volunteers, while others came from Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, the Bahamas, British Honduras, Grenada, British Guiana (now Guyana), the Leeward Islands, St Lucia and St Vincent. Nearly 5,000 more subsequently volunteered. Caribbean Regiment Another West Indies regiment was formed in 1944, this time called the Caribbean Regiment. This consisted of members of the local militia forces, as well as direct recruits. The regiment conducted brief training in Trinidad and the United States, before being sent to Italy. Once there, the regiment performed a number of general duties behind the front lines—these included the escort of 4,000 prisoners of war from Italy to Egypt. Subsequently, the regiment undertook mine clearance around the Suez Canal. The regiment returned to the Caribbean in 1946 to be disbanded, having not seen front line action—this was due to inadequate training and partly because of the political impact in the British West Indies if it had incurred heavy casualties. Sierra Leone Creoles As noted above, the West India Regiment provided detachments for service in West Africa for over a hundred years. This began when the 2nd WIR was sent to Sierra Leone to quell a rebellion of West Indian settlers in 1819. Upon completion of their service, some soldiers of this and subsequent WIR regiments remained in West Africa and intermarried with other Sierra Leone Creole Settlers, whose descendants today are the Sierra Leone Creole people. See also Corps of Colonial Marines Arthur Andrew Cipriani British and Commonwealth protectorates Garrison Historic Area, Barbados References Citations Sources External links The Ex West Indian Servicemen Association Colonial Soldier Caribbean participants in the First World War West India Regiment 1958-1962 Military of Sierra Leone History of the Caribbean Regiments of Caribbean nations Military in the Caribbean British West Indies Infantry regiments of the British Army Military units and formations established in 1795 British military units and formations of the War of 1812 Regiments of the British Army in World War I British colonial regiments Military units and formations of the British Empire in World War I 1795 establishments in Great Britain Military history of Jamaica