Fighting for Britain : African soldiers in the Second World War

Recently I attended a seminar hosted by the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, where David Killingray discussed his recent book Fighting for Britain: African Soldiers in the Second World War.

David Killingray's book has been reviewed favourably and presents a history of African's at war and the African contribution to the war effort, between 1939 and 1947, looking at questions including recruitment, experiences of war, discipline and indiscipline, the retuirn home and demobilisation, and the social impact of service. The book is concerned with presenting 'history from below' and sources include oral evidence, written accounts, soliders letter, newlspapers and official sources.

I was pleased to note that one source used were letters included in the Commonwealth Studies Archives, including in the Michael Crowder papers (ICS123), and collated as part of Michael Crowder's research on the Bechuanaland Protectorate the Second World War, carried out as part of his study for the biography of Tshekedi Khama.