'The First to be Freed'
'The first to be freed: the record of British military administration in Eritrea and Somalia, 1941-1943' (HMSO, London) (Ref: Embleton 2/3/27 front cover)Published in September 1944 by the British Ministry of Information, “The First to be Freed” covers the liberation of Eritrea and Somalia from Fascist control.
Much of it stresses the improvements to the quality of education, health and life that has come about since the British began to administrate the area.
In the context of growing anti-colonial sentiment across the continent, this pamphlet can be seen as an attempt to redirect attention towards the good that the British colonial administration has brought to the region and that the real enemy was the Fascist colonisers.
Image collectionClick any image to see a larger version with slideshow:
In this exhibition
- Key figures
- Dervish State
- Fall of the Dervish State
- World War Two: Britain in Africa
- 'Victory in Africa'
- 'The First to be Freed'
- Somaliland Scouts and Independence