Indian Army and Volunteers During World War One

In 1914, the Indian Army was the largest volunteer army in the world with a total strength of 240,000 men and by November 1918 this number increased significantly to 548,311 men.  This field force was divided into two armies: The Northern Army which stretched from the North-West Frontier to Bengal with five divisions and three brigades under command and the Southern Army which stretched from Baluchistan to southern India and it in turn had four divisions under command and two formations outside the subcontinent. The two armies contained 39 cavalry regiments, 138 infantry battalions (including 20 Gurkha), a joint cavalry-infantry unit the Corps of Guides, three sapper regiments and 12 mountain artillery batteries.

The normal annual recruitment for the Indian army was 15,000 men, during the course of the war over 800,000 men volunteered for the army and more than 400,000 volunteered for non-combatant roles. In total almost 1.3 million men had volunteered for service by 1918. One million Indian troops served overseas during the war, of these 62,000 died and another 67,000 were wounded. In total, 74,187 Indian soldiers died in World War I.
 

The Indian Corps won 13,000 medals for gallantry including 12 Victoria Crosses. Khudadad Khan won the Corps first Victoria Cross. Due to the massive cost of the war, India’s economy was pushed to near bankruptcy.

The Neuve Chapelle Memorial

  Photo: Commonwealth War Graves Commission

The Neuve-Chapelle Indian Memorial is a World War I memorial in France, located on the outskirts of the commune of Neuve-Chapelle, in the department of Pas de Calais. The memorial commemorates more than 4700 Indian soldiers with no known grave, who fell in battle while fighting for the British Indian Army in the First World War. The location of the memorial was chosen because of the participation by Indian troops at the Battle of  Neuve-Chapelle.

The memorial was designed to honour India, its culture and traditions. The memorial is a circular enclosure centred on a tall pillar that is topped by a lotus capital, and carved representations of the Star of India and the Imperial Crown. Two tigers are carved on either side of the column guarding the temple of the dead. On the lower part of the column the words ‘God is One, He is the Victory’ are inscribed in English, with similar texts in Arabic, Hindi, and Gurmukhi.

It bears the following inscription:

English: To the honour of the Army of India which fought in France and Belgium, 1914-1918, and in perpetual remembrance of those of their dead whose names are here recorded and who have no known grave.

French: En honneur de l'Armee de l'Inde qui a combattu en France et en Belgique 1914-1918, et pour perpetuer le souvenir de ses morts aux tombes inconnues dont les noms sont ici graves.

Photo: Commonwealth War Graves Commission

The memorial at Neuve Chapelle was designed by Sir Herbert Baker and sculpture by Charles Wheeler. The memorial was unveiled by Earl of Birkenhead on 7th October 1927. Lord Birkenhead, then Secretary of State for India, had served as a staff officer with the Indian Corps during the war. The ceremony was also attended by the Maharaja of Karputhala, Marshal Ferdinand Foch, Rudyard Kipling, and a large contingent of Indian veterans.

Gabar Singh Negi, a Victoria Cross recipient is also commemorated on the Neuve-Chapelle Memorial. There are 4703 names inscribed on the memorial. Many of the men lost their lives during the Battle of Neuve Chapelle in March, 1915.

A commemorative book was published at the time, with a foreword written by King George V

Photo: Commonwealth War Graves Commission

 

India and World War One

India was in a state of growing political unrest when war broke out in 1914. The Indian National Congress had gone from being a group that simply discussed issues to a body that was pushing for more self-government. Before the war started, the Germans had spent a great deal of time and energy trying to stir up an anti-British movement in India.

In World War I the Indian Army fought against the German Empire in German East Africa and on the Front Indian divisions were also sent to Egypt, Gallipoli and nearly 700,000 served in Mesopotamia against the Ottoman Empire. While some divisions were sent overseas others had to remain in India guarding the North West Frontier and on internal security and training duties.

The normal annual recruitment for the Indian army was 15,000 men, during the course of the war over 800,000 men volunteered for the army and more than 400,000 volunteered for non-combatant roles. In total almost 1.5 million men had volunteered for service by 1918. One million Indian troops served overseas during the war, of these 62,000 died and another 67,000 were wounded. In total, 74,187 Indian soldiers died in World War I

The Indian Corps won 13,000 medals for gallantry including 12 Victoria Crosses. Khudadad Khan won the Corps first Victoria Cross.

The cost of the war was massive and it pushed India’s economy to near bankruptcy. It costed India $601,279,000 from 1914 – 1918.

Indian Victoria Cross recipient in World War One

By the end of the war in 1918, a total of 47,746 Indians had been reported dead or missing and 65,126 were wounded. Participants from the Indian subcontinent won 13,000 medals, including 12 Victoria Crosses.  Out of 12 Victoria Cross medals – 9 were won by Indians

In 1914, Khudadad Khan  of 129th Duke of Connaught's Own Baluchis  became the first Indian to win a Victoria Cross. Other Indian Victoria Cross recipient soldiers are listed below:

 

Name	Unit	Place of Action	Date of Action
Khudadad Khan	129th Duke of Connaught's Own Baluchis	Hollebeke, Belgium	1914
Darwan Negi	39th Garhwal Rifles	Neuve Chapelle, France	1914
Gabar Negi	39th Garhwal Rifles	Neuve Chapelle, France	1915
Mir Dast	55th Coke's Rifles	Wieltje, Belgium	1915
Chatta Singh	Garhwal Rifles	Battle of the Wadi, Mesopotamia	1916
Lala	41st Dogras	El Orah, Mesopotamia	1916
Shahamad Khan	89th Punjab Regiment	Beit Ayeesa, Mesopotamia	1916
Gobind Singh	Garhwal Rifles	Peizieres, France	1916
Badlu Singh	14th Murray's Jat Lancers	River Jordan, Palestine	1918

Indian Army - WW1

Soldiers from the Indian Army in the Royal Pavilion Hospital.

The Indian Army was reorganized by Lord Kitchener while he was commander-in-chief in India (1902-09). Kitchener established an army of 10 divisions (155,000) backed by an internal security force of some 80,000 troops. About a quarter of the infantry and cavalry troops and almost all artillery personnel in the army were British.

Two divisions and a cavalry brigade of the Indian Army was sent to the Western Front in September 1914. Of the 70,000 sent to France, 5,500 were killed and well over 16,000 wounded. As a result of a suggestion made by King George V, the Royal Pavilion in Brighton was converted into a hospital for wounded Indian soldiers. It has been claimed that several soldiers been brought in unconscious, woke up in the Banqueting Room, and thought they had died and were in Paradise.

 

Indian Army was also sent to Mesopotamia, Gallipoli, Western front,  Palestine, East Africa and Egypt.