Globalisation

The First World War was fought almost exclusively in Europe. The theatre of operations stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean. Yet the troops engaged in action in the battlefield came from every part of the world. The colonial troops of France and the United Kingdom took part in the battles. From 1914, Algerian and Senegalese riflemen and Moroccan Spahis suffered the very harshest combat conditions. In Ypres, the Algerian riflemen, together with French units from Brittany and Normandy, came under the first poison gas attack of the War. Senegalese riflemen were often used to guard and transport German prisoners, to the great outrage of the Germans who saw this as a kind of humiliation. Malagasy troops were deployed around Dunkirk, tasked with carrying out earthworks and handling operations. With the installation of the British Expeditionary Corps, soldiers from across the British Empire fought in the Nord Department: Indians at Neuve-Chapelle, Australians at Fromelles, New Zealanders at Cambrai. Many Chinese labourers worked behind the lines. During the preparations for the Battle of Cambrai in 1917, they were tasked with making the bundles of wood that were attached to the fronts of tanks. These were tipped into enemy trenches to enable motor vehicles to cross them. Russian and Portuguese nationals were also present in the region. We should not forget the small number of Austrian forces active in 1914 at Valenciennes.