British Imperialism and its Legacies: World War I - Empire and Dominions

Comments

Glasgow Museums has a small collection of around 40 items which relate to the role which individuals and organisations in the British dominions, colonies and other territories played in World War I. Objects include a video installation, recruiting posters, weapons, military maps and textbooks, newspapers, items of uniform, medals and medallions, chocolate tins and tickets. Geographically, the items relate to Canada, British India, Australia, New Zealand, East/South Africa, and Trinidad, Grenada and St Lucia, with the majority connected to the first two areas.

Generally speaking, the objects were donated by people living in, or connected to, Glasgow, and there has been almost no active collecting on this subject, which is why the collection is limited in number and scope. In particular, virtually all the objects depict, or belonged to, white people. The exceptions are John Akomfrah’s video installation Mimesis: African Soldier, a newspaper with a photograph of Gurkha troops fighting in France, and two korahs (a type of short curved sword) which were retrieved from the battlefield at Kut-al-Amara in Iraq and which were used by soldiers from the north of India.

As well as providing troops, the Empire provided money, munitions and goods for the war effort. This is documented by the chocolate tins which were ‘The Gift of the Colonies of Trinidad, Grenada and St Lucia to His Majesty's Naval and Military Forces’, as well as ‘Half of the first 18 pounder Quick Firing high explosive shell made in the Albion Shell Factory, Calcutta’, and the matchbox holder issued by the Women's Branch Bombay Presidency War and Relief Fund, which raised money to provide comforts for Indian soldiers fighting in the Middle East.

Some of the items which belonged to the white officers serving in India, or with Indian soldiers, were made in British India, showing that service industries had developed to support British troops. It was only after World War I that Indians were able to become officers.

Broader term

British Imperialism and its Legacies: Exploitation of military power in the colonies