Memorial to African and Caribbean Soldiers Unveiled in London

A memorial in honour of the African and Caribbean soldiers who fought in World Wars I and II has been unveiled in London.

The sculpture, located in Windrush Square, Brixton, is formed of two six-foot (1.8m)-long obelisks, with a combined weight of just under five tonnes. It was on display at the Black Cultural Archives in Brixton in 2014.

High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (UK), Seth Ramocan, who laid a special wreath on behalf of the Government of Jamaica at the recent unveiling ceremony, said the memorial was “a fitting tribute to the brave men and women from Africa and the Caribbean who valiantly fought in the First and Second World Wars.”

An estimated two million Afro-Caribbean soldiers fought in both wars.

Jamaican-born Allan Wilmott, who served in the Royal Navy in WWII, said he did not dream he would be around to “see anything like this happen”.

“Nothing was done to make the contribution made by the African and West Indian service men known,” the 92-year-old said.

Participants at the ceremony included Defence Secretary, Michael Fallon; Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan; other British, African and Caribbean officials as well as members of the Caribbean diaspora in the UK.

High Commissioner Ramocan was accompanied at the ceremony by Colonel Kirk Johnson of the Jamaica Defence Force.