Moroccan troops in Marseille. (Source unknown)
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African TroopsHere are some images of African troops in WW1. These images are sourced from books and across the internet. Where the sources are known they are included. The images are intended to support the learning and research of the Hikmat Group.
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During the First World War the majority of the combatant nations drew on the manpower and resources of their various colonial territories and holdings. Between them the Entente powers deployed approximately 650,000 colonial soldiers on the Western Front alone. France had one of the most expansive empires in Europe and had long cultivated colonial units which on the outbreak of war were called to mainland France. Troops from Asia, North Africa and the Indian Ocean served on the Western Front. Below are estimates of the number of colonial troops to fight for France during the war:
West Africans 170,000. Algerians 170,000. Indochina 49,000. Tunisians 60,000. Madagascans 46,000. Moroccans 37,000
West Africans 170,000. Algerians 170,000. Indochina 49,000. Tunisians 60,000. Madagascans 46,000. Moroccans 37,000
Algerian troopsSource French National Archives (culture.gouv.fr
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South AfricanThe South African Brigade was comprised of white soldiers only,
Black South African citizens went to France as the South African Native Labour Contingent. (right) These South African soldiers were photographed at the Somme during December 1916. Source © IWM (Q 1713) (below) South African Native Labour Contingent digging sand on the Western Front. 
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