When you think of the soldiers who fought for Britain and the Allies in the Second World War, you might picture young lads from Morecambe or officers who attended Sandhurst. But you might not consider someone from the coast of East Africa who speaks Swahili, or a Hindustani-speaking person from what is now South Asia.

In this episode of On the Record, host Chloe Lee speaks with Iqbal Singh and Liz Haines, specialists at The National Archives, and writer Sharmila Chauhan. Together, they delve into a unique collection of records about soldiers recruited from Britain’s colonies, exploring everything from the speeches of British commanders in Hindustani to powerful artworks designed to portray fighting for the British Empire as the only moral choice.

For a transcript and information about the documents used in this episode visit our show notes: https://bit.ly/SwwLLD

In this episode of On the Record, we take focus on the lesser-told history of the colonial troops, from East Africa and India, that fought for Britain during the Second World War.

Shortly after midnight on Tuesday, June 6, 1944, 24,000 soldiers landed on the beaches of Normandy in Northern France. What followed was the largest seaborne invasion in history. Their mission: to liberate Europe and defeat Germany. Who were these soldiers? And who worked secretly to plan the operation and ensure its success?

In this episode, Chloe Lee speaks to colleagues Sophie Stewart and Alice Bell about the people who contributed to this operation, whose stories we may not be familiar with: a tank driver on the frontline, one of the first black women in the Royal Air Force, and a femme fatale whose coded telegram saved many lives on D-Day.

For a transcript and information about the documents used in this episode visit our show notes: https://bit.ly/D-Day1