Historycal Roots

If you are planning to be in London on Sunday, 8th March, I would be delighted to see you at the launch of my book about the men of the British West Indies Regiment who spent time at the training camp in Seaford, Sussex. Nineteen of them died at the camp and are commemorated at a cemetery in the town. But over 1,500 men from the Caribbean left Seaford in January 1916 and served in Egypt, Palestine, East Africa and Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq). There will be an Eventbrite link shortly, stay tuned!

A date for your diary, 8th March book launch Who is this man, and why will I be talking about him at the Black Cultural Archives on Sunday, 8th March? To find out, join me for the book launch of: The British West Indies Regiment: Black Soldiers at Seaford and Beyond. The event will be held at the Black Cultural Archives, Windrush S

Our book ‘The British West Indies Regiment - Black Soldiers at Seaford and Beyond’ is now available from Amazon or can be ordered through any good bookstore. The contribution of Black soldiers during World War One is often overlooked but this book starts to set the record straight, debunking myths and commemorating the men who served.

Just in time for Christmas!

We are currently proofreading our book about the British West Indies Regiment. The contribution of Black soldiers from the Caribbean region during World War One is often sadly overlooked, something we aim to put right. Coming soon!

https://www.historycalroots.com/at-the-eleventh-hour-on-the-eleventh-day-of-the-eleventh-month-we-will-remember-them/

At the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month – we will remember them Today is a day for quiet reflection as we honour the sacrifices of all members of the armed forces who have died in the line of duty in all conflicts and wars since those who laid down their lives in the First World War. This is the day in 1918 when the guns fell silent on the Western Front after mo

Black History Month (October 2025) may be coming to a close but we have several new articles for you to enjoy. And, for us, every month is Black History Month so the next one (November 2025) is only days away!

New articles - Black History Month 2025 We have new articles this month from regular contributors, John Ellis and Audrey Dewjee. The fact we are in Black History Month is purely coincidental, at Historycal Roots, every month is Black History Month! John tells us of three more Black soldiers in World War One. I know that John was

Today, 15th August, is the 150th anniversary of the birth of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. A superstar of the classical music world in the early years of the 20th century, his music fell out of fashion for several decades. Recently he has come back strongly and works by him regularly feature in concert programmes (his music features twice in this year's BBC Prom concerts). The attached article talks about his connection with the Three Choirs Festival and a recent recital in Hereford Cathedral:

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor at the Three Choirs Festival We don't write about Samuel Coleridge-Taylor as often as we should, he featured in one of our first posts (in 2016) and a few since, but he was one of our main inspirations when we started Historycal Roots and we welcome any excuse to write about him again. Although he has never been 'hidden history

We were so sad to hear that Ray Costello has died after a long illness. Ray was an absolute hero of ours and we have published two tributes to him on the Historycal Roots website:

https://www.historycalroots.com/ray-costello-historian-author-friend-1945-2025/

https://www.historycalroots.com/in-memory-of-dr-ray-costello-1945-2025/

R.I.P.

Happy 100th birthday to RAF veteran Jake Jacob:

https://www.historycalroots.com/jake-jacob-at-100/

A free event celebrating the life of Benjamin Zephaniah at Brunel University tomorrow:

Festival of Rhythm, Unity and Revolution Honouring Benjamin Zephaniah Join us for an unforgettable celebration of art, poetry, music and more, as we honour the life and legacy of the late Benjamin Zephaniah

John Ellis continues to draw attention to the Black presence in Britain before the Windrush with three new articles for Historycal Roots:

More evidence of the Black presence in Britain before the Windrush There are many ways we can demonstrate the pre-Windrush Black presence in Britain, regular contributor, John Ellis, shows three of them in a series of articles just published on this site. The criminal justice system An increasing number of historic records from the criminal justice system are bei

I am pleased to introduce two new articles on the Historycal Roots website, they illustrate the diversity of Black British history in microcosm.

First, John Ellis introduces us to 'Black Troop', the 11th (Prince Albert's Own) Hussars 1815-1838. Although the 'Black' refers to the colour of their horses, John has identified three Black soldiers within their ranks:

https://www.historycalroots.com/black-troop-the-black-soldiers-of-the-11th-prince-alberts-own-hussars-1815-1838/

Second, leaping forward to the 20th century, Audrey Dewjee continues to shine a light on the presence of Black women in the ATS during World War 2, naming 157 women who served their country in this way:

https://www.historycalroots.com/caribbean-women-in-the-ats-from-mid-1943-onwards/

Caribbean Women in the ATS from mid-1943 onwards By Audrey Dewjee 31st January 2025 This article aims to bring together published information abosut the groups of women from the Caribbean region who came to Britain to serve in the ATS in World War 2, after the

Churchyards across the country have many stories they could tell. St. Cuthbert's in Darlington is the final resting place of Thomas Crawford. Thomas was born in Africa (Guinea) in about 1772 he served in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars before settling in the north-east of England. He was laid to rest on 27th February 1836. Thanks to the efforts of John Ellis and the late Sean Creighton, Thomas is not entirely forgotten. You can read his story here:

https://www.historycalroots.com/trumpeter-thomas-crawford-of-the-4th-dragoons/