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West Indians’ WW1 role belatedly recognised with memorial
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28 October 2024
Naval officer Commander Robert Jaffier joined fellow Brits of West Indian heritage at a ceremony in Belgium honouring Great War forebears.
More than 15,000 West Indians served in the Army in the Great War. One in ten never returned.
Their sacrifice has largely been forgotten – both in the UK and in the Caribbean – until now.
Thanks to the efforts of the British West India Regiments Heritage Trust there is now a reminder on hallowed soil: St George’s Memorial Church in Ypres.
The church – a stone’s throw from Ypres Cathedral and the town’s iconic Cloth Hall – was built in tribute to the Commonwealth troops who fought in the salient between 1914 and 1918.
Though less well known than the Menin Gate Memorial to the missing on the other side of the town, the church hosts regular pilgrimages and services and remembrance, and is crammed with flags, plaques and memorials to individuals and units.
But none for West Indian troops, until now. Around 100 serving personnel and veterans, musicians and community leaders made the relatively-short trip to Flanders for a formal service of dedication, led by the British Army’s highest ranking Black officer, Brigadier Karl Harris.
Representing the Royal Navy – men from the West Indies served under the White Ensign in the Great War, though in smaller numbers, as well as in the Merchant Navy – was Commander Robert Jaffier, who works on future infrastructure projects.
He says it’s because of those who answered the call over a century ago that he, and fellow Service personnel of West Indian heritage, are serving today.
“I am standing on the shoulders of our forefathers – those people from the West Indian Regiment that started all this – and recognising their contributions,” he added.
“So now, as I am standing on their shoulders, people can stand on mine, referencing all the contributions that people who look like me can make to the King’s Armed Forces.”
Underscoring the unique nature of the event, the Last Post was sounded not by a bugle, but a steel drum.
Sue Libard, director of the British West India Regiments Heritage Trust, hopes that by highlighting the sacrifices of 1914-1918, West Indian troops will no longer be sidelined.
“We made memories, but we also made history with the memorial. It is time to re-write, to re-frame the narrative – and that narrative is: We were there.”