Between 1933 and 1941, fifteen indigenous naval forces were raised in Britain's colonies, protectorates and mandate territories, and fought for the Empire during the Second World War. Though barely receiving a footnote within the existing historiography, if examined beyond naval strategy and more in relation to the cultural turn, they provide an important new lens for understanding imperial power and colonial relations at the twilight of the British Empire.
Through a transnational and comparative analysis of 'official' and 'subaltern' sources in the United Kingdom, the Caribbean, East...