Unforgotten Black Troops – a journey of discovery

Two years ago we were told that today’s younger generations were not learning about the presence of Black troops in Britain, as there was not sufficient information available.

Moreover, that there were no military presence in the North, and only the South had dedicated museums and exhibitions that would show African-Americans and military from the colonies intervening during WW2.

We were intrigued and decided to embark on a journey, not only to uncover those Black troops’ presence, but also who were they, as individuals, where were they positioned, what was their contribution and, above all their impact on communities then and now.

What we thought it would just require hours of consultation in archives, turned out to be a war on its own, that required going to battle with organisations in the UK and in the US. This website shows our journey, our contacts, our discoveries… and the many tears as we uncovered a very dark history, the many burials of brave people that died in the war, and what it means to be forgotten by many, becoming invisible to today’s and tomorrow’s generations.

Because those that were part of that moment in History have been disappearing, and those that remember them are slowly disappearing as-well. In the end, when records have been destroyed and documents are buried somewhere, only an effort to recover and record those memories will prevent their sacrifices to be gone forever.

And this is why we have done this research and create the website with the vital support from our patrons. Because we will not forget and we will help communities to learn and remember the Black troops in the North of the country. For us, as, hopefully, for others, they are the unforgotten heroes that helped change so much for so many.