5 million Commonwealth citizens fought for the Allies in the Second World War and 170,000 died or went missing in action. And today, there are approximately 9,000 to 12,000 Commonwealth and non-British citizens serving in our armed forces, or just under 10%.
In a special podcast from the Army Benevolent Fund, Voices of the Commonwealth the charity pays tribute to the significant contribution and sacrifice that citizens of the Commonwealth have made, and continue to make, in the defence of freedom.
The podcast features the stories of veterans and serving soldiers from the Commonwealth. Host, Harry Bucknall, hears from Nino Singh-Judge and Corporal Nimi Lequere MPGS about their motivations for joining the British Army. Staff Sergeant Melissa Forrester-Frame, Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps and part of the Army Multicultural Network, discusses how reflecting and understanding different cultures helps the Army to have a better fighting force.
Ghanian, Joseph Hammond, now 99, from Accra, volunteered to fight with the 3rd Battalion, the Gold Coast Regiment in Burma in World War Two. Joseph said: “We were there for a purpose. If you have a friend, and he is suffering, you have to help him. You cannot leave them alone, to perish.”
As distinguished writer and broadcaster, Griff Rhys Jones OBE, recalls, it was to Ghana, that his father, a freshly qualified doctor, travelled to join the Gold Coast Regiment as its medical officer. He describes the difficult conditions his father and the regiment faced during fighting in Burma.
Looking back, historian, Major Gordon Corrigan MBE, and journalist, Christopher Somerville, discuss the contribution of Commonwealth troops to both World Wars. Without this, they say, these wars might have had a different outcome. However, as Christopher Somerville acknowledges, “it’s very rare that it’s properly remembered.”
Today, support for Commonwealth veterans and widows comes from the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League (RCEL), as David Thompson, its Secretary General, explains. The Army Benevolent Fund’s funding for the RCEL helps the charity provide Commonwealth veterans with two nutritious meals a day.
Omar Shaikh, founder of charity, Colourful Heritage, joins Harry to share plans to build “a befitting memorial” for the soldiers of the British Indian Army in the grounds of Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery.
Former Chief of the General Staff, General the Lord Dannatt, pays tribute to those who fought for Britain, saying: “That so many who have come from the Commonwealth were prepared to rally to the cause of freedom and democracy, and to fight with such determination and valour – I think it’s wonderful that this is now being remembered, commemorated and celebrated.”
The last words are Joseph Hammond’s: “I feel very proud that I took part in the war. I think about peace now… and we must try assiduously to ensure that no war comes again.”
The Army’s national charity remembers all the British, Commonwealth and Allied soldiers who fought and died during the two World Wars and subsequent conflicts to preserve our democracy and freedom.
We thank all our guests for contributing to this year’s Remembrance podcast.