Description:The outbreak of war brought dramatic changes for black and Asian people in Britain and the Commonwealth. One and a half million volunteers came forward from the Indian subcontinent. Thousands of black soldiers from the West Indies and Africa would also sacrifice their lives.
In Britain, the black and Asian community was transformed by the domestic impact of the war. The rare photographs shown here reveal a ‘hidden’ story about Birmingham’s cultural landscape at the time. Visible in this image is a black volunteer named ‘F. Johnson’. Little is known about this gentleman.
As part of the ‘Small Heath Defense Corps.’ Johnson would have helped guard munitions and form a last line of defense against the threat of a German ‘invasion’. Once the war ended, he and many other black and Asian people were often confronted by social prejudice, despite their vital contribution to campaigns.
Birmingham Scrapbook Vol.10, p257