Lesson video

Hi, I'm Ms. Miah.

Thank you so much for joining me in this lesson today.

In this lesson, you will be able to explain the contribution of colonial troops to the First World War and that war was fought across the British Empire.

Your keywords are on the screen now, and you can write them down if you'd like to.

So we've got empire, colony, siege.

Great, let's find out what these keywords mean.

An empire is a group of countries or provinces ruled from another country by one person or a group of people.

A colony is a country or area under the control of another country and occupied by settlers from that country.

A siege is a military operation in which an army forces an area to surrender by cutting off access to essential supplies.

So those are our keywords for this lesson.

Let's see if we can also use them in our writing.

Great, let's move on.

So this lesson is all about the First World War in the colonies.

We've got three lesson cycles today, and our first lesson cycle is to do with the First Battle of Garoua in 1914.

We're then going to be looking at the siege of Tsingtao in 1914.

And then lastly, we'll be looking at the East Africa Campaign from 1914 to 1918.

I'm super excited about this lesson.

I hope you are too.

Let's begin.

So on the left, we have a map showing Germany and German colonies in 1914.

Each empire needed the help of their colonies to win the war.

Any colony was vulnerable to attack if one empire wanted to weaken another.

Although World War I was declared between European powers, it would have significant consequences for their colonies across the world.

Each European power needed the contributions of their colonies if they hoped to win the war, their money, their laborers, their troops, and their resources.

This meant that the colonies would also become vulnerable to attack if one empire wanted to weaken another.

German West Africa was an easy target as they held two poorly defended colonies, Togoland and Kamerun, the modern-day independent nations of Togo and Cameroon.

Over to you.

Why did empires target each others' colonies in World War I?

Is it because A, empires each needed their colonies to support their war effort, B, empires each needed more colonies that were rich in gold and oil, or C, empires did not target each others' colonies in World War I?

What do you think?

You can pause the video here and click play when you've got the answer.

So what did you get?

If you got A, you are correct.

Empires each needed their colonies to support their war effort.

Well done.

Let's move on.

Here's an image of local West African and British troops in the German West Africa.

Only three days after Britain declared war on Germany, the Gold Coast Regiment, a British colonial force from what is now Ghana, was sent to invade German Togoland.

With little resistance, Togoland was quickly taken by the British forces, whose attention now turned to the German colony of Kamerun.

Kamerun was defended by 1,000 German troops and 3,000 locally recruited troops.

The British forces were made up of troops from the colony of Nigeria and the Gold Coast Regiment, and were later joined by troops from British India.

The British forces outnumbered the German troops, and so they expected another easy victory.

When the British forces joined the French to take the German fort of Garoua in Kamerun, they were shocked when the German forces recaptured their fort and killed a British officer.

After learning from their past mistakes, they launched another attack and successfully took control of the port.

The battle for German Kamerun would continue for another two years, with small German forces putting up resistance.

But in February 1916, the last surviving German post surrendered, bringing an end to German Kamerun.

With no colonies left in West Africa, Germany was severely weakened.

This significant turning point in the war would not have been possible without the contributions of the soldiers from colonial Nigeria and the Gold Coast colony.

Over to you.

Which of the following was not a colony in German West Africa?

Is it A, Gold Coast, B, Togoland, or C, Kamerun?

You can pause the video here and click play when you're ready to continue.

So what did you get?

If you got A, Gold Coast, well done.

Let's move on.

Onto our task.

I'd like you to write a short account of the First Battle of Garoua in 1914.

Make sure to include the following terms: Togoland, Kamerun, fort, resistance, surrender.

You can pause the video here and click play when you're ready to continue.

So how did that go?

Here is a model answer, let's read it together: After German Togoland surrendered, the British forces, made up of troops from the Gold Coast and Nigerian colonies, looked to take control of the German colony of Kamerun as well.

Even though the 4,000 troops defending Kamerun were greatly outnumbered by the British army, they were able to recapture the fort.

After nearly two years of resistance, the German army eventually surrendered in February 1916.

Well done if you managed to include some of those key points and for completing this task.

Let's move on.

Now we'll be looking at the siege of Tsingtao in 1914.

Let's begin.

So here is the German colony of Qingdao, China.

Before the war broke out, Germany had colonies across the world, some larger than others.

One of their smaller but important colonies was the city of Qingdao in China.

The city would soon become another battle site for World War I as Japan, an ally of Britain since 1902, saw an opportunity to expand their empire in the name of supporting an ally.

Here we have a photo of British and Indian soldiers supporting Japanese soldiers in capturing Germany's naval base at Tsingtao in China.

On 23rd August, 1914, Japan declared war on Germany.

In only eight days, a force of 20,000 Japanese troops were ready to begin a siege of the port of Tsingtao in Qingdao.

They were not alone.

The British had sent a force of 1,500 Welsh and Indian soldiers to fight alongside the Japanese.

Although they were completely outnumbered, the German forces held out until 7th November, 1914, when they surrendered and handed over control of the port to the Japanese.

Over to you.

Japan led the siege of Tsingtao as it provided them with an opportunity.

Is this true or is this false?

You can pause the video here and click play when you're ready to continue.

So what did you get?

If you got true, well done.

I'd now like you to justify your answer.

Is it because A, the siege allowed Japan to expand their empire, or B, the siege allowed them to help expand the British Empire?

What do you think?

You can pause the video here and click play once you've got the answer.

So what did you get?

If you got A, you are correct.

The siege allowed Japan to expand their empire.

Let's move on.

Back to you again.

Which two of these statements best describe why the siege of Tsingtao was important in World War I?

Is it A, it meant Japan joined the World War, B, it meant Japan became less powerful, C, it meant the German navy lost an important port in Asia, or D, it meant Japanese troops came to fight on the Western Front?

What do you think?

You can pause the video here and click play when you're ready to continue.

So what did you get?

If you got A and C, you are correct.

Let's move on.

Task B, I'd like you to explain how the siege of Tsingtao brought Japan into World War I.

So how did that go?

Well, you may have written something like this: Although Japan was not part of the Triple Entente, they were an ally of Britain.

This meant that when Britain wanted to attack Germany's colony in China, Japan offered their support.

However, Japan were also willing to get involved in the war as it provided an opportunity for them to take control of land in China to expand their empire.

This meant that when Japan offered their support in the siege of Tsingtao, they were brought into World War I.

Well done if you managed to include some of those key points and for completing the task.

Let's move on.

Lesson cycle 3, "The East Africa Campaign, 1914-1918.

" Let's begin.

So here we can see German East Africa.

From the late 1800s, Germany not only controlled parts of China, but they also had colonies across Africa.

South African troops had fought for the British army and forced the German army in southwest Africa to surrender by the summer of 1915.

But from 1914 to 1918, over 125,000 troops from across the British Empire were used to try and force the German army in East Africa to surrender, an army made up of only 25,000 men.

Here we can see local East African troops fighting for Britain in the East Africa Campaign.

The conditions were brutal.

In 1918, a group of locally recruited East African troops marched 1,600 miles over four months, crossing 29 large rivers, fighting at least 30 battles.

The East Africa Campaign was different from the Western Front.

There were no battles on the same scale as the battles at Ypres or the Somme, which went on for months.

However, there were still many moments that were just as fatal.

For example, it is estimated that up to half of the 5,000 men who fought in the Battle of Mahiwa, Nyangao, were killed in the four days of fighting.

These 5,000 troops were soldiers from the Nigerian Brigade, local East African recruits, and one regiment from British India.

Although the campaign successfully weakened the German forces, it came at a cost.

According to official records, over 105,000 colonial troops lost their lives fighting for the British against German East Africa.

More than 45,000 of these troops were from modern-day Kenya.

That was about one in every eight men in that region.

It wasn't just the troops that suffered; around 300,000 civilians in East Africa also died as a direct result of World War I.

Over to you.

Which of the following statements about the East Africa Campaign is true?

Is it A, the battles were similar to the battles on the Western Front in conditions and number of losses, B, the conditions were similar to the Western Front but there were fewer losses of men, or C, the conditions were different from the Western Front but the number of losses were also very high.

What do you think?

You can pause the video here and click play once you've got the answer.

So how did that go?

Well, you should have got C.

The conditions were different from the Western Front, but the number of losses were also very high.

Let's move on.

Task C, 1.

"The East Africa Campaign lasted for two years but had little impact on the war or on East Africa itself.

" This is an incorrect statement.

Correct the statement by rewriting it using what we have learned.

So how did that go?

Here's a model answer: The East Africa Campaign lasted for four years and had a significant impact on World War I and on East Africa itself.

2, "The East Africa Campaign lasted for four years and had a significant impact on World War I and on East Africa itself.

" I'd like you to write a paragraph in support of this statement.

Make sure to include the following details: weakened German army, 105,000 troops, colony of Kenya, 300,000 civilians.

You can pause the video here and click play when you're ready to continue.

So how did that go?

Well, here's a model answer, let's read it together: The East Africa Campaign had a significant impact on World War I as the efforts of those fighting for the British successfully weakened the German army.

However, it also had a significant impact on East Africa as there were many facilities which lowered the population in many parts of East Africa.

It is estimated that 105,000 troops lost their lives in the campaign.

45,000 of those troops were from the colony of Kenya.

It also impacted everyday lives for many people as 300,000 civilians were killed in the fighting.

Well done if you managed to include some of those key points and for completing the task.

We've now reached the end of this lesson, so let's summarize our learning.

So this lesson was all about the First World War in the colonies.

You now understand that World War I was fought both in Europe and in the colonies of European empires.

Colonies were attacked as a way of weakening European powers which needed the support of their colonies.

Across Africa, troops were locally recruited to fight for Britain, France, and Germany.

Indian troops were also used to attempt to take control of the German colonies.

The war in the colonies involved troops from across several continents.

This meant that the conflict grew to become a world war.

Thank you so much for joining me in this lesson.