UK inquiry blames ‘pervasive racism’ for unequal commemoration of black and Asian troops

Exclusive: Commonwealth War Graves Commission expected to apologise for commemorating British empire's black and Asian first world war dead unequally'

• How millions of black and Asian men were mobilised in first world war
• Unremembered: the African first world war soldiers without a grave

Hundreds of thousands of predominantly black and Asian service personnel who died fighting for the British Empire have not been formally commemorated in the same way as their white comrades because of decisions underpinned by pervasive racism", an investigation has concluded.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is expected to issue a formal apology on Thursday after it discovered that at least 116,000 - but potentially up to 350,000 - predominantly African and Middle Eastern first world war casualties may not be commemorated by name, or at all.