National Army Museum’s Beyond Burma exhibition examines stories of soldiers from Britain’s colonies
The forgotten story of African and Indian troops who fought in south Asia against Japanese forces during the second world war and who have largely been omitted from the official history is to be brought to life in a London exhibition.
The National Army Museum’s Beyond Burma: Forgotten Armies show includes rare items from Indian and African soldiers who toiled in some of the harshest conditions seen anywhere during the conflict.
There were an estimated 80,000 soldiers from Britain’s colonies including the Gambia, Ghana and Sierra Leone who sailed from west Africa to south Asia, initially heading to Burma (modern-day Myanmar) and joining the ranks of the 14th army.
Nigerians made up more than half of the west African soldiers deployed to south-east Asia after 1943 as part of the British army’s 81st and 82nd (West Africa) Divisions. However, the allied commander Gen William Slim did not mention the African soldiers in his speech thanking the 14th army.
