Ian Hislop explores the compelling and poignant stories of soldiers from across the British Empire during the First World War.
Two and a half million soldiers from Asia and Africa; from the Dominions of Canada, Australia and New Zealand; from Ireland and from the West Indies fought alongside the British 'Tommy'. Nearly a quarter of a million lost their lives for King and Empire.
Ian uses war memorials to inspire his search for soldiers' stories. He visits battlefields on the Western Front and searches for evidence in local archives, war diaries and contemporary newspapers.
Ian meets descendents of soldiers from diverse parts of the Empire: from India, Jamaica, Ireland and Canada. He discovers the soldiers' reasons for joining up, how they were treated by their comrades and superiors, and how their service affected the Empire and even helped shape emerging national identities.
Some were shamefully exploited, some celebrated and honoured, many nearly forgotten. Of all of these Soldiers of Empire, Ian asks: 'Should they have fought for us?' He reveals that, in fact, they were 'us'.
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