Mary Seacole and the Common Soldier in the Crimea

by UKNIWM office volunteer Richard Graham
The National Portrait Gallery has recently acquired a portrait  of this celebrated nurse who, though rebuffed by Florence Nightingale, made her own way to the Crimea to assist the British soldiers. She was one of a number of civilians who, like Miss Nightingale, seem to have distinguished themselves far more [...]

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Major Peirson is Avenged

One of the most striking paintings, and one of the largest, in Tate Britain is ‘The death of Major Peirson, 6 January 1781′ by John Singleton Copley (1737-1815). When the picture was exhibited in London in 1784 a brochure given to visitors explained the circumstances that caused the death of Major Francis Peirson:
           ‘A body [...]

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Nelson’s sharpshooter

This bronze frieze from the base of Nelson’s Column depicts the Admiral’s death at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.  On the far left can be seen a black sailor holding a rifle.
At the time of the battle of Trafalgar, HMS Victory was crewed by men from many different countries, including Britain, India, America, the West Indies, Malta, Italy and Africa.
Black sailors have been [...]

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Walter Tull

Walter Tull was one of Britain’s first black professional footballers and the first black army officer.  Walter, the grandson of a slave, had been sent to an orphanage as a child when his widowed stepmother couldn’t cope.  After a spell as an apprentice printer, Walter took up professional football with Tottenham Hotspur.  He later transfered to Northampton [...]

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Million citizens of the British Empire

October is Black History Month and throughout this month we’ll be looking at some of the war memorials around the UK that commemorate the contribution of Africans and Caribbeans.
Unveiled shortly after the First World War in Westminster Abbey, is a memorial tablet and a wooden triptych to the million citizens of the British Empire who died during the war.
The triptych [...]

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