown towards the two soldiers, one of whom smiles at the camera, while women pin the charity badges to their coats.

During WWI, black men from Britain and across the Empire joined the armed services to fight for the King and "mother country". Some integrated into British regiments while others, from the Caribbean, joined the British West Indies Regiment. Some made the ultimate sacrifice, others were wounded in battle, and there were those who were decorated for their bravery. Still, this is sadly one of very few glimpses of black servicemen in early British newsreels.

Before Windrush

Precious glimpses and surprising rediscoveries: snapshots of black Britain in the decades before the great postwar migrations.

There was a substantial black presence in Britain long before the Empire Windrush arrived from Jamaica in June 1948. Some of the earliest moving images of black Britons survive in the extraordinary Mitchell and Kenyon collection from the dawn of the 20th century. WWI newsreels offered occasional glimpses of black soldiers from Britain - or more likely the Empire. In WWII the contribution of black servicemen and women was more prominently acknowledged in newsreels and documentaries. Between the wars, black performers began to make a splash, from music hall entertainers Scott & Whaley to Britain's first black screen star, US-born actor, singer and activist Paul Robeson. Stars like these had an easier time than many, but still faced unthinking stereotypes and prejudice. But they forged a path for others to follow. The films in this selection span some five decades, serving as a vital record of a much longer history of black people and culture in Britain than is often remembered.