Folowing the First War of Independence in 1857 (called the Indian Mutiny by the British Government), the British Queen issued a proclamation in 1858, taking over the Government of India from the East India Company. A Royal Commission appointed in July 1858 suggested that the Army in India be composed mainly of Indian troops with a proportion of Indian to British being 2:1. By 1863 the actual numbers were 3,15,500 Indian and 38,000 British troops. Step by step the three Presidency Armies were amalgamated which was completed by 1895.

With the overall control of the Indian Empire being vested in the Crown, the imperial strategy for the defence of India envisaged a wide cordon sanitaire to give depth to this jewel in the crown. Afghanistan, Tibet and Burma were the immediate buffers while the global dominance of the British Navy of the time allowed them even further outposts like Hong Kong, Singapore, Aden and Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea. Pax Britannica was at its Zenith and the core was centred on India.

The Era of the World War I

The final shape and professional restructuring of the Indian Army was carried out prior to World War I under General Kitchener, the Commander-in-Chief in India from 1902. During this period, due to a clash between him and Viceroy Curzon over the perceived organisational duality of control of the Military in India, Curzon resigned. This issue has had a significantly negative effect on the higher defence control mechanism that evolved after independence which leaves the service chiefs outside the governmental decision-making forums. To this day this aspect remains an Indian weakness.

India raised the world’s largest volunteer army, 1.5 million in World War I. This war marked an important watershed. For the first time, Indian soldiers were fighting on European soil. They fought in all the major theatres of war on land, air and sea, alongside British troops. Their many awards for bravery, as well as their war graves and memorials on the battlefields, are testimony to their sacrifice in the service of Britain. Unrecognised for decades, their contributions are only now being fully acknowledged.

From our own historical records, in World War I, more than one million Indian soldiers served overseas. The Army expanded from 2,39,511 in 1914 to 14,40,428 personnel by 1919. While there were no commissioned Indian officers in the Army, the Indian Army fought in all major theatres including France, Gallipoli, Mesopotamia, Egypt and Palestine.

In August 1914, soon after the outbreak of war when the British Expeditionary Force had been almost wiped out, Britain called on the Indian Army to fill the vital gap left in its defences. The first 28,500 Indian Army troops arrived on the Western Front on September 26. They played a crucial role in holding the line and are said to have arrived just ‘in the nick of time’. Indian soldiers were deployed widely and fought in the battles of Ypres, Neuve Chapelle, the Somme and Passchendaele and in even greater number in Mesopotamia.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Commonwealth War Graves Commission has stated that by the time the war ended in November 1918, as many as 11,05,000 Indian personnel had been sent overseas as under:

• 1,38,000 to France.
• 6,57,000 to Mesopotamia (most of which is now contained within modernday Iraq)
• 1,44,000 to Egypt and Palestine Smaller contingents to Aden, East Africa, Gallipolli and Salonika.

India’s contribution was not confined to the army. The Royal Indian Marine was armed in 1914, some of its ships serving with the Royal Navy on escort duties and others as coastal minesweepers or river gunboats in the Mesopotamia campaign.

India raised the world’s largest volunteer army, 1.5 million in World War I. This war marked an important watershed. For the first time, Indian soldiers were fighting on European soil. They fought in all the major theatres of war on land, air and sea, alongside British troops.

The role of the Indian merchant services in transportation and supply was no less essential than that of their comrades in arms.

Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service had its origins in the Indian Army. In 1914 there were around 300 nurses in the QAIMNS (Queen Alexandria’s Imperial Military Nursing Service). By the end of the war this had risen to 10,404. The Army nurses served in Flanders, the Mediterranean, the Balkans, the Middle East and on board hospital ships. Of the 200 plus Army nurses who died on active service, many were Indians.

Late Recognition

It has often been asked as to what is the reason for the late recognition of this most significant contribution by the Indian soldiers in the British war effort in World War I ? Some scholars have argued that India’s military contribution to the British war effort in both world wars was forgotten because Churchill wrote it off. It was ironic, therefore, that 100 years after World War I, the Indian Army’s significant role was acknowledged and remembered in the House of Commons’ members-only Churchill Room, right under the bust of the man who had once said, “I hate Indians. They are a beastly people with a beastly religion.”

The event in Britain, held on the eve of Armistice Day (November 11, 2014) had an eclectic mix of British politicians, armed forces personnel, schoolchildren, NRIs and members of the Sikh community as well as descendants of both Indian and British WWI soldiers. The congregation also had a company of re-enactment soldiers dressed as troops of the 15th Ludhiana Sikh Regiment, one of the first Indian Army troops to set foot on European soil in 1914. They all came together to pay glowing tributes to the Sikhs and the wider Indian Army for their pivotal role in the British war effort in the Great War.

Indian Army Commemorates the Centenary of World War I

Indian Army Commemorated the Centenary of World War I from March 10 to 14, 2015, in New Delhi in memory of the 1.5 million Indian soldiers who fought in the war and over 74,000 who made the supreme sacrifice. March 10 coincides with the Battle of Neuve Chapelle marking the British Offensive in Artois region of France in which the Garhwal Brigade & Meerut Division of the Indian Corps participated. The time period 2014 to 2018 is being commemorated as the Centenary of World War I. As part of the Commemorative Events, a wreath was laid at Amar Jawan Jyoti, India Gate by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 10, 2015. Raksha Mantri, Rajya Raksha Mantri, Service Chiefs, Defence Secretary and senior serving officers, representatives, of the Regiments that took part in the War, also graced the occasion.

Commemorative Exhibition was held at the Manekshaw Centre from March 10 to 14, 2015. A Veterans Run, flagged off by Vice Chief of Army Staff carried the inaugural Flame ‘Heritage Torch’ from Commonwealth War Cemetery, Brar Square to Manekshaw Centre, Delhi Cantonment. The last Veteran Runner Honorary Captain (Retd) Bana Singh, PVC, handed over the ‘Heritage Torch’ to the President of India for lighting the symbolic ‘Flame of Remembrance’ (Inaugural Flame) and inaugurating the Commemorative Exhibition on March 10, 2015.

The Chief of the Army Staff addressed the dignitaries and highlighted the role and sacrifices of the Indian soldiers during World War I. The President thereafter released a Commemorative First Day Cover. The President also viewed the exhibition which included a ‘Gallantry Hall’, highlighting how the ‘Great War’ was fought and won, its impact on Indian soldiers lives on the frontline and at home. It showcased 13 campaigns, wartime weapons and equipment, memorabilia and various artifacts.

The ‘Corner of Remembrance’ in the exhibition displayed old letters, an old home in neglect with belongings of soldiers and depicting a feeling of anxiousness of the families waiting for their dear ones to return home. The ‘Sacrifice Hall’ included replicas of Amar Jawan Jyoti, Indian memorials, busts and paintings of Victoria Cross Winners in India and abroad.

The outdoor props of the exhibition gave a glimpse of the dress, equipment, bunkers and guns. A replica of miniature Brighton Hospital depicted the treatment and the trauma that the Indian soldiers went through. The live props highlighted the role played by various Arms/Corps in the War including Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery, Engineers, Signals and ASC. A dynamic band display by the Indian Army brass & pipe bands was conducted as part of the mega event.

The descendants of some of the Victoria Cross Awardees and the Param Vir Chakra Awardees of independent India were also be present for the function and interacted with the President of India.

The Commemoration Exhibition of World War I at the Manekshaw Convention Centre at Delhi Cantonment was open to the public and schools and colleges from March 11 to 13, 2015.