LONDON – Families of Indian soldiers, who sacrificed their lives fighting for Britain in the first World War, will finally get the recognition they deserve.
The UK foreign office has announced an open plea to help them identify families of Indian soldiers who died fighting for England so that they could be brought to London and felicitated for their sacrifice as part of the government’s plan to commemorate the forthcoming centenary of the 1914 to 1918 conflict.
Speaking exclusively to TOI, senior minister of Britain’s foreign office Baroness Warsi said “Indians and Pakistanis have a long history of commitment towards Britain and thousands gave up their lives fighting for us. It is because of their sacrifices that this country enjoys the freedom today. We therefore don’t want those brave Indian soldiers to be forgotten.”
“Unfortunately, most of these soldiers have disappeared in history. We want to trace their families out from their native villages in India and Pakistan. It would be a tremendous moment if we can show our gratitude to these families during the centenary celebrations here.”
“The Commonwealth war graves have information about these soldiers. We want help to track their families down. The present generations have little idea how much sacrifice people from the Indian sub-continent made for UK. It will give Asian youngsters pride to know their stories,” Baroness Warsi told TOI.
Baroness Warsi says she is aure that families of the 74,000 members of the British Indian Army who lost their lives in 1914 can be traced.
Baroness Warsi recently paid tribute to the sacrifices made by the 1.2 million men from the Indian Army who fought for Britain during a visit to the battlefields of France and Belgium.
As part of the government’s programme she went to the Western Front, where 140,000 men from the Indian Army fought alongside Britain.
Britain declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914. Just four days later the Indian Army was ordered to prepare for an overseas service.
By late October, the soldiers were engaged in fighting on the Messines Ridge in Belgium.
It was at Messines on 31 October that Khudadad Khan performed the act of gallantry for which he was later awarded the Victoria Cross, becoming the first Indian born soldier to be so honoured.
Over the course of the war, India sent over 140,000 men to the Western Front – 90,000 serving in the infantry and cavalry and as many as 50,000 non-combatant labourers.
They hailed from Punjab, Garwahl, Bengal, Nepal, Madras, and Burma. Of the combatants, over 8,550 were killed and as many as 50,000 more were wounded. Almost 5,000 of the dead have no known grave and are commemorated on the Menin Gate at Ieper and at Neuve Chapelle.
Kicking off the campaign, Baroness Warsi recently visited the grave of Khudadad Khan. She stopped at the village of Hollebeke where she laid a wreath at a memorial to Sikh soldiers. This was where Indian soldiers saw some of their first action in the early months of the war. Baroness Warsi said “Our boys weren’t just Tommies, they were Tariqs and Tajinders too. A picture of a soldier in a turban is not what we immediately associate with the Great War. And yet so many men from so far away came to Europe to fight for the freedoms we enjoy today. Their legacy is our liberty, and every single one of us owes them a debt of gratitude.”
“It was particularly poignant to see the endless names – of Khans and Singhs, Alis and Atwals – listed on the memorials. It was also fascinating to hear how arrangements for religious and cultural observances, such as Ramzan and wearing turbans, were part of their lives, even on the frontline. I will make it my mission to ensure that the centenary is a chance for everyone to learn about the contribution of the Commonwealth soldiers.”
Baroness Warsi also had the chance to read accounts of the letters of soldiers as she visited the areas where they had served.
