World's War

Historian David Olusoga examines the millions of soldiers from the empire's colonies who served in the First World War and the reasons their part in the conflict was later pushed out of the popular record. Many of the battles on the Western Front, from the First Battle of Ypres to the Second Battle of the Marne, were fought by armies drawn from many races and ethnic backgrounds. Yet once the fighting ended, historians largely stopped acknowledging the non-white men who had taken part in what was often described as a struggle for civilisation.

The book draws heavily on diaries and firsthand accounts written by the soldiers themselves. Through these voices, it recreates the harsh realities faced by the hundreds of thousands of non-white troops whose courage helped secure the Allied victory.

Olusoga is a historian and broadcaster known for his work on British history and empire. The book suits readers interested in the First World War, colonial history and the wider question of how the past is remembered.