What made 5 million people from the Commonwealth volunteer to fight the Second World War alongside the 6 million British Forces? Who were these people and what motivated them? They were people who believed in freedom and were happy to fight alongside the 'mother country' to make this World a safer place.

They weren't called up. They didn't have to join us. They chose to.

They came from all over the Commonwealth, a million from Canada; 2.5 million from the Indian sub-continent; from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean, the Far East and from across Africa.

The Commonwealth people were rising up to support Britain and to fight for the freedom the World enjoys today. That was 70 years ago. Today, many countries are now independent and with that independence came new governments - governments which in some cases refused to recognise the contribution made by these brave people because at the time, they were serving under the Crown.