Jamaican Soldiers in WWI

• The First World War was a devastating conflict caused by a complex alliance system.
• It involved trench warfare on land and naval battles at sea, ending with a controversial peace treaty.

Causes

• Historians attribute the war to the increasing power of Germany, which destabilized the European balance of power.
• This instability led to the formation of military alliances.

Main Issues Surrounding the Cause

• Militarism: Many countries believed in building large armies and navies.
• Alliances: The Triple Alliance and Triple Entente were intended to prevent war.
• Imperialism: European nations created empires, leading to conflict.
• Nationalism: Countries prioritized their interests.

Key Alliances

• Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria, and Italy.

• Triple Entente: France, Britain, and Russia.

• The assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand in June 1914 led Austria-Hungary to declare war on Serbia.

• Existing alliances drew European countries into the war.

Germany's Threat

• Germany's unification in 1871 after defeating France in the Franco-Prussian War increased its strength.
• Germany's naval buildup after 1900 alarmed the British.
• Kaiser Wilhelm II wanted an overseas empire, frightening Britain and France.
• Germany's plan to build a railway through the Balkans to Baghdad concerned Russia.
• The Schlieffen Plan: Germany planned to quickly defeat France before focusing on Russia, requiring an invasion of neutral Belgium.

Instability in the Balkans

• The collapse of the Turkish Empire created nationalist tensions, with Serbia and Austria-Hungary vying for power.

Alliance System

• By 1914, two opposing groups existed, hoping that a balance of power would prevent war.
• The Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy was formed in 1882.
• The Triple Entente of France, Russia, and Great Britain was formed in 1907.

Timeline

• 28 June: Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by Serb terrorists in Bosnia.

• 5 July: Germany promised full support to Austria-Hungary.

• 28 July: Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.

• 30 July: Russia mobilized its army, alarming Germany.

• 3 August: Germany implemented the Schlieffen Plan and invaded France through Belgium.

• 4 August: Britain declared war on Germany due to an agreement with Belgium.

• The war was mainly fought on the Western and Eastern Fronts.

• The Western Front involved France, England, and later American forces against Germany.

• The Eastern Front involved German, Austria-Hungarian, Ottoman Empire forces against Russian and English Colonial forces.

• Battles occurred in Africa and Asia, along with naval and air conflicts in the Atlantic and Europe.

The Race to the Sea (September – November 1914)

• Both sides created a 400-mile line of trenches on the Western Front.
• Soldiers faced wet conditions, rats, and illnesses.

Stalemate (1915)

• The war reached a stalemate where neither side could defeat the other.
• Attacks on German trenches on the Western Front resulted in huge casualties.
• Britain's attempt to open a 'Second Front' at Gallipoli failed.

The War of Attrition (1916 – 1918)

• Both sides aimed to wear each other down.
• Major battles like Verdun and the Somme in 1916 and Passchendaele in 1917 resulted in many deaths and injuries.
• New weapons had little impact on the outcome.
• Trench conditions were terrible with casualties from machine gun and artillery fire.
• The British blockaded German ports to starve them into surrender.
• A revolution occurred in Germany in October 1918.
• German U-boats tried to starve Britain by sinking ships.

The Fighting Ends

• The United States entered the war in 1917.
• On 21 March 1918, the Germans launched a final attack called 'Operation Michael'.
• On 8 August 1918, the German attack was defeated.
• The Allies and Germany signed a ceasefire on 11 November 1918.
• On 28 June 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed by the Germans.

Main Terms of the Versailles Treaty

• Germany surrendered its colonies as League of Nations mandates.
• Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France.
• Eupen-Malmedy was ceded to Belgium, Memel to Lithuania, and the Hultschin district to Czechoslovakia.
• Poznania, East Prussia, and Upper Silesia became part of Poland.
• Danzig became a free city.
• Plebiscites were held in northern Schleswig.
• The Saar was occupied with a special status under French control.
• The Rhineland was demilitarized and occupied for fifteen years.
• Germany had to pay £6,600 billion in reparations.
• The union of Germany and Austria was banned.
• Germany accepted blame for causing the war.
• There were plans to try Kaiser Wilhelm II and other war leaders.
• Germany's army was limited to 100,000 men without conscription, tanks, heavy artillery, poison gas, aircraft, or airships.
• The German navy was restricted to six battleships, six light cruisers, twelve destroyers, twelve torpedo boats, and no submarines.

Consequences of the War

• Eight million soldiers and nine million civilians died.

• Twelve million tons of shipping were sunk.

• The Western Front was devastated.

• Remembrance Day began, with poppies symbolizing those who died.

• New countries were created from land taken from Germany.

• African colonies were divided among European countries.

• Germany was outraged by the Treaty of Versailles, contributing to the Second World War.

• Britain became more democratic.

• A Labour government was elected in 1924.

• All men and women over 21 were given the vote in 1928.

Jamaica and the Caribbean's Role in the War

• Jamaica was ready to participate in the First World War.

• In 1914, Jamaica donated sugar and set aside funds for defense.

• It was the only island with a permanent Imperial garrison at the start of the war.

• The British Government allowed West Indians to participate in frontline action due to population pressure.

• Jamaica, with a population of 850,000 in 1914, also governed the Cayman Islands.

• Local forces such as the Jamaican Volunteer Defence Force protected the island.

• A committee was established in 1915 to fund Jamaicans wanting to serve abroad.

• Jamaican women organized fundraising and helped establish the British West Indies Regiment.

• Approximately 10,280 Jamaicans served in the British West Indies Regiment.

• The West India Regiment, founded in 1795, fought in African campaigns during WWI and earned battle honors at Cameroons and East Africa.

• They served at Yaoundé, Dar Es Salaam, and Nyangao.

• In May 1915, the British government accepted contingents for active service from various Caribbean islands.

• In October 1915, a corps named ‘The British West Indies Regiment' was formed.

• Jamaicans living overseas were recruited via the United Fruit Company.

• 2,100 recruits traveled to Jamaica from Central America to join up between May and August 1917.

• In June 1917, a law was passed making male British subjects in Jamaica eligible for military service but conscription was not enforced.

• Many soldiers died from sickness due to unfamiliar climates.

• In 1916, the troopship Verdala was redirected to Nova Scotia where soldiers suffered or died from frostbite and pneumonia due to inadequate clothing.

• Despite fighting for Britain, the West Indian regiment was not treated equally.

• Pay increase was withheld until protest were made.

• Thousands of West Indians volunteered, facing perilous journeys and frostbite, with many becoming unfit for service and receiving no compensation.

• The British West Indies Regiment was formed in 1915 and should not be confused with the West India Regiment.

• Conditions were appalling and West Indian troops were assigned dirty and dangerous work, often without guns.

• During the war, 15,600 men served in the regiment from various Caribbean islands.

• It was active in combat against the Turkish army in Palestine, Jordan and Mesopotamia and in France, Italy and Egyptin auxiliary roles.

• One Trinidadian soldier described being treated poorly and without regard.

Mutiny

• After Armistice Day, eight BWIR battalions were concentrated at Taranto in Italy for demobilization.

• Severe labor shortages led to the West Indians carrying out strenuous physical tasks and demeaning tasks like cleaning toilets for while soldiers, plus racial tensions rose when they discovered white soldiers were receiving a pay rise while black soldiers were not.

• In December 1918, men of the 9th Battalion revolted and attacked their black officers.

• 180 sergeants sent a petition to the Secretary of State complaining about pay, separation allowance, and discrimination.

• The mutiny lasted four days, resulting in casualties and bombings.

• Troops were sent to restore order.

• The 9th BWIR was disbanded, men were distributed, and approximately 60 soldiers were tried for mutiny.

• The BWIR was disbanded in 1921.

Aftermath

• Bitterness after the mutiny led to meetings discussing black rights and self-determination.

• Organization called Caribbean League was formed.

• Soldiers decided to hold a general strike for higher wages upon their return.

• Between 1916 and 1919, colonies faced a wave of strikes.

• Disgruntled soldiers returned amidst turmoil, without celebrations; the British government moved cruisers with machine guns as a show of force, displacing thousands of former soldiers.

• Soldiers joined worker protests because of economic crisis.

• Caribbean soldiers felt they deserved more respect, and about one thousand died in the war, with a further three thousand wounded.

• Soldiers who returned after the war received little support.

The treatment laid the groundwork for Caribbean struggle for self-determination.

Explore Jamaican men's conscription challenges in 1917 and the high mortality rates among Jamaican soldiers during WWI. Examine British military treatment of the West Indian Regiment. Explore the experiences of West Indian soldiers during World War I.