What if you fought bravely in a war, crossed oceans, survived impossible conditions, and helped win a global victory, only to come home and have history forget your name entirely? That is exactly what happened to millions of African soldiers who served in both World War I and World War II. They wore uniforms, followed orders, carried rifles, and gave their lives on the front lines, yet their stories were left out of the textbooks, the monuments, and the movies. It is time to change that, because these men and women were not footnotes. They were heroes.
Africa's Massive Contribution to the World Wars
The scale of Africa's involvement in both world wars is staggering and rarely discussed in classrooms. During World War I alone, more than two million Africans served as soldiers or laborers for European colonial powers. France recruited heavily from Senegal, bringing in the famous Tirailleurs Sénégalais, a force that would eventually number over 600,000 men across both wars. Britain pulled soldiers from Nigeria, the Gold Coast (modern Ghana), South Africa, East Africa, and beyond. These were not volunteers in the traditional sense. Many were conscripted, meaning they had no choice in the matter.
British officers inspecting Nigerian recruits. Image By J.HohneÂ
In World War II, the numbers grew even larger. Over one million Africans served under the British alone, fighting across North Africa, East Africa, the Middle East, and even Southeast Asia. They helped defeat Rommel in the Western Desert. They fought ferociously in the Burma Campaign. They were essential, and yet when the victory parades happened in London and Paris, African soldiers were quietly pushed to the back or removed altogether. If you want to help kids understand the broader sweep of African history and why so much of it goes untold, that context matters deeply.
The Tirailleurs Sénégalais: France's Forgotten Fighters
The Tirailleurs Sénégalais are one of the most extraordinary military forces in modern history. Originally formed in 1857, they fought in both World Wars, showing courage that awed even their commanding officers. During World War I, they suffered devastating casualties on the Western Front in France, charging into the same trenches and artillery fire as their European counterparts. They were awarded medals. They were praised in dispatches. And then they were almost entirely erased from French national memory.
One of the most painful chapters for this force came at the end of World War II. In 1944, around 1,200 Senegalese veterans were camped at Thiaroye, near Dakar, waiting for the back pay the French government owed them. When they demanded what they had earned, French troops opened fire. Dozens were killed. The massacre at Thiaroye is barely mentioned in mainstream histories, but it speaks volumes about how African soldiers were treated after giving everything for a country that was not even their own. These are the kinds of African heroes and heroines that every family and classroom should know about.
A Tirailleurs Sénégalais.
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🌟 FUN FACT FOR KIDS: During World War I, African soldiers from Senegal were nicknamed "La Force Noire" (The Black Force) by the French military. A French general wrote an entire book about how essential they were to France's survival in the war, yet their names rarely appear in popular history books today!
East Africa: The Campaign That Never Ended
While the trenches of France get most of the attention, one of the strangest and most grueling campaigns of World War I happened in East Africa. German colonial forces, led by General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, used a guerrilla strategy that tied down enormous numbers of British and South African troops for the entire duration of the war. But here is what most people miss: the vast majority of soldiers on both sides were African. The German askari soldiers and the British carrier corps, known as the Carrier Corps, were almost entirely local East Africans.
The Carrier Corps is a heartbreaking story. Over one million East Africans were recruited or forced to carry supplies across brutal terrain, through jungle, heat, and disease. Hundreds of thousands died, mostly from illness, not combat. They had no weapons to defend themselves and received little recognition. Their contribution made the entire East African campaign possible, yet you will find almost no statues, no national holidays, and no children's books about them. Their sacrifice deserves a place alongside every other story of legendary African warriors and military figures that we celebrate today.
Women Behind the Lines, and Sometimes in Front
African women played critical roles in both world wars too, even if those roles looked different from the battlefield. Women across sub-Saharan Africa carried supplies, served as nurses, and kept communities and economies running while men were conscripted away. In some regions, women organized resistance against colonial recruitment drives that were tearing families apart. Their leadership in this period echoes the long tradition of African queens and women leaders who had always stepped up in times of crisis.
South Africa had a particularly complicated story. The Native Military Corps, made up of Black South African men, was barred from carrying weapons due to apartheid-era racist policies, yet these men served as drivers, builders, and laborers under fire. One of the most tragic moments came when the troopship Mendi sank in 1917, killing over 600 South African Native Labour Corps soldiers. Before they died, the men reportedly danced together on the deck in a final act of dignity. It is a story of courage that should be as widely known as any act of heroism from the Western Front. You can even explore our free Nelson Mandela worksheet to bring South African history to life for your kids alongside this story.
Mendi memorial plaque at Newtimber church. By MumphingSquirrel
Teaching These Stories to Kids: Why It Matters
When children only learn about World War I and II from a European perspective, they get half a story. They grow up thinking Africa was a passive backdrop to global events, rather than an active contributor to them. Teaching kids about the Tirailleurs, the Carrier Corps, and the soldiers of the Mendi helps them understand that African people have always been present in world history, shaping outcomes, sacrificing lives, and fighting for values they believed in. That is a powerful and necessary message. You can deepen that learning with resources from our kid-friendly African history resources guide.
History is not just about who fought. It is about who gets remembered. When we actively choose to teach these forgotten stories, we give children a more honest, richer, and more complete picture of the world. Pair these conversations with books like our Sunjata of the Mande Empire picture book to show kids that African courage and leadership stretch across every era of history, from ancient kingdoms to modern conflicts. For even more African history across a full school year, the African History Workbook gives you a 40-week curriculum that keeps the whole story moving forward. You can find even more starting points at our-ancestories.com, where we are always adding new books, worksheets, and resources to help you celebrate African history with pride.
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