Distant Drums reveals how colonies were central to the defence of
the British Empire and the command of the oceans that underpinned
it. It blends sweeping overviews of the nature of imperial defence
with grass-roots explanations of how individual colonies were
mobilized for war, drawing on the author's specialist knowledge of
the Indian Ocean and colonies such as Bechuanaland, Ceylon,
Mauritius, and Swaziland. This permits the full and dramatic range
of action involved in imperial warfare - from policy-makers and
military planners in Whitehall to chiefs recruiting soldiers in
African villages - to be viewed as part of an interconnected whole.
... After examining the martial reasons for acquiring colonies,
Distant Drums considers the colonial role in the First World War.
It then turns to the Second World War, documenting the recruitment
of colonial soldiers, their manifold roles in British military
formations, and the impact of war upon colonial home fronts. It
reveals the problems associated with the use of colonial troops far
from home, and the networks used to achieve the mobilization of a
global empire, such as those formed by colonial governors and
regional naval commanders. ... Distant Drums is an important
contribution to our understanding of the role of British colonies
in twentieth-century warfare. The defence of empire has
traditionally been associated with the military endeavours of
Britain and the 'white' Dominions, with the Indian Army sometimes
in the background. This book champions the crucial role played by
the other parts of the British Empire - the sixty or so colonies
spread across the globe - in delivering victory during the world
wars of the twentieth century.
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