The First World War seems to be part of a distant past for most Bengalis, with the new generation of UK’s Bengali diaspora being left out of the nation’s collective memorialisation. A more inclusive remembrance of the First World War is required to address this, writes Ansar Ahmed Ullah, who recalls Bengal’s contribution during World War One.
At present the […]
Jangnamah poetry is a literary form dating back to the 16th century, used by Punjabi authors to narrate conflict. Here Raman Singh Chhina discusses the significance of Jangnamahs as a historical resource, highlighting one particular work which offers a unique insight on a Sikh soldier’s experience of WWI.
Nand Singh, an Indian poet and soldier who witnessed the World War […]
Journalist Shrabani Basu has authored multiple books on the shared histories of India and Britain. Ahead of her recent talk in the South Asia Centre’s Colony as Empire series, she spoke to Sonali Campion about her research on the largely forgotten Indian soldiers who fought in World War I, and on Noor Inayat Khan, the first female radio operator in Nazi-occupied […]
Indian soldiers played a key role in British campaigns in Europe during World War I but the Middle East was the most important theatre of war for India. Vedica Kant offers an insight into the traumatic experiences of over half a million Indians who participated in the ill-fated Mesopotamia campaign.
In Istanbul’s Asian neighbourhood of Kadıköy, hidden near the fairy-castle-like […]
Most Indian soldiers were volunteers who could not read or write before they were recruited by the British but serving in a professional army provided opportunities to acquire new skills. Here Oliver Vanden Eynde writes about his research which suggests higher post-war literacy rates in heavily recruited areas can be attributed to informal learning opportunities in the army.
The contribution […]
The scale of the contribution made by Indian soldiers in the First World War is increasingly recognised, but their experiences get less mainstream attention. Erica Wald offers an insight into the their shock at the scale of battle, the shortages they faced and the ‘recycling’ wounded soldiers employed by British leaders struggling for manpower in the early years of […]
Centenary celebrations of the First World War have seen renewed interest in the experience of Indian troops. But Vedica Kant looks beyond the soldiers on the battlefield and considers the impact that the war had on the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the British Empire. This post forms part of a series on India and World War I. Click here to view […]
The major contribution of the Indian subcontinent to the British effort in the First World War is now receiving renewed recognition, not least by Lord Parekh in his June address to Asia House. As a historian of the Caribbean, Richard Smith has been uncovering how news of Indian mobilisation encouraged support for the war effort in the British West Indian territories. […]
During WWI, India found itself in the unusual position of being low on the British Empire’s list of concerns. Adam Prime explores the competing priorities of the British in the Great War, highlighting that while Kitchener was keen to divert troops from India to Europe, the colonial leadership feared that losing the British military presence would lead to the collapse […]
Speaking at the Asia House Bagri Foundation Literature Festival in June, LSE Alumnus Lord Bhikhu Parekh, a life peer in the House of Lords, political theorist and author, highlighted India’s contribution to the Great War. Naomi Canton reports on his talk. This post forms part of a series on India and World War I. Click here to view more posts. “British India contributed […]
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