This book highlights the pivotal role of the Caribbean in the Second World War. Without the contribution of Caribbean territories to the Allied war effort in the form of raw materials and personnel, the fate of Britain’s struggle to avoid German invasion would have been uncertain, and an Allied victory significantly delayed. In turn, the conditions created by the Second World War facilitated the Caribbean’s struggle for independence from its colonial rulers, and set in motion a new flow of migration to postwar Britain that has shaped Black British history since. The Caribbean and the Second World War situates the tense relationship between the Caribbean and its colonial powers in a longer historical context. Drawing on hundreds of archival files and first-hand interviews, Douglas uncovers British racism and the colour bar in the armed forces before, during and after the war. He illustrates how the war directly affected the Caribbean through U-boat attacks, rationing and increased US army presence, as well as exploring the role of West Indians in the RAF, army and naval services. In the postwar period, he traces the link between West Indian military service and the rise in Caribbean migration to a Britain in need of rebuilding.
