More needs to be done to commemorate the Commonwealth's WW2 soldiers, say generals

The role of Commonwealth soldiers in Second World War should be better commemorated, say former defence chiefs in a letter.

Lord Dannatt, the former head of the army, and Lord Richards, a former chief of the defence staff, are among 46 public figures who are calling for better education, more commemorative events, and greater historical documentation of the Commonwealth’s role in the Second World War.

The campaign, launched by the Royal British Legion and British Future, also urges a comprehensive national effort by children and historians to compile and preserve the living and written records of those from the Commonwealth who served in the Second World War.

Among the signatories of the open letter is former Chancellor Sajid Javid who said: "Nobody told me, growing up as a Pakistani-background kid, about the million soldiers who fought for Britain in Second World War, and looked like me.”

Lord Dannatt said the contribution of Commonwealth countries’ soldiers had been critical in the Second World War in forces like the multinational British Fourteenth army (the so-called 'forgotten army') under Lt-General William Slim which retook Burma from the Japanese.

Formed in 1943 in eastern India, it was by 1945 the largest army in the Commonwealth, with about a million men under command.

Lord Dannatt said Britain owed a debt of gratitude for the service of Commonwealth soldiers which comprised most of the 44 different nations under his command when he led the army.

“We have continued to enjoy the comradeship and support of the Commonwealth to this day and that is very, very important,” he said.

“It does a lot for diversity in our ranks when recruiting from British-based ethnic minorities has been difficult.”

The cross-party Remember Together campaign is backed by actors Adrian Lester and Meera Syal, Baroness Warsi, former Tory party chair, West Midlands mayor Andy Street and his Labour challenger Liam Byrne, and MPs including Dan Jarvis, a former paratrooper, Naz Shah, Andrew Murrison and Stuart McDonald.

The letter said there needed to be “better education, commemoration and documentation” of the role of Commonwealth soldiers, adding that “more should be done to highlight the role of soldiers from across the Commonwealth, ensuring Remembrance activity is truly inclusive.”

Shadow justice secretary David Lammy said: “Every child grows up learning about the Second World War in school, but the stories of the black and brown soldiers who helped defeat the Nazis have long been missing from their textbooks.”

Two Second World War veterans have signed the letter. One is Jamaican-born Allan Wilmot, 95, who joined the Royal Navy from college in 1941 and served on a patrol ship escorting minesweepers and rescuing survivors in the west Indies.

The other is Pakistan-born Muhammad Hussain, aged 96, who joined the British-Indian Army in 1941 and was part of the 6th DCO Lancers fighting in Italy at the battle of Monte Cassino, one of the largest and most brutal battles of the Second World War.

New polling of 2,000 people for the think tank British Future found 78 per cent believed doing more to recognise the Commonwealth contribution in Second World War would be a positive way to promote understanding of the shared history of today's multi-ethnic Britain.

The sentiment was felt equally by white Britons (78 per cent) and ethnic minority Britons too (76 per cent). Just three per cent disagreed.

Sunder Katwala, director of British Future, said: “Awareness of the service and sacrifice of black and Asian troops in the Second World War is growing, but more still needs to be done to teach and commemorate this contribution.

"Getting that right is key to making Remembrance Sunday a moment that is meaningful to people of all backgrounds in Britain today.”