A display exploring the history and changing image of Britain's West India Regiments, from their creation at the end of the 18th century up to the First World War, is now open at the Museum of London Docklands. "Fighting for Empire: From Slavery to Military Service in the West India Regiments" has been curated by David Lambert, Professor of History at the University of Warwick. It will run until 9 September 2018. For details:

https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/museum-london-docklands/whats-on/exhibitions/fighting-empire-slavery-military-service-west-india-regiments

The display speaks directly to many of the themes in the permanent displays at Docklands, notably enslaved resistance, black agency, and visual representation. The theme is explored primarily through prints, ephemera and maps, as well as a large framed oil painting by Louis William Desanges entitled "The Capture of the Tubabakolong, Gambia 1866", which depicts Private Samuel Hodge of the 4th West India Regiment, who was the first African-Caribbean soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross. It has been created in partnership with the University of Warwick and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), and draws on research undertaken as part of the 'Africa's Sons Under Arms' research project. For more on the wider research project:

https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/history/research/projects/asua