Historycal Roots

18/07/2026

Perhaps, like me, you have never heard of Joseph Almaze, a Black man in 18th-century London. Along with contemporaries like Olaudah Equiano and Ottobah Cugaono he was one of those who raised his voice in Britain against slavery. I think we should all know about him and fortunately, thanks to an important new article by Audrey Dewjee, we can hear his story:

By Audrey Dewjee (15th July 2026) I first came across the name of Joseph Almaze when I was reading Folarin Shyllon’s Black People in Britain 1555-1833, sometime in the latter half of the 1970s.Folarin Shyllon, Black People in Britain 1555-1833, published for The Institute of Race Relati

24/06/2026

We celebrate the centenary of Mona Baptiste’s birth with a new film about her life:

Mona Baptiste, passenger No.7 on the historic voyage of the Empire Windrush from the Caribbean to England in 1948, was born on 21st June 1926. We celebrate the centenary of her birth with a short film that tells how she came to be on board the Windrush and what became of her after the ship docked at

24/02/2026

If you are planning to be in London on Sunday, 8th March, I would be delighted to see you at the launch of my book about the men of the British West Indies Regiment who spent time at the training camp in Seaford, Sussex. Nineteen of them died at the camp and are commemorated at a cemetery in the town. But over 1,500 men from the Caribbean left Seaford in January 1916 and served in Egypt, Palestine, East Africa and Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq). There will be an Eventbrite link shortly, stay tuned!

Who is this man, and why will I be talking about him at the Black Cultural Archives on Sunday, 8th March? To find out, join me for the book launch of: The British West Indies Regiment: Black Soldiers at Seaford and Beyond. The event will be held at the Black Cultural Archives, Windrush S

17/12/2025

Our book ‘The British West Indies Regiment - Black Soldiers at Seaford and Beyond’ is now available from Amazon or can be ordered through any good bookstore. The contribution of Black soldiers during World War One is often overlooked but this book starts to set the record straight, debunking myths and commemorating the men who served.

Just in time for Christmas!

11/11/2025

We are currently proofreading our book about the British West Indies Regiment. The contribution of Black soldiers from the Caribbean region during World War One is often sadly overlooked, something we aim to put right. Coming soon!

11/11/2025

https://www.historycalroots.com/at-the-eleventh-hour-on-the-eleventh-day-of-the-eleventh-month-we-will-remember-them/

Today is a day for quiet reflection as we honour the sacrifices of all members of the armed forces who have died in the line of duty in all conflicts and wars since those who laid down their lives in the First World War. This is the day in 1918 when the guns fell silent on the Western Front after mo

24/10/2025

Black History Month (October 2025) may be coming to a close but we have several new articles for you to enjoy. And, for us, every month is Black History Month so the next one (November 2025) is only days away!

We have new articles this month from regular contributors, John Ellis and Audrey Dewjee. The fact we are in Black History Month is purely coincidental, at Historycal Roots, every month is Black History Month! John tells us of three more Black soldiers in World War One. I know that John was

14/08/2025

Today, 15th August, is the 150th anniversary of the birth of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. A superstar of the classical music world in the early years of the 20th century, his music fell out of fashion for several decades. Recently he has come back strongly and works by him regularly feature in concert programmes (his music features twice in this year's BBC Prom concerts). The attached article talks about his connection with the Three Choirs Festival and a recent recital in Hereford Cathedral:

We don't write about Samuel Coleridge-Taylor as often as we should, he featured in one of our first posts (in 2016) and a few since, but he was one of our main inspirations when we started Historycal Roots and we welcome any excuse to write about him again. Although he has never been 'hidden history

17/07/2025

We were so sad to hear that Ray Costello has died after a long illness. Ray was an absolute hero of ours and we have published two tributes to him on the Historycal Roots website:

https://www.historycalroots.com/ray-costello-historian-author-friend-1945-2025/

https://www.historycalroots.com/in-memory-of-dr-ray-costello-1945-2025/

R.I.P.

09/07/2025

Happy 100th birthday to RAF veteran Jake Jacob:

https://www.historycalroots.com/jake-jacob-at-100/