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For King and Another Country: Indian Soldiers on the Western Front, 1914-18
Over a million Indian soldiers fought in the First World War, the largest force from the colonies and dominions. Their contribution, however, has been largely forgotten. Many soldiers were illiterate and travelled from remote villages in India to fight in the muddy trenches in France and Flanders. Many went on to win the highest bravery awards. For King and another Country tells, for the first time, the personal stories of some of these Indians who went to the Western from a grand turbanned Maharaja rearing to fight for Empire to a lowly sweeper who dies in a hospital in England, from a Pathan who wins the Victoria Cross to a young pilot barely out of school. Shrabani Basu delves into archives in Britain and narratives buried in villages in India and Pakistan to recreate the War through the eyes of the Indians who fought it. There are heroic tales of bravery as well as those of despair and desperation; there are accounts of the relationships that were forged between the Indians with their British officers and how curries reached the frontline. Above all, it is the great story of how the War changed India and led, ultimately, to the call for independence.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published May 31, 2016
16 people are currently reading
397 people want to read
About the author
Shrabani Basu
9 books92 followersShrabani Basu graduated in History from St Stephen’s College, Delhi and completed her Masters from Delhi University. In 1983, she began her career as a trainee journalist in the bustling offices of The Times of India in Bombay.
Since 1987, Basu has been the London correspondent of Ananda Bazar Patrika group --writing for "Sunday, Ananda Bazar Patrika, "and "The Telegraph."
Basu has appeared on radio and TV in the UK and founded the Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust for a memorial for the Second World War heroine which was unveiled in 2012. She is the author of "Curry: The Story of the Nation's Favourite Dish," "Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan," and "Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant."
Since 1987, Basu has been the London correspondent of Ananda Bazar Patrika group --writing for "Sunday, Ananda Bazar Patrika, "and "The Telegraph."
Basu has appeared on radio and TV in the UK and founded the Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust for a memorial for the Second World War heroine which was unveiled in 2012. She is the author of "Curry: The Story of the Nation's Favourite Dish," "Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan," and "Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant."
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 25, 2015
Shrabani Basu has provided the reader with a decent and heart-felt account of the soldiers of the Indian Corps who fought and died on the Western Front during the early years of the Great War. The author writes passionately about these brave men who left their homes to fight a war in a foreign country far across the seas for an Empire that some were ambiguous about to say the least.
The book covers just more than their military campaigns, the author takes the time to discuss the efforts that the British High Command and Government took to ensure that these soldiers were well looked after and received whilst fighting in Europe. The author provides insightful details on the management of food, kitchens, hospitals and rest centres for the various castes and religions within the Indian Corps. The author also takes us past the end of the Great War to events back in India when these men returned home, parts of which make for very sobering reading.
You can feel the heavy weight of history in these efforts, with the Indian Mutiny still fresh in the minds of many along with the tinder box fear of a Holy Jihad being called by Germany and her ally Turkey. Thanks to the efforts of many understanding military and political personal these fears ended up being groundless with only a few minor incidents of desertion and mutiny being recorded.
The highlight of the book for me was the author's stories of those brave men in the Indian Corps who were awarded the Empire's highest gallantry medal, the Victoria Cross. The accounts of these brave men really made the book along with the story of India's first fighter pilots; Sardar Hardit Singh Malik and Indra Lal Roy.
There was also the account of a friendship that has continued on to today between two families that was forged during the Battle of Neuve-Chapelle when an Indian soldier; Manta Singh saved the life of a British officer. Captain Henderson was seriously wounded and near death and Manta Singh heroically risked his own life to push the Henderson in a wheelbarrow that he found in no-mans land under gunfire to safety although he himself was severely injured while carrying out this action. Manta Singh later died of his wounds but the story didn't stop there, it continued with the families of both men into WW2 and further.
The only negative comment that I would make about this book is you can tell the author is a journalist. Her writing about the fighting on the Western Front can at times come across as a bit stilted, for example: "Pounded by German artillery fire, the Baluchis lost an entire division in a direct hit." or "He had been shot through the temple with a shrapnel bullet..." Also there were times where there was not enough detail to complete or tie in the story. In one case some Indian units were being used to plug the line held by some British cavalry, the next minute they were involved in a major attack upon the German line without any preparatory detail in the story, you seem to jump from one thing to something else completely different.
However as a book to begin your reading on this most interesting subject then this would be the book to start with. Very little has been written about the sacrifices made by these brave men so I would hope that this book gets the opportunity to set the record straight. For more detailed reading on the battles fought by these men I would highly recommend; "Sepoys in the Trenches: The Indian Corps on the Western Front 1914-15" by Gordon Corrigan or for the Gallipoli campaign; "Die in Battle, Do Not Despair: The Indians on Gallipoli, 1915" by Peter Stanley.
The book covers just more than their military campaigns, the author takes the time to discuss the efforts that the British High Command and Government took to ensure that these soldiers were well looked after and received whilst fighting in Europe. The author provides insightful details on the management of food, kitchens, hospitals and rest centres for the various castes and religions within the Indian Corps. The author also takes us past the end of the Great War to events back in India when these men returned home, parts of which make for very sobering reading.
You can feel the heavy weight of history in these efforts, with the Indian Mutiny still fresh in the minds of many along with the tinder box fear of a Holy Jihad being called by Germany and her ally Turkey. Thanks to the efforts of many understanding military and political personal these fears ended up being groundless with only a few minor incidents of desertion and mutiny being recorded.
The highlight of the book for me was the author's stories of those brave men in the Indian Corps who were awarded the Empire's highest gallantry medal, the Victoria Cross. The accounts of these brave men really made the book along with the story of India's first fighter pilots; Sardar Hardit Singh Malik and Indra Lal Roy.
There was also the account of a friendship that has continued on to today between two families that was forged during the Battle of Neuve-Chapelle when an Indian soldier; Manta Singh saved the life of a British officer. Captain Henderson was seriously wounded and near death and Manta Singh heroically risked his own life to push the Henderson in a wheelbarrow that he found in no-mans land under gunfire to safety although he himself was severely injured while carrying out this action. Manta Singh later died of his wounds but the story didn't stop there, it continued with the families of both men into WW2 and further.
The only negative comment that I would make about this book is you can tell the author is a journalist. Her writing about the fighting on the Western Front can at times come across as a bit stilted, for example: "Pounded by German artillery fire, the Baluchis lost an entire division in a direct hit." or "He had been shot through the temple with a shrapnel bullet..." Also there were times where there was not enough detail to complete or tie in the story. In one case some Indian units were being used to plug the line held by some British cavalry, the next minute they were involved in a major attack upon the German line without any preparatory detail in the story, you seem to jump from one thing to something else completely different.
However as a book to begin your reading on this most interesting subject then this would be the book to start with. Very little has been written about the sacrifices made by these brave men so I would hope that this book gets the opportunity to set the record straight. For more detailed reading on the battles fought by these men I would highly recommend; "Sepoys in the Trenches: The Indian Corps on the Western Front 1914-15" by Gordon Corrigan or for the Gallipoli campaign; "Die in Battle, Do Not Despair: The Indians on Gallipoli, 1915" by Peter Stanley.
January 18, 2018
Certainly not an authoritative history but a lovely glimpse into the vital yet sadly forgotten contribution of India (to include Pakistan) to its imperial father or should I say master. The Indians were keen to go to war in a strange, distant land to show their support for the King. They hoped for dominion status and increased autonomy. Even Gandhi supported the sending of troops.
This book chronicles the Indians in Europe in the trenches. They also fought against the Turks in the Middle East but those contributions are not covered. We meet several soldiers some of whom are awarded the Victoria Cross. These are both Muslim and Hindu soldiers. They are mountain men with martial ardor as the Brits at the time would say. One VC recipient had a brother who defected to the Germans and ended up in Afghanistan trying to convince the Emir to declare jihad against Britain. And there were Indian aces in the air war over the trenches too. The Indians fought bravely and never got the credit they deserved. The war could have been much different without their timely placement on the line.
One of the biggest takeaways was the tremendous organization and logistics required to sustain such a diverse army. Muslim and Hindu soldiers had unique dietary restrictions and requirements from English soldiers. They arrived quickly to Europe and were received with more and better hospitality in France than in Britain. The French were too welcoming thought the British. The Brits turned to in finding and converting buildings into hospitals. But well intentioned it was also segregationist and racist. Indian troops had their mail censored and were basically imprisoned. The fear of Indians mixing with white women was a primary concern- shades of the American South.
Indian soldiers returned home to find famine as India had supported the UK to its own detriment. Much like American Vietnam Veterans they returned home to indifference. They also returned home to the Amritsar Massacre in which General Dyer murdered hundreds of civilians peacefully protesting. So what did they fight for? They fought for each other as soldiers have done and will continue to do. I for sure will seek out their monuments and graves and pay my respects.
This book chronicles the Indians in Europe in the trenches. They also fought against the Turks in the Middle East but those contributions are not covered. We meet several soldiers some of whom are awarded the Victoria Cross. These are both Muslim and Hindu soldiers. They are mountain men with martial ardor as the Brits at the time would say. One VC recipient had a brother who defected to the Germans and ended up in Afghanistan trying to convince the Emir to declare jihad against Britain. And there were Indian aces in the air war over the trenches too. The Indians fought bravely and never got the credit they deserved. The war could have been much different without their timely placement on the line.
One of the biggest takeaways was the tremendous organization and logistics required to sustain such a diverse army. Muslim and Hindu soldiers had unique dietary restrictions and requirements from English soldiers. They arrived quickly to Europe and were received with more and better hospitality in France than in Britain. The French were too welcoming thought the British. The Brits turned to in finding and converting buildings into hospitals. But well intentioned it was also segregationist and racist. Indian troops had their mail censored and were basically imprisoned. The fear of Indians mixing with white women was a primary concern- shades of the American South.
Indian soldiers returned home to find famine as India had supported the UK to its own detriment. Much like American Vietnam Veterans they returned home to indifference. They also returned home to the Amritsar Massacre in which General Dyer murdered hundreds of civilians peacefully protesting. So what did they fight for? They fought for each other as soldiers have done and will continue to do. I for sure will seek out their monuments and graves and pay my respects.
June 9, 2016
A praise-worthy effort by Shrabani. This is an important book which brings out the efforts of Indians in the first world war. She has brought out all the aspects of Indian participation in the war. She has crafted a highly coherent and relevant book. She has woven well-researched human stories, sketched the changing psych of the participants over the period of the war, and Britain's effort to being impartial and providing all the humanitarian support to the participants.
In patches, some sections of prose are lengthy and repetitive. This book also needed a better editorial team in my humble opinion.
Leaving apart those personal and insignificant criticism, I believe this book should be highly recommended and the author should be applauded for her efforts in bringing this important book.
Salaam, Shrabani!
In patches, some sections of prose are lengthy and repetitive. This book also needed a better editorial team in my humble opinion.
Leaving apart those personal and insignificant criticism, I believe this book should be highly recommended and the author should be applauded for her efforts in bringing this important book.
Salaam, Shrabani!
October 4, 2017
A well researched & wonderfully written book about the role of India in the western front in World War 1. The title is v catchy. I learnt some interesting things, such as "Emden" (the name of the German light cruiser that caused havoc in the South China Sea & Indian ocean at the start of the war), had entered the Tamil lexicon, meaning audacious, after its surprise shelling of Madras. Also that "Blighty" comes from the Urdu "vilayat". There are tales of Indian Victoria Cross winners & the first pilots in the Royal Flying Corps, British Indian army generals preventing Indian troops from being used piecemeal, and more as combined units where they would be more effective, and a lot about how special cooking, hospital & cremation/ burial arrangements were made to take care of Indian religious sensitivities, for the 1.5 million brave soldiers who volunteered to fight & cross the "kala pani" to reach the trenches.
January 10, 2025
***1/2 An intimate look at the experience of war for the martial races of India in the alien environment of the waterlogged trenches in Flanders. No charges up Pakistani hillforts, no mettle with sword & bayonet under the sun. The grey skies seemed eternally devoid of sunlight, but forever pregnant with rain to feed the interminable frostbite.
Their cultural creature comforts were reasonably well looked after, but there is always gloved steel in that British benevolence, for it helped keep the Corps' mentality of loyal mercenaries in isolation. Needless to say, no fraternizing with white women.
For a more comprehensive military outlook, see Sepoys in the Trenches: The Indian Corps on the Western Front, 1914-1915 by Gordon Corrigan.
Their cultural creature comforts were reasonably well looked after, but there is always gloved steel in that British benevolence, for it helped keep the Corps' mentality of loyal mercenaries in isolation. Needless to say, no fraternizing with white women.
For a more comprehensive military outlook, see Sepoys in the Trenches: The Indian Corps on the Western Front, 1914-1915 by Gordon Corrigan.
December 4, 2019
This is an excellent book. Interestingly, I have come across several books about the role that Indian soldiers played during the first World War - a role that seems to have been largely forgotten by people across the world. This includes people from India. This is a tragedy.
Anyway, to the book. What I like about the book, is that Shrabani brings their role to life. She has given colour and emotion to the lives of the dead. The book is emotional at many levels, as she writes about the tales of bravery. She also writes about the tale of Sukha the untouchable sweeper who was finally given a burial by the English, because Hindus and Muslims would not allow this.
She writes about friendships that lasted across generations, and about the widow Satoori Devi who wore her husband's Victoria Cross until she died.
Yes, read this book if you want to read about the Indian bravehearts who fought and died so that people from other countries could walk free.
Anyway, to the book. What I like about the book, is that Shrabani brings their role to life. She has given colour and emotion to the lives of the dead. The book is emotional at many levels, as she writes about the tales of bravery. She also writes about the tale of Sukha the untouchable sweeper who was finally given a burial by the English, because Hindus and Muslims would not allow this.
She writes about friendships that lasted across generations, and about the widow Satoori Devi who wore her husband's Victoria Cross until she died.
Yes, read this book if you want to read about the Indian bravehearts who fought and died so that people from other countries could walk free.
October 30, 2022
Fittingly it ends on the Amritsar Massacre of 1919 which in terms of single incidents has to be one of the blackest on my country's colonial history. I'd heard of it but not read into the details and by the end I was cursing Reginald Dyer to keep rotting in that earth under my breath as I took it all on board.
It's not really more than 200 pages so it's probably more of a primer on the subject but it's a fine platform for jumping off into further reading if you wanted to get a broader idea of people who are often excluded from the histories in the trenches.
It's not really more than 200 pages so it's probably more of a primer on the subject but it's a fine platform for jumping off into further reading if you wanted to get a broader idea of people who are often excluded from the histories in the trenches.
March 24, 2024
A fascinating account of India and Indian soldiers during the war. There are little details about culture, language, and individual life peppered throughout the book which make it an engaging read.
Picked this book up at a bookshelf at an AirBnB I was staying at. Something to say about happy coincidences!
Picked this book up at a bookshelf at an AirBnB I was staying at. Something to say about happy coincidences!
December 30, 2023
This is an interesting one. Whilst I enjoyed the different point of view in this despite being so short this took a while to get into. Really appreciated the human stories told in this but the wording and structure didn't help to connect with the very real lives of the real people involved.
September 4, 2025
Why, oh why aren’t we taught about this aspect of the Great War in our history lessons? This book is full of revelations and answers which have remained silent for so long and need to be known about. Fascinating.
May 1, 2021
The author has done justice in bringing light over the untold history of brave Indian soldiers who took part in first world war who were unfortunately hoodwinked by a masked autocracy.
December 30, 2024
Very moving! Loved the cordiality the Indians had towards French and Vice Versa. Never knew about that before.
July 26, 2016
A fascinating chronicle of the Indian soldiers who servied on the Western Front during the First World War. This is a story that needed to be told, for the bravery and dedication of these soldiers have been all but forgotten in the many histories of the Great War.
November 14, 2016
I read this for school but it was really interesting and didn't feel like work at all.
April 6, 2017
An excellent study of the men from the Indian Subcontinent, which of course back then included what is now Pakistan, who volunteered to fight in the First World War. Although soldiers from Britain joined up in their droves most of them (including my own grandfather) didn’t know one end of a gun from the other and required months of training. India, on the other hand, already has a substantial army and many thousands of others answered the call - it is arguable that without them it really would have been all over by Christmas, or shortly thereafter, and not in a good way.
The author gives a good overview of the situation but mainly concentrates on the positive reception the soldiers received from people of France, Belgium, and England too, and the considerable efforts the authorities in England went to, in meeting their religious, culinary and other requirements, and on telling the stories of individuals.
So we read of the first VC recipient, Khudadad Khan of the 129th Baluchis, who defended his trench single handed after all his companions had died, of Hardit Singh Makik, the first Indian to join the Royal Flying Corps, of Gabar Singh, whose VC was awarded posthumously after securing a German trench and whose young wife wore it on her sari for the rest of her life.
Then there is the notable deserter Mir Mast, who went over to the Germans and led a party overland from Berlin to Kabul in order to persuade the Emir of Afghanistan to join the Germans against the British. Nothing came of it and Mast and two of his friends slipped away and went back home - was this always his intention one wonders? Meanwhile, his brother Mir Dast, was awarded the VC for saving the lives of 8 injured British and Indian officers at Ypres.
In the New Forest the untouchable sweeper Sukha passed away in hospital. Although by this time arrangements had been made for appropriate disposal of the dead, neither the Muslims nor the Hindus would look after his remains, and so he lies buried in a Christian graveyard in Brockenhurst.
The book focuses on the Western Front and in the Autumn of 1915 it was decided that most of the Indian troops would be moved from the Western Front to other theatres of war such as Mesopotamia and Salonika where the fighting was just as fierce but at least was free of the endless mud, rain and cold that even the bravest of warriors found hard to cope with.
As for the aftermath of the war - in India things had moved on. There was famine and unrest and the massacre at Jallianwala Bagh in 1919 changed everything. There was a Maharajah amongst the signatories of the Treaty of Versailles, but the returning soldiers never really got the heroes welcome they deserved.
The author gives a good overview of the situation but mainly concentrates on the positive reception the soldiers received from people of France, Belgium, and England too, and the considerable efforts the authorities in England went to, in meeting their religious, culinary and other requirements, and on telling the stories of individuals.
So we read of the first VC recipient, Khudadad Khan of the 129th Baluchis, who defended his trench single handed after all his companions had died, of Hardit Singh Makik, the first Indian to join the Royal Flying Corps, of Gabar Singh, whose VC was awarded posthumously after securing a German trench and whose young wife wore it on her sari for the rest of her life.
Then there is the notable deserter Mir Mast, who went over to the Germans and led a party overland from Berlin to Kabul in order to persuade the Emir of Afghanistan to join the Germans against the British. Nothing came of it and Mast and two of his friends slipped away and went back home - was this always his intention one wonders? Meanwhile, his brother Mir Dast, was awarded the VC for saving the lives of 8 injured British and Indian officers at Ypres.
In the New Forest the untouchable sweeper Sukha passed away in hospital. Although by this time arrangements had been made for appropriate disposal of the dead, neither the Muslims nor the Hindus would look after his remains, and so he lies buried in a Christian graveyard in Brockenhurst.
The book focuses on the Western Front and in the Autumn of 1915 it was decided that most of the Indian troops would be moved from the Western Front to other theatres of war such as Mesopotamia and Salonika where the fighting was just as fierce but at least was free of the endless mud, rain and cold that even the bravest of warriors found hard to cope with.
As for the aftermath of the war - in India things had moved on. There was famine and unrest and the massacre at Jallianwala Bagh in 1919 changed everything. There was a Maharajah amongst the signatories of the Treaty of Versailles, but the returning soldiers never really got the heroes welcome they deserved.
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September 25, 2018A fascinating account of the Indian soldiers who fought and died on the Western front in the first world war. It shares stories little told in India or the West, and was a treasure to read. I hope you enjoy it too.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews