Despite its topographic seclusion from Europe and its minute population of just over one million, New Zealand felt obligated to support Great Britain in any and all war efforts. The government of New Zealand assumed Great Britain expected military action. Over half of the eligible recruits in New Zealand enlisted. The majority of soldiers were assigned to the New Zealand Expeditionary Force that served on the Western Front and in the Battle of Gallipoli. New Zealander troops suffered one of the highest casualty rates of the Entente Powers. The native Maori to New Zealand faced absurd racial discrimination under British rule and debated their commitment to support an imperial powerhouse such as Great Britain. Ultimately, almost three thousand Maori men volunteered to fight in the war. This marked only the second time in New Zealand’s history that the native population of Maori was permitted to participate in war alongside the New Zealand Army. However, racial discrimination persisted during wartime, so Maori soldiers were often assigned roles as laborers as opposed to combatants on the battleground.
Although Canada functioned as an autonomous dominion of Great Britain, its government could not make decisions regarding foreign affairs independently. When Great Britain declared war on Germany, Canadian officials followed suit without hesitation and fully committed themselves to British interests. Canadian Governor General Prince Arthur authorized a field force known as Canadian Expeditionary Force to fight in the war on behalf of the dominion, making history as the first Canadian military unit to serve under Canadian leadership. Of the half million men who served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, almost half of them had immigrated from Great Britain in the decade preceding the war. The majority of Canadian citizens were of British lineage and were enthusiastic to assist the motherland. On the other hand, French-speaking Canadians were circumspect to participate in war efforts because of Great Britain’s tendency to stifle the French language and culture. French-speaking Canadians especially did not back British conscription practices later in the conflict. Overall, the Canadian Corps was vital members of the Battles of Passchendaele, Somme, and Vimy. Canada’s offensive aid during the last few months of the war is known as “Canada’s Hundred Days” in honor of the troops’ successes on the battlefield. The casualty rate of the 620,000 Canadian soldiers was just under forty percent by the end of the war. Canadian sacrifices throughout the war did not go unnoticed by Great Britain and set the groundworks for Great Britain to relinquish almost all sovereignty following the conflict.
Mixed opinions regarding the First World War and South Africa’s involvement existed in the British dominion. Some naysayers believed that South Africa would be granted complete independence if Great Britain lost to the Central Powers and was forced to relinquish several of their dominions and colonies around the globe. Others could not set aside and forget the atrocities Great Britain inflicted upon the Dutch-speaking population in South Africa during the Boer War. In contrast, optimists envisioned a united nation and a strengthened relationship the motherland should South Africa back Great Britain in the war. Ultimately, the South Africa Defense Force became a vital player on the side of the Allies. Almost one hundred forty thousand white troops fought on the frontlines, while nearly fifty thousand black volunteers served as laborers. Still, many Boers refused to enlist because of the conflicts at the turn of the twentieth century. The first priority of the defense force was to squash the Maritz Rebellion within its borders during Fall 1914. The rebels were defeated after four months. Afterwards, South Africa turned its attention towards the German colonies in the southern portion of Africa and led “one of the neatest and most successful campaigns of the Great War,” according to historian Christopher Falkus. The South Africa Defense Force also provided reinforcements on the Western Front and in the Middle East. South Africa even made an appearance at the Imperial War Conference in London. At the summit, British Prime Minister Lloyd George regarded South African General Jan Smuts as the “orator” of the British Empire. The war provided an avenue for the rise of South African nationalism. As this newfound nationalism spread, the resentment of colonialism intensified amongst Afrikaners in South Africa.
Indian aid during the First World War served a strategic purpose; Indian nationalists felt that India would be able to demonstrate its ability to self-govern through its martial support of Great Britain. Almost a million Indian men, regardless of caste or religion, enlisted. Thus, the number of Indian soldiers rose to virtually 1.5 million, tripling the size of the British Indian Army from before the war. Indian troops aided Great Britain throughout Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East. In particular, the British Indian Army opposed German forces on the Western Front and in East Africa, as well as challenging the Ottomans in Mesopotamia during the Battle of Gallipoli. The first South Asian to receive the Victoria Cross was Sepoy Khudadad Khan for his bravery and gallantry in Belgium during the war. Indian soldiers not sent overseas were responsible for training new recruits and protecting their home on the North Western Frontier in India. About seventy thousand Indian troops died in battle during the war; another seventy thousand were wounded. Indian action during the war strengthened the crown colony’s relationship with the mother country and served as a turning point on the path towards Indian independence.
Established a year after the war began, the West Indies Regiment was composed of recruits from various crown colonies in the Caribbean, including Barbados, Bahamas, Grenada, Guiana, Honduras, Jamaica, Saint Vincent, and Trinidad. The majority of volunteers were Jamaican. The regiment served as a resource in Palestine and Jordan against the Turkish enemy and in France and Italy. Overall, just under sixteen thousand men from the West Indies supported and served Great Britain. In comparison to other military groups from elsewhere in the British Empire, the West Indies Regiment was small in size. Military leaders in Great Britain were apprehensive to allow the ‘tribal’ black man to fight alongside and against the ‘enlightened’ white European. Thus, recruiting was not heavy in the Caribbean, despite the royal proclamation by King George V to employ “men of every class, creed, and color.”