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The World's War

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The World's War

By: David Olusoga
Narrated by: Nigel Carrington
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About this listen

A unique account of the millions of colonial troops who fought in the First World War.

Every major battle fought on the Western Front, from the First Battle of Ypres to the Second Battle of the Marne, was fought by Allied armies that were multi-racial and multi-ethnic.

Yet from the moment the guns fell silent the role of non-white soldiers was forgotten. The World's War brings to life the searing experiences of the hundreds of thousands of non-white troops whose bravery contributed to the final Allied victory.

©2014 David Olusoga (P)2014 W F Howes Ltd 20th Century Europe Military Modern World War Imperialism Middle Ages Interwar Period Africa Latin American Submarine United Kingdom Social justice Middle East Self-Determination
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I’m consider myself to be quite well read when it comes to the First World War - but after this I know I’m not.

Full of amazing facts and detail lost over the years particularly around the importance of non-European colonial soldiers, conscripts and labourers amongst other, this book contains a wealth of knowledge that blew me away.

I really had no idea just how much this affected so many other continents, particularly the damage it wrought on Africa.

I’ll be seeking more books by this excellent author - absolutely brilliant reading.

An unknown history….

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Really quite in depth and covers a lot of ground! An important part of recent history that is often overlooked. Masterfully read though some bits are certainly heavy going. an enjoyable and educational read nonetheless.

Fascinating

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Can't begin to say how eye opening this book is. I have in the past whined about the 'inaccuracy' of seeing non-white faces in historical dramas, well I was speaking from ignorance, and I'm sorry for it.

Here is the history of the part played by all sorts of people from all over the world in the first world war, extensive and well researched, as well as the utterly shameful history of the erasure from history of their service and the ingratitude of authorities and the nations they fought for.

It's as enthralling and fascinating as it is appalling and amazing.

For those like me educated in the eighties under what now seems to have been a tissue of lies and propaganda, I also recommend Olusoga's other book Black and British, also excellent fascinating and heart-rending.

Revealing and rich.

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Great knowledge that was shared in this book and found it really good to listen too.

Review

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Such a joy to have a book of such scope read with such clarity and ingenuity. Every voice and accent is subtly and gently given to easily differentiate the voice of the author from the racial, cultural and class multitude who are quoted. Not only will this have me look out for more written by David Olusoga, it will also see me keeping an eye on narrations by Nigel Carrington.

Brilliantly informative and engaging

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