Overview

This book investigates the story of 600 Black men from across North America and the Caribbean, who, in 1917, went to war in a labour unit, No. 2 Construction Battalion. Regarded then by senior Command as morally infectious, a century later they have become central actors in a powerful cultural myth, celebrated in folk tales, poetry, drama and text.Black Soldiers in a White Man's War examines critically that mythical narrative. Based on service records of the 600 volunteers and 35 courts-martial in the unit, it probes the lives of these soldiers, who laboured in the forests of France during 1917 and 1918. Black Soldiers in a White Man's War will shock some, but, for the majority of readers, it will present a fresh, vibrant portrait of a group of young Black men, who at a time of international crisis volunteered to fight the King's enemies. It will also open readers to experiences these men faced as they returned to a post-war racist society.

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9781527507791

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Awarded a PhD in History by Queen's University at Kingston, Canada, Gordon Douglas Pollock began a career developing and implementing accreditation programmes for professional accountants. On retirement, he returned to his academic roots, investigating those on the margins of society. He has published on Mormons in America and Canada and the working class of Glasgow's East End.

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