BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : THE WEST INDIAN REGIMENT FROM THE 1700 TO 1958 : BATTLE HARDEN :

The West Indian Regiment was an infantry unit of the British Army recruited from and normally stationed in the British Colonies of the Caribbean between 1795 and 1927. The regiment differed from similar forces raised in other parts of the British Empie that it formed an intergal part of the British Army, in 1958 the regiment was revived following the creation of the Federation of the West Indies with the establishment of a battalion, how ever the regiments existence was short lived and it was disbanded in 1962 when its personal were used to established other units in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. Throughout its history the regiment was involved in a number of campaigns in the West Indies werer it served in the Middle East and East Africa. Eight West Indian Regiments were commissioned  between 24th April and 1st September 1795.

In additional to incorporating into the 1st West Indian Regiment the Carolina Crops that had been in existence since 1779 the original intention was both to recruit from Blacks from the West Indies population and to purchase slaves from the West Indies plantations.  The eight of the newly raised regiments was disbanded, the following year but new Crops led to a further five West Indian Regiments being raised in 1798. In 1807 all serving black soldiers recruited in the West Indies Regiments of the British Army were freed under the Muting Act passed by the British Parliament that same year.