Stories of Indian soldiers in World War 1

You may cognize Mahatma Gandhi and jawaharlal Nehru as freedom fighter. But do you even have acquaintance about 1.3 million Indian soldiers who served in World war-1 just for independence of india. 

Approximately 1.3 million Indian soldiers served in World War one and as many as 74,000 of them lost their lives but sadly only certain individuals have an idea about these unsung freedom fighters. 

The benefaction,  accomplishment and sacrifice of Indian soldiers has been forgotten or vanished by the history. 

The main motto of this blog is to make people aware of unsung freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives for India. 

Attributable to alliances, militarism, imperialism and the archduke franzeferdinand causes the great world war. It was one of the greatest war of the 20th century geopolitical history. Everyone were bloodthirsty Just to reassert that they are the forceful, energetic, efficacious and robust country in the world. The world war 1 was so malignant because militaries were using new technologies including tanks, airplanes, submarines, machine guns, poison gas etc. which was never used in any previous was in history. 

During war when German defeated British india was still facing cruel slavery by British and at that time British had sovereign over 25% of the world. India got an aspiration of becoming independent After the proliferation news of the defeat of British against Germans. India just don't wanna lose this blonde Providence. 

And on otherside british governor were frightened by the combat which they were defeated against Germans.Now british need soldiers who were value honor and reputation more then their lives because life among comrades whom a soldier has failed seems lonely and worthless and that's the main duty of a soldiers during war. But most of the British soldiers were dilettante. 

So british governor convinced mohandas karamchand gandhi(who was leader of congress) to support british expeditionary force(BEF) in battlefield because the indian soldiers are so sedulous and adherence for that british governor covenant that "they will grant dominian status to india" and india government concured the protocol given by them without the authorization of indian residentiary.

After the concurrence of protocol approximately 1300000 (1.5 million) soldiers were sent just to fought for british on battlefield against german empire on the western front and german east africa.

The soldiers were illiterate and came from small villages left for the war only and only for the independence of the country.1300000 soldiers, would you belive it ,  it was the combined total of australian,south african,new zealand,canadian and many other countries soldiers.

During the battlefield indian soldiers faced lots of difficulties such as communicating the languages , couldn't understand the commands given by the british officers and also they were not adjusted with the scalding heat of africa and coldest winters on the western front.

According to some interviews it shows that the Indian soldiers were treated like a faudatory by British officers,

Jack Morton who is British history,author of Indian empire at war reveal in a interview that

" The British treatment of them was painful in many ways,but at the time they routinely did not speak the truth of their hearts to British power.Their feelings comes out in the transcripts. "

Caption Narain Singh a son of captain balwant(who served British in world war 1) said that

"Their was service also opened their minds to new ideas about colonial rule. "I felt that Indian should also enjoy freedom like the people of other countries ".  

One of the inside story of bravery Indian soldiers during  world war which shook entire British expeditionary force:

The first battle of Ypres. 

On October 1914,khudadded Khan who was a sepoy(machine gunner) in the team 129th baluchis sents to the front line to help dilettanted BFF(British expeditionary force) among with 20000 Indian soldiers to stop the Germans from capturing the martial ports of Nieuwpoort in Belgium. 

On 30th October 1914 when Germans attacked hollebeke in Belgium.They almost killed and maimed many Indian soldiers. And also the condition of hollebeke were so terrible. In fact the British soldiers were fled away from battlefield. But khudadded Khan's machine gun crew along with Indian soldiers fought throughout the day single handly just to intercepting the germans from making the final breakthrough. And eventually all the soldiers were killed by bayoneted or shot. But khuddaded Khan was the only one who survived from Pretending to be dead and then he managed to drive back to his regiment during the hours of darkness. Thanks to his hardihood and his team baluchis for intercepted the German army from reaching the martial ports. 

The battle of Ypres official citation:

"His majesty the king emperor has been graciously pleased to approve of the grant of the Victoria Cross to the undermentioned soldier of the Indian Army for conspicuous bravery whilst serving with the Indian Army Corps, British Expeditionary Force:" 

               -4050, Sepoy Khudadad,            129th Duke of Connaught's                   Own Baluchis.

On 31st October, 1914, at Hollebeke, Belgium the British Officer in charge of the detachment having been wounded, and the other gun put out of action by a shell, Sepoy Khudadad, though himself wounded, remained working his gun until all the other five men of the gun detachment had been killed.

                 — London Gazette, 7                      December 1914.

Now after almost 2 years of war India provided Britishers with 1700000 animals and also with amount of 100 million to fund their war. 

It is believed that, the Indian soldiers and animals which they provided were the proficient and laudable and this itself proved to be the kairotic moment during war. 

And eventually on 1919 the world war comes to end and Britain had defeated the German empire with the help of Indian soldiers and animals(Even the Indian  animals were more accomplished than British soldiers).Therefore without Indian soldiers it is intolerable for Britain to defeat German empires. 

Sir Claude auchinlech,who was the commander-in-chief of the Indian Army from 1942 once said "Britain couldn't have come through the wars if they hadn't had the Indian army"

The New York Times in 1918 work that  "The world must pay India in whatever India wants for without Indian products there would be greater difficulties for Britain in winning the war"

During battlefield substantially 74,187 of the Indian soldiers were martyred in World War 1 and approximately 69,214 soldiers were returned maimed. 

But in the end British betrayed India as always and didn't keep their promise of freedom the country and that's shook up the entire residentary of india.Sending 13 Lakh soldiers to fought for British was totally futile. Indian residentary were very miffed at they entitled Gandhi has Sergent of British.

Tribute Indian soldiers (unsung freedom fighters). 

• Khudadded khan becomes first Indian to awarded with Victoria Cross for his bravery.

• Indian soldiers were awarded with medals who participated in World War. 
• All India war memorial were built in the memories and a tribute to martyrs soldiers of world war 1    All India war memorial was designed by famous architect Edwin lutyens.  Later all India war memorial enrolled has india gate. It is popular arch visited by thousands daily who have no idea that it commemorates the india who lost their lives fighting in World War 1.

    

• The victory memorial in Chennai , the great memories wall in jabalpur,  and the teen Murti in Delhi were also built in the remembrance of unsung freedom fighters.

                    

Why the Indian soldiers who fought for India's freedom in world war 1 were forgetten or vanished by the history:-

You may cognize Mahatma Gandhi and jawaharlal Nehru as a freedom fighter. But do you even have acquaintance about 1.3 million Indian soldiers served in World war-1 just for independence of india. Why the forgetten voices of the Indian soldiers in First World War were forgetten or vanished by the history.Even in the 50th anniversary of the First World War in 1964 there was scarcely a mention of India's soldiers.

Instead of mughal empire or fraudulent freedom fighters chapters why aren't they alluding world war-1 heroes in the history book by the politics.

The accomplishment and immolates of martyrize soldiers shouldn't futile. We can pay tribute to this forgetten voices by remembrance.These true freedom fighters doesn't need any veneration,worship,gratitude and even the consideration of freedom fighters.They Jusy needed to be rememberance and that's the only endowment we can do for our heroes.

Here I merely endeavoured with vigour by writing this blog Just to make certain individuals aware of true freedom fighters unlike fraudulent one. 

According to santanu Das who is an Indian academic and the author,best know for his work on the literature of the First World War is they should be remembered not just in term of medals or memorials but in terms of humanity. Their inner world of tumult,homesickness,fear,trepidations suspense also excitement.Some of the men in fact even had this romantic kind of an affair with some local women,in fact including again one of my great uncle who was a doctor and who kind of served in France and in fact he was even engaged to this French lady,but ultimately broke off and came back to India. We should honour the gallantry and in that same breath,we should also recognize the vunerability of these men. Amnesia does not mean absence we may have forgetten,their experience but that doesn't mean they do not exist. 

Shashi Tharoor who is congress leader noted in a BBC article about the 1.3 million Indian soldiers who participated in World War I, whose endeouvrment and sacrifiece has almost been vanished  

“They gave their ‘todays’ for someone else’s ‘yesterdays’. They left behind orphans, but history has orphaned them as well.” 

Sarojini naidu, who is great legendary poet of india and also served as a nurse for the maimed Indian soldiers of world war, wrote a graceful poem to our martyred soldiers called Gift of india.

Is there ought you need that my hands withhold,

Rich gifts of raiment or grain or gold?

Lo! I have flung to the East and the West

Priceless treasures torn from my breast,

And yielded the sons of my stricken womb

To the drum-beats of the duty, the sabers of doom.

Gathered like pearls in their alien graves

Silent they sleep by the Persian waves,

Scattered like shells on Egyptian sands,

They lie with pale brows and brave, broken hands,

they are strewn like blossoms mown down by chance

On the blood-brown meadows of Flanders and France

Can ye measure the grief of the tears I weep

Or compass the woe of the watch I keep?

Or the pride that thrills thro’ my heart’s despair

And the hope that comforts the anguish of prayer?

And the far sad glorious vision I see

Of the torn red banners of victory?

when the terror and the tumult of hate shall cease

And life be refashioned on anvils of peace,

And your love shall offer memorial thanks

To the comrades who fought on the dauntless ranks,

And you honour the deeds of the dauntless ones,

Remember the blood of my martyred sons!

        

                            -Deep Kumar.R.

                (4th year mechanical  engineering)