The 1910s: Colonial Soldiers in WWI (Sebastien Basson, Helen Hassan)

ARTIFACT: War Diary of a Soldier of Gurkah Rifles Battalion

1914 WWI Diary of Gurkah Soldier of 1/9th Battelion, Gurkah Rifles  

1914 Diary Entry of a Gurkah Soldier; WWI "War Diary" from 1/9th Battelion Gurkah Rifles

SECONDARY ARTIFACT: Clippings from Frank Leslie's Weekly (October 1914)

Paper Clipping from Frank Leslie's Illustrative Weekly of 6th Cavalry Indian Soldiers 

Comparative Photo: Canadian colonial soldiers from same article (Frank Leslie's Illustrative Weekly)

CULTURAL/HISTORICAL CONTEXT 1910 – 1919

By the 1910s, Queen Victoria was dead and the Victorian Era had, at least technically, ended. Early 20th Century Britain sees the disordering of social and political systems; Victorian "mores, religion, and codes of behavior" are being challenged (i.e. Post-Impressionism).  

 IMPERIAL MILITARY STRATEGY & PROPAGANDA

            Between European and American colonies, approximately four-million colonial soldiers fought in WWI. In this way, WII creates some ripples in previous conceptions of race. For one thing, race used to be synonymous with nationality, but with different races all fighting for the same nation, the conception of race are obscured. Furthermore, colonial powers are more reliant than ever on their colonies, which further disrupts the power structure.

            The British strategized so their non-white soldiers would never fight against white Central Powers; Britain’s Indian soldiers only fought the Ottoman Empire. The British Empire wanted to keep the racial hierarchy intact to avoid possible rebellions after the war; they didn't want their colonies to "learn" that they could to raise their weapons to, and defeat, a white man. At the same time, British representations of colonial forces in the media as well as personal journals are often subscribing to, or at least perpetuating, a "together we stand" narrative, as if colonial soldiers eagerly and willingly came rushing to the Empire's side in its time of need. 

THE THEORY OF ‘MARTIAL RACES’

     Obviously, conceptions of race and racial difference are complicated in the 1910s. With the notion of  'race' and 'nationality' as interchangeable becoming increasingly difficult to uphold, ‘race’ is defined more and more in terms of biology, of physical attributes (a trend influenced and perpetuated by Darwinism). In the context of war, these ‘biological’ conceptions of race develop into what’s known as the theory of “martial races”. This theory was first introduced by the British in the wake of the Indian Rebellion back in the mid 1900s. Essentially, it's the theory that some people are inherently ‘war-like’, which is determined by physical attributes.  

           WWI fuels the proliferation of ‘martial race’ theory. In 1917, when the demand of WWI increases and the British were in desperate need of manpower, the definition of what, or who, qualified as a “martial race” was conveniently expanded, and enormous numbers of colonial soldiers were recruited - most of which came from Punjab, the North-West Provinces, and Nepal. By the end of WWI, the British Empire ends up recruiting 1.5 million Indian soldiers. 

GURKAHS: OBSCURING IMPERIAL BINARY OPPOSITIONS

            From these regions comes a particularly infamous "warrior race": the Gurkahs. Over 90,000 Gurkah warriors fought in the Indian Army, first organized and deployed to the Western Front in October 1914.

           The Gurkahs illustrate the paradox of colonial soldiers well. The first Victorian Cross was awarded to a Gurkah soldier in 1915; and “Queen Elizebeth’s Own Gurkah Association” is still an organization today. The racially "other" colonial soldiers present a development in the “civility vs. savagery” narrative; while they're still being brutally stereotyped as an animalistic, "war-like" race, they are now, at the same time, desperately needed and often admired for those very savage characteristics that have been assigned to them. They are even awarded for them with British titles and British tokens, which many objected to at the time. In this way WWI complicates conceptions of race and racial differentiation - because how can you admire these characteristics, and deeply rely on them, while simultaneously using them to distinguish yourself as superior? 

Victoria Cross awarded to Gurkah soldier
Kulbir Thapa in 1915; many British did not approve of
colonial soldiers being recipients of Victoria Crosses  

DRACULA

Many of the social anxieties posed in Dracula manifest in the reality of the 1910s. 

            -  The fear of invasion of the other into British homeland, or Dracula as a colonial                          subject and a strong villain, a valid threat to the Empire 
                      -> Britain's fear of non-white colonies "learning" to revolt against white men, the                              fear of colonies realizing the falsity of this racial hierarchy 

            -  The fear of the fragility, and even collapse, of the British Empire:

                      -> The threat of competition  = the early 20th Century saw other world powers, most notably Germany and the US, begin to catch up and surpass the British economy; jealous of the size of the British Empire, other European and American nations begin to expand and pose threatening competition to British Empire

                    ->During WWI,  Britain is stretched too thin and can’t afford to take care of the home-front, nevermind maintain its colonies 

HEART OF DARKNESS
- Kurtz’s assimilation to the native, takes on role both a prisoner and a god
           -> Represents the duality that Britain’s relationship with its colonies takes on during the                 1910s, where Kurtz/Britain simultaneously rules over the natives, but also eventually                 relies on them to survive 
           -> Disdain, then respect (foreshadows post WWI)

                                                              Works Cited

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Bomani, Kathleen. "WW1's Untold Story: The Forgotten African Battlefields." CNN. Cable News Network, 8 Aug. 2014. Web.

Das, Santanu. "Experiences of Colonial Troops." British Library. British Library Board, 2011. Web.

Fogarty, Richard. "Race, Racism and Military Strategy." The British Library. British Library Board, n.d. Web.

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McClure, Miller. "Britain's Troops from Many Lands." Accessible Archives. Accessible Archives Inc, 15 Oct. 1914. Web. 23 Apr. 2016.

"1/9 Battalion Gurkha Rifles War Diary." Discovery. The National Archives, n.d. Web.

"6th Gurkhas." 6thgurkhas.org. 6th Gurkha Rifles Association, n.d. Web.

"Why the Indian Soldiers of WW1 Were Forgotten." BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation, 2          July 2015. Web.