Uncategorized | 1800-1859 | Massacres | Pakistan

Massacre at Multan as redcoats shoot the elderly and rape the women

THE SACKING OF MULTAN – 2 JANUARY 1849 On 2 January 1849, British redcoats, under the command of Brigadier-General the Honourable Henry Dundas, raped, pillaged and murdered hundreds of civilians, after fighting their way into the city of Multan, located in what is today the province of Punjab in Pakistan. Historian Saul David comments that…

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The destruction of Kokofu and the murder of its fleeing inhabitants.

[ 22 July 1900 ] On 25 March, Sir Frederick Hodgson, the British governor of the Gold Coast, decided that he needed to clearly demonstrate British intolerance of any political or even cultural independence, by insisting that the Ashanti people surrender the Golden Stool, the traditional throne of Ashanti kings which was believed to house…

1900-1919 | Collective punishments | Demolishing villages | Punitive operations | Uncategorized | Yemen

A ‘punitive expedition destroys Kotaibi villages in Yemen

[ 2 November 1903 ] Following an attack by the Kotaibis on a British military outpost at Sulaik in Aden (today part of Yemen), an expedition composed of 600 soldiers of the Royal Hampshire Regiment and the 23rd Bombay Rifles under the command of General Maitland set off in to the hills on 30th October…

1920-1939 | Civilians slaughtered | Massacres | Pakistan | Uncategorized

Machine guns turned on unarmed Peshawar crowd killing up to 400

[ 23 April 1930 ] On 23 April 1930, British and Gurkha troops opened fire on an unarmed crowd in Peshawar killing at least 20, according to the official estimate, and as many as 400, according to Indian sources.1 A large crowd had gathered at the Qissa Khwani Bazaar to protest the arrest that morning of…

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INTRODUCTION

When considering how we learn about and remember British history, it is worth considering some comments by the linguist and political activist Noam Chomsky, who is well known for being unusually critical of American foreign policy and its long record of military interventions overseas. He makes an incisive observation about the fate of historical anniversaries,…

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

THE AUTHOR Alisdare Hickson is a graduate of the London School of Economics, with an MSc in Economic History. He also holds a PhD in sociology from the University of Essex. After a period working as a researcher, he returned to his true passions of history, politics and photography. As an amateur photojournalist, he covered…

1960-1969 | Uncategorized | VIetnam

Britain backs escalation of U.S. assault on Vietnam

[ 13 June 1965 ] Today in 1965, Labour MP Tony Benn noted in his diary, regarding the situation in Vietnam, that ‘the Americans are now deciding to invade in full strength and we are left in the embarrassing position of appearing to support them.’1 Washington’s role had previously been limited to deploying military advisers and…

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British troops refuse quarter to thousands of surrounded Sikh soldiers

[ 10 February 1846 ] On 10 February 1846, British troops slaughtered thousands of Sikhs attempting to flee the Battle of Sobraon in the Punjab. After a fierce two hour engagement, Redcoat infantry and cavalry, under the command of Major-General Sir Hugh Gough, concentrated their attack on the surviving soldiers, who were hemmed into a…

1960-1969 | Arms exports | Backing dictatorships | Nigeria | Uncategorized

Newspaper reveals UK supplying Nigerian Junta with fast patrol boats

17 August 1967 Today in 1967, the Birmingham Post revealed that, despite Britain’s commitment to neutrality in the war between Nigeria’s military junta and the secessionist state of Biafra, and despite the government’s claim that it would only provide the generals with military equipment which was defensive in nature, two British built fast seaward class patrol boats…