Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Saluting war sacrifices

by AMIT ROY

TWO peers, Jitesh Gadhia and Karan Bilimoria, delivered powerful speeches on Monday (5)


during a Lords debate on Armistice Day marking the centenary of the end of the First World War, in which they urged the nation to remember the sacrifices made

by 1.5 million Indian troops.

Lord Bilimoria made the point that “the part they played in the war has largely been whitewashed from history”.

However, the Royal British Legion announced that this weekend’s Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall will include a special tribute to Indian soldiers, with a reading of the poem, The Gift of India, written in 1915 by the Indian poet and freedom fighter, Sarojini Naidu.

The poem, which will be read by the actress Nina Wadia, speaks of the grief of mothers losing their sons in foreign fields but also of the pride and patriotism inspired by their heroism and bravery.

The ceremony, to be televised by the BBC, will be attended by senior members of the royal family, including the Queen, Prince Charles and Camilla, Prince William and his younger brother, Harry, and their respective wives, Kate and Meghan.

Catherine Davies, head of Remembrance at the Royal British Legion, which has endorsed distribution of red khadi poppies devised by Lord Gadhia, said: “We will (also) hear the voices of Indian soldiers during another section which features first-hand testimony of the First World War.”

She added: “The Royal British Legion has been proud to include the British Asian community in the 2018 centenary commemorations. We are thanking the British Indian Army for its contribution.”

During the Lords debate, Gadhia recalled the comment made by David Lloyd George, prime

minister when the war ended in 1918, that “had they (Indian and other Commonwealth troops) stayed at home ... the history of the world would have taken a different course”.

Gadhia went on: “The swift arrival of Indian troops on the Western Front in September 1914 was absolutely critical to preventing a German breakthrough.

“A sepoy named Khudadad Khan was awarded the first of 11 Indian Victoria Crosses after valiantly staying at his machine gun when all his colleagues were killed around him.

“In all, 74,000 Indians serving in multiple continents, from the Somme to the Sahara, never returned home.”

Gadhia expressed the hope that remembering Indian soldiers “also sends a powerful signal to Asians growing up in Britain and inspires the next generation to understand their own identity.

“They should know that their parents and grandparents did not just come here as immigrants. Our ancestors fought for this country and for freedom and democracy,

even though they lived in a colony at the time.

“We therefore have as great a stake here as anyone else. Indeed, everyone from the Commonwealth should be proud of the role which their forebears played in shaping the destiny of the world a century ago.”

Lord Bilimoria, whose late father was a distinguished general in the Indian army, also wanted “to reach out across the country, and especially to our youth, to tell them about the amazing service and sacrifice, not just from the Commonwealth, but in particular from India.

“Do we realise that, except for the medical officers, the 1.5 million Indians who served in the First World War were not allowed to become officers?

“More Indians fought for the British between 1914 and 1918 than the combined total for Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa. Some 74,000 Indian soldiers were killed on the battlefields of Europe, Africa and the Middle East, but the part they played in the war has largely been whitewashed from history.”

He hoped that “at this huge event at the Royal Albert Hall which will be watched by millions

around the world, the British legion will acknowledge the contribution of the 1.5 million

Indians. If it does not, it will be a missed opportunity.”

The London-based historian Dr Kusoom Vadgama, who has been struggling for more than 30 years to win great recognition for Indian soldiers, submitted detailed proposals to the Royal British Legion on how their sacrifices should be acknowledged.

There was Indian backing for the war effort at all levels, according to Vadgama.

Lord Sinha of Raipur, the first and only Indian hereditary peer, was appointed a member of the Imperial War Cabinet and participated in the Peace Conference of 1917.

General Maharaja Sir Ganga Singh of Bikaner, who served in France and Egypt during the war, became the first Indian prince to be a delegate to the Imperial War Conference and cabinet.

The legendary cricketer, Prince Ranjitsinhji, led a contingent of Indian troops to the Western Front in 1914. He also made of the resources of his state in Gujarat available to Britain, while his UK home in Staines was converted into a hospital.

Princess Sophia (1876-1948), the suffragette daughter of Maharaja Duleep Singh, worked as a nurse and visited various hospitals where Indian soldiers were recovering from their wounds during the First World War.

It has been announced that the Tory chairman of the Commons foreign affairs select committee, Tom Tugendhat, will place a wreath at the war memorial in Delhi this weekend.

More For You

british-muslims-iStock

The study noted that this identification was not due to any doctrinal obligation but was influenced by the perception that many Muslims do not feel fully accepted as British. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Majority of British Muslims identify by faith first, study finds

A STUDY by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL) has found that most British Muslims identify primarily with their religion rather than their nationality.

The research, based on a survey of 815 British Muslim adults by Whitestone Insight, revealed that 71 per cent of respondents identified as Muslim first, while 27 per cent identified as British, English, or Scottish first.

Keep ReadingShow less
Car Tax Changes: EV Owners Now Required to Pay for the First Time

Owners of electric vehicles registered on or after 1 April 2025 will pay £10 for the first year, followed by the standard VED rate of £195 from the second year. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Car tax changes take effect: EV owners to pay for first time

FROM today, 1 April 2025, electric cars, vans, and motorcycles in the UK will be subject to Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) for the first time.

The change, introduced in the 2022 Autumn Statement by former Conservative Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, aims to make motoring taxation fairer.

Keep ReadingShow less
scotland-minimum-wages-iStock

Full-time workers on the National Living Wage will receive an annual pay increase of £1,400 in real terms. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Wage increase takes effect for thousands of workers in Scotland

HUNDREDS of thousands of workers in Scotland will see a pay increase as new National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates take effect from Tuesday.

The changes will benefit approximately 220,000 people, according to STV News.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk-energy-bill-iStock

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

April bill increases put financial strain on single parents

A RANGE of essential household bills are increasing from April, with Citizens Advice warning that single parents will be among the hardest hit.

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased, BBC reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools
Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper in 'Adolescence'
Netflix

Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools

THE NETFLIX drama Adolescence will be shown in UK secondary schools as part of efforts to address harmful online influences on young boys, officials announced on Monday.

The show has sparked debate over the impact of toxic and misogynistic content on the internet. Prime minister Keir Starmer met the show's creators, charities, and young people at Downing Street, calling the initiative an important step in starting discussions about the content teenagers are exposed to online.

Keep ReadingShow less