Hero WW1 soldiers buried thousands of miles from home honoured before Remembrance Sunday

Hero WW1 soldiers buried thousands of miles from home honoured before Remembrance Sunday A poignant new photograph taken during World War One has emerged as hero Caribbean and West Indian soldiers are honoured at a ceremony in Sussex As Remembrance Sunday approaches the sacrifice of 19 “forgotten” hero West Indian soldiers who died during World War One is being remembered. The courageous men are all buried in a graveyard in east Sussex - thousands of miles away from their homes which they bravely left to fight for 'King and Country'. Now an extraordinary photo taken in 1916 has emerged for the first tine which shows the love and affection in which the men were held in the town of Seaford. Paul Chambers - chair of the British West India Regiments Heritage Trust - was stunned by the discovery of the photo. It was taken in the same small town where these 19 men are buried - many of their families unaware of their final resting place. Mr Chambers said: “The men all died from illnesses or accidents associated with wartime conditions including pneumonia, influenza and mumps resulting from the unfamiliar climate combined with inadequate shelter and poor nutrition.” He added: “Their story has deep roots in Seaford, where the first contingent trained. This photograph of nine West Indian servicemen welcomed to meetings of the local Ancient Order of Foresters offers a revealing glimpse of the men behind the uniforms. They were fellow Foresters, belonging to the same organisation in the West Indies. “Within a few generations of emancipation from slavery, their communities had built strong traditions of fellowship, mutual support and civic responsibility. These men arrived with skills, achievements and standing in their own societies." The British West India Regiments Heritage Trust commemorates the military heritage of West Indians and Caribbean service personnel. The Trust seeks to re-connect families and communities with ancestors who served during the First World War They recently honoured the 19 men at Seaford. Mr Chambers said: “This was a special and emotional ceremony. These men may have been forgotten by sections of society but they will never be forgotten by us. “So many people gave their lives for king and country in the First World War. Many of course died on the famous battlefields of Europe like the Somme and Ypres but others also made the ultimate sacrifice here in England - struck down by illness and diseases that their bodies just weren’t used too and able to cope with. "We remember them as well - dying thousands of miles from their parents, their families and their friends. We were particularly moved by the presence of 101-year-old Second World War RAF veteran Prince Albert Jacob at the Lewisham launch, where our guest speaker was Major General Karl Harris CBE the first Black general in the British army of Caribbean heritage. “Mr Jacob travelled from Birmingham to join the Trust’s commemoration. For him, attending both events was deeply personal. Born in 1925, just ten years after the Regiment’s formation, he grew up hearing stories of its men and those who never returned. “To see a Second World War veteran walking among their headstones was profoundly moving: a living connection between generations of Caribbean service and sacrifice. “The men buried at Seaford never reached the Western Front, Egypt or the other theatres where their comrades served. Many succumbed to illness amid the harsh conditions of their training. Their graves remain lasting witnesses to lives lived, journeys travelled and sacrifices made. “As we approach Remembrance Sunday, honouring the BWIR affirms that the history of the First World War also belongs to these men and the Caribbean communities from which they came. Their graves are our stones of remembrance; their stories are our responsibility; and their memory is our enduring trust. “Through remembrance, research, education and commemoration, BWIRHT will continue to preserve that memory and pass their stories to succeeding generations.” Last month the group launched British West Indies Regiment Day, in partnership with Lewisham Council on Monday 26 October 2026. It marked the 111th anniversary of the Regiment’s formation.