The West Indian Soldier

Please find an e-book on the history of the British Army’s relationship with the Caribbean, written by David Wells, Laurence Benson and Alice Howey, available through the links below. This includes the role of the British Army in the colonisation of the Caribbean, the wars fought between the European powers in the region, the role that West Indians played within the British Army in Britain, Africa and the Caribbean itself.

The full e-book is available for download here. This has been produced as part of our West Indian Soldier heritage project, in partnership with the National Army Museum and generously supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Introduction
The Western Design (1654-1655)
West Indian Militias
Serving in the West Indies
Disease and Medicine
Fortifications
Women and the Army
The Nine Years War (1688-1697)
The Spanish Succession (1701-1704)
The War of Jenkins' Ear (1739-1748)
The Seven Years War (1756-1763)
The American Revolution (1776-1782)
The French Wars (1792-1815)
The West India Regiments
The Maroon & Carib Wars
The West India Regiments Garrison
West Indians in West Africa
The Ashanti Wars
West Indian soldiers in Britain
The First World War (1914-1918)
The Second World War (1939-1945)
Caribbean Victoria Crosses
Modern times
Conclusion