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#thread #armedforcesweek Reading to Remember Black British Troops: In the1790s the British Army was the single largest purchaser of slaves in the West Indies, with over 6000 people being bought for immediate military service from 1798-1806.
Free black Britons were also recruited to army & navy, but mostly restricted to the lower ranks. They were also not eligible for support or compensation. In London it was not unusual to see poor, black ex-servicemen trying to scrape a living on the streets.
One of these was Joseph Johnson, who was wounded in service, but not entitled to compensation from Greenwich. He was locally known for earning a few pennies singing patriotic songs with a model of a sailing ship attached to his hat.
