Footsteps of the fallen

Unseen and unwanted - a colonial soldier's war

Season 7 Episode 5

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In this latest episode, we look at colonial soldiers' experiences in the Great War. Britain and France made full use of the human capital of their global empires to provide extra manpower for their armed forces.

Our journey begins in an art gallery in Belgium, and we look at the work of the famous German artist Karl Goetz and his most scandalously infamous medallion depicting "The Black Shame."

We examine the role played by French colonial troops and discover the story of the most decorated Division in the French Army.

King George V's intervention created the British West Indies Regiment, an organisation founded on maternal coercion and wild promises that the British Government had little intention of fulfilling.

We look at the military experience of black soldiers and discover how years of repression, racism and segregation exploded in the Taranto Riot of December 1918.

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