IT IS no secret that the contributions of Black soldiers have often been overlooked in Britain. This year, The Voice asked two Black servicewomen how they would mark Armistice day, when they joined the army and how they remember the Black soldiers that came before them.

Sergeant Suen Simpson is Jamaican by birth, and British by naturalisation. She has served in the British army for 18 years. Afghanistan, Iraq and Cyprus are just some of the places she has been deployed. When she finished her basic training, she spent nine years in Germany. Now, she is the BAME rep for her regiment.

Sergeant Louise Banton joined the army aged 19, straight after college. She has also served in Iraq and Afghanistan several times. Just like her grandfather who served in WWII, she serves in the artillery. When she joined the army, women could not serve in the infantry.

“It was the closest I could get to the front line,” she tells me.

Both women will spend the day slightly differently. However, because they are both members of an online, army-wide BAME network, they have been remembering the contributions of Black soldiers before today.

Banton is actually on leave, but will don her uniform for a special service and observe the two minute silence.

A time to reflect

She explains: “It’s all about reflecting on those times and remembering those people.”

At Simpson’s regiment, the walls are already decorated with Black people who have served in the past as part of Black History month. On Armistice day itself, they will be holding a special parade. For the first time this year, she has encouraged a colleague of hers to recite a poem.

On the topic of how the contributions that Black soldiers made can be better understood and recognised, both women believe that better education is key. Banton points out that many remain unaware that Black people served in both world wars.

If they had that knowledge, Simpson suggests people “would probably treat us a bit differently.”

Banton is keen to point out that discrimination is an issue that touches all parts of society.

A lack of education

“It’s not just the colour of someone’s skin. It’s the same thing we get across the country. Gay people, transgender people, anything.

“I think it’s literally because people are uneducated or don’t know enough about the subject.”

At times, the women have found themselves working alongside difficult colleagues, but they are confident that things are moving in the right direction.

“I’ve been the army 20 years, and you do get your old school people, especially back then but they are kind of getting phased out, and people are beginning to understand and get it,” says Banton.

Simpson says Black colleagues may have faced barriers to promotion in the past.

“Some are afraid to stand up and say this needs to stop, or we need to start this initiative.

“A lot of service personnel, both men and women have faced injustice within the army, ” she explains.

For her, the way forward is to educate people on Black culture through events and presentations.