Putting the 'story' into 'history'
This post alerts you to two new pages, both articles by John Ellis, that have been added to our site recently. These two articles illustrate the rich diversity of the black contribution to British history (as does virtually all the content on the site!). In reverse chronological order, this article https://www.historycalroots.com/admired-very-much-cyril-stuart-1895-1915-an-old-salopian/ tells the story of … Continue reading “A rich tapestry”
By John D Ellis The regiment was raised by the Marquess of Drogheda in 1759. In 1763 it was renumbered and re-titled as the 18th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons. It was to retain an Irish identity throughout its existence, with many officers and men coming from Ireland, including Arthur Wellesley, later the Duke of Wellington, … Continue reading “The Black soldiers of the 18th Hussars, 1799-1821”
By John D Ellis The First World War saw men throughout the Empire rush to join “the colours” (the “colours” being a reference to the two flags each regiment jealously guarded – the King’s Colours and the Regimental Colours bearing the prized battle honours of the regiment). Despite the existence of a racial “colour bar” … Continue reading “Abdul Latif – A Boy Soldier in the Highland Light Infantry during the First World War”
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Clicking on a letter will take you to that part of the index. The green arrow (bottom right of your screen) will take you quickly back to the top. … Continue reading “A-Z Index”
By John D Ellis Dedicated to the Black riflemen of the 3rd Battalion Royal Green Jackets who served with the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) in Celle, West Germany in the 1980s. “Celer et Audax”. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries most British Army regiments employed Black men as enlisted military musicians.(1) The fashion … Continue reading ““Over the hills and far away”: The Black soldiers of the 43rd Foot 1796-1826”
By John D Ellis This article will explore the presence of Black sailors in the Royal Navy prior to and during the Napoleonic Wars. Ray Costello (Black Salt) and Charles Foy have done much work on the presence of sailors of African origin in the Royal Navy before, during and after the Napoleonic Wars of … Continue reading “Black sailors in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, 1793-1815”
By John D Ellis In August 1873 the obituaries column of The Jamaica Instructor sadly informed its readers of the passing, of “an old Waterloo Veteran, and a brave soldier of the Crown.” [1] That an old soldier of the 73rd Foot, and later the 42nd Foot, (the famous Highland “Black Watch” ), should die … Continue reading “George Rose – An Exemplary Soldier, 73rd and 42nd Foot, 1809-1837”
As the sun came up on Monday 19th June 1815 George Rose counted his blessings. He had been in the thick of the action during what we know as the Battle of Waterloo. He had been badly wounded (so badly that it was not until June 1816 that he was discharged from the military hospital … Continue reading “George Rose – An Exemplary Soldier”
‘The nearest run thing you ever saw in your life’, that’s how Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington, described the Battle of Waterloo, a battle that saw the final defeat of Napoleon and shaped the course of European history. In an event of less historical significance, in 2014 two thirds of the Historycal Roots … Continue reading “‘The nearest run thing you ever saw in your life’”
At Historycal Roots it is probably fair to say that our main focus has been on 20th century Black British history. While we have published articles about the likes of Olaudah Equiano and Dido Elizabeth Belle from the 18th Century, and Sarah Forbes Bonetta and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor from the 19th century, they have been very … Continue reading “The 19th Century”