ABSTRACT
Three primary tasks were demanded of imperial armies: acquiring territory, protecting colonies from incursions by rival powers and policing to subdue or preempt indigenous dissent. Characteristically, these imperatives necessitated the pressed or voluntary enlistment of subject peoples as soldiers, militia, police, auxiliaries, military labourers and provisioners to replenish the ranks and sustain imperial campaigns which otherwise would have soon exhausted the resources of the metropolitan power. The enlistment of colonial subjects thus provides significant insights into the dynamics of imperial government and struggles over identity and status – in particular, the inherent tensions and ambiguities of imperial rule which in many cases led to its ultimate demise. Therefore this chapter focuses principally on military service by the colonised, rather than recruits from the coloniser nations. 1
