Why humans go to war can be viewed from various perspectives – philosophical, political and economic. History reveals that the socio-political reality and even the compulsions often prompted people to go to war. As India was a British colony during the First World War, at least 1.4 million Indians took part in the war on behalf of Britain. It has not been possible to arrive at a definitive figure regarding the total number of soldiers from the Indian Subcontinent who lost their lives in the First World War, as research into the British Indian Army is still going on.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) added 9,909 forgotten British Indian Army servicemen from pre-Partition India to their First World War casualty database in July 2026. It marks the largest single addition to the CWGC records since the Second World War. They all went from the Punjab region of undivided India and fought for Britain in the First World War. According to the CWGC, most of these soldiers died from war-related injuries (perhaps not directly at the front, but far away from the battlefield). However, they were denied official war grave status under the colonial-era British rulings. Now, the CWGC has overturned the century-old historical omission through the Punjab Registers Project and formally recognised the 9,909 British Indian Army servicemen who sacrificed their lives for the Colonial Ruler.

Reports suggest that 320,000 people from undivided Punjab Province joined the British Indian Army during the First World War. These troops were composed of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs who served across multiple global fronts, including the Western Front, Mesopotamia, Gallipoli and East Africa. However, the legacies of those soldiers were marginalised for a long time.

Following the First World War, the Colonial British Administration took the initiative to document information regarding their names, addresses and fates. Then came the Partition of the Indian Subcontinent, as well as Punjab Province. A century later, researchers and volunteers – spearheaded by the UK Punjab Heritage Association and the University of Greenwich, have digitised rare, handwritten colonial documents housed in Pakistan’s Lahore Museum.

The formal recognition of the forgotten Indian soldiers has immense importance as it corrects historical injustices. In fact, the quest for history, much like that of science, is continuous; as its ultimate goal is not static. The influence of place, time and the individuals involved is profound in historical inquiry. Just as a Eurocentric perspective has long dominated the narrative surrounding the First World War, the role of the Indian Subcontinent (and other contemporary British colonies) was viewed as marginal within that framework. The new additions and amendments have changed that perspective.

Moreover, it is a significant achievement for the descendants of those who received this recognition. For many of them, it is even a discovery. There are many people who only knew that one of their ancestors had joined the First World War and never returned. Now, they have learnt that the names of their ancestors have been found in the documents examined and those names would be added to the official list. Perhaps, this historical truth will teach the descendants, who currently live in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, to view their roots in a new light.

This new perspective and new way of thinking are a lesson from history itself. The dedicated study of history has helped the forgotten British Indian soldiers to earn their place in history.

Meanwhile,

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Facebook

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Twitter

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Linkedin

Contact us: kousdas@gmail.com

Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das