Recognition for 9,909 Forgotten Indian Soldiers from WW1

In a significant update to historical records, 9,909 Indian soldiers from before the partition of India, who served during World War One, are being officially recognised by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). This update, the most substantial of its kind in over 80 years, comes after a meticulous effort by researchers who uncovered these names in unique records compiled in Punjab shortly after the war.

Volunteers from the United Kingdom facilitated the identification of these soldiers over several years, contributing to the wider effort of acknowledging their contributions. Work is ongoing to trace the British descendants of those whose sacrifices are now being recognised.

Sunney Palahey, a dentist from Leicester, expressed his relief and pride upon discovering his great-grandfather's name, Kesar Singh, among those now formally commemorated. "The circle has closed. I feel much more complete," he stated. Palahey elaborated that this recognition makes him feel part of the broader community connected to WW1 service.

The British Indian Army saw the participation of around 1.4 million men from the Indian subcontinent—now comprising India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh—during the conflict. Following the war, there was an ambitious effort to document the names and fates of the 320,000 soldiers from Punjab, with officials visiting every village.

The fragile, handwritten records, some over a century old, are preserved in the Lahore Museum in Pakistan. The project, known as the Punjab Registers initiative, has been a cooperative venture between the CWGC, the UK Punjab Heritage Association, and the University of Greenwich, aiming to digitise and analyse these historical documents.

Jasmin Basra, a PhD student involved in the project, shared her emotional experience of discovering her own relatives’ names amongst the newly recognised names. "There is a disconnect from Punjab as well as not being fully connected to British history, but I think this is a tangible link to all of it," she remarked.

The CWGC highlighted that most of the 9,909 individuals previously omitted from records were casualties from injuries sustained away from battlefield conditions. Historical rulings by the British Indian Government failed to confer war graves status upon them, a decision now reversed.

Of the newly recognised soldiers, approximately 25% were Sikhs, 25% Hindus, and about 40% Muslims. This initiative serves not only to memorialise those who lost their lives but also strives to address historical narratives that have traditionally centred on European perspectives of the war. The CWGC underscored the importance of capturing the full global context of World War One in its commemoration efforts.

Claire Horton, Director General of the CWGC, stated, "Our mission endures, ensuring all those who died in the service of the Commonwealth receive the commemoration they deserve. The recovery of every one of these 9,909 names helps restore missing chapters in family and world histories."

The researchers behind this project have laid the groundwork for broader recognition of contributions made by soldiers from India and similar regions during the great conflict, reinforcing their place in shared global history. This initiative forms a part of the CWGC's Non-Commemoration Programme, which has identified over 20,000 additional names deserving of recognition since it was established in 2021.