The Empire’s Troops
Nearly three million troops from the colonies of the British Empire served during the First World War. This film made by Pathé Freres, released in 1917 but filmed over the period 1915 to 1917, shows how broadly based the Allied forces were. We see Canadians at Salisbury Plains, Indians at Marseilles, and Australians and New Zealanders in Egypt.
Usually films of soldiers during the war are formal affairs. While the film starts off this way, with the usual scenes of training, marching and inspections, it also shows troops of all the different nationalities in a more informal mood, playing up to the camera-- including performing a Highland jig! It also shows a rare glimpse of ANZAC forces at camp relaxing in Egypt, with the spectacular backdrop of the Pyramids behind them.
Year:1915-1917
Location:Salisbury Plains, England; Marseilles, France; Egypt
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The Empire’s Troops
Nearly three million troops from the colonies of the British Empire served during the First World War. This film made by Pathé Freres, released in 1917 but filmed over the period 1915 to 1917, shows how broadly based the Allied forces were. We see Canadians at Salisbury Plains, Indians at Marseilles, and Australians and New Zealanders in Egypt.
Usually films of soldiers during the war are formal affairs. While the film starts off this way, with the usual scenes of training, marching and inspections, it also shows troops of all the different nationalities in a more informal mood, playing up to the camera-- including performing a Highland jig! It also shows a rare glimpse of ANZAC forces at camp relaxing in Egypt, with the spectacular backdrop of the Pyramids behind them.
Year: 1915-1917
Length: 03:26
Production Company: Pathé Freres
Credits: Made from original material preserved by the BFI National Archive
Source: Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision
Catalogue Reference: F232642 HISTORY OF THE WAR: EMPIRE TROOPS
Location: Salisbury Plains, England; Marseilles, France; Egypt
The contribution of British Empire colonies was crucial in sustaining the numbers of troops required for the eventual British victory. One and a half million volunteers were raised in India; these troops fought alongside ANZAC forces at Gallipoli and their experiences are seldom told in histories of the Gallipoli campaign, though this is changing in more recent studies. From the self-governing Dominions of Canada, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Newfoundland came another 1.3 million soldiers. 15,000 men from the West Indies saw action during the war, and 55,000 men from African countries served as auxiliary forces.
These countries also played a key role in supplying economic resources and food and raw materials. Much as in the Second World War, this was another key factor in Britain’s eventual victory.