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Sepoys in the Trenches: The Indian Corps on the Western Front, 1914-1915
October 1914.
With the First World War underway, and desperately short of men, the British Army forms the two-division Indian Corps which is sent over to France just in time for the first battle of Ypres.
They find themselves in an unknown land, fighting an enemy about whom they know very little, and for a cause that is not their own.
In recognition of their courage and bravery, many returned home with medals.
But their fight was a unique and difficult one.
As customs and beliefs differed throughout the Corps, it was necessary to find British soldiers who understood and were, in turn, welcomed and admired by the Indian troops.
And even as they took terrible casualties, and morale suffered, the men of the Indian Corps fought on with dignity, honour and valour.
‘Sepoys in the Trenches’ pays tribute to the many brave Indian men who fought and died in France.
'A valuable addition to the body of Great War literature as well as an overdue tribute to the part played in it by the soldiers of India.' British Army Review
'In this scholarly and eminently readable book, Major Gordon Corrigan . .. has, at a stroke, filled a significant gap in the historiogaphy of the the First World War.' Professor Peter Simkins
'Meticulously researched and well-written ... a history of a magnificent Corps of proud warriors courageously led, to whom this Country owes an eternal debt.' Pennant
Major Gordon Corrigan is a retired Gurkha officer, a member of the British Commission for Military History and Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society. Fluent in the Nepali language, he is now a freelance military historian and battlefield lecturer. He is a well known figure on the History channel.
With the First World War underway, and desperately short of men, the British Army forms the two-division Indian Corps which is sent over to France just in time for the first battle of Ypres.
They find themselves in an unknown land, fighting an enemy about whom they know very little, and for a cause that is not their own.
In recognition of their courage and bravery, many returned home with medals.
But their fight was a unique and difficult one.
As customs and beliefs differed throughout the Corps, it was necessary to find British soldiers who understood and were, in turn, welcomed and admired by the Indian troops.
And even as they took terrible casualties, and morale suffered, the men of the Indian Corps fought on with dignity, honour and valour.
‘Sepoys in the Trenches’ pays tribute to the many brave Indian men who fought and died in France.
'A valuable addition to the body of Great War literature as well as an overdue tribute to the part played in it by the soldiers of India.' British Army Review
'In this scholarly and eminently readable book, Major Gordon Corrigan . .. has, at a stroke, filled a significant gap in the historiogaphy of the the First World War.' Professor Peter Simkins
'Meticulously researched and well-written ... a history of a magnificent Corps of proud warriors courageously led, to whom this Country owes an eternal debt.' Pennant
Major Gordon Corrigan is a retired Gurkha officer, a member of the British Commission for Military History and Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society. Fluent in the Nepali language, he is now a freelance military historian and battlefield lecturer. He is a well known figure on the History channel.
380 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 20, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 30, 2020
This is an excellent book. I have read a few other books on the role of the Indian soldiers in World War I, and they have been written by civilians.
Gordon Corrigan is an army man, and his treatment of the subject reflects his background. The book is precise, with no hyperbole.
Gordon Corrigan has done his research well, and has done a lot to separate myth from historical fact.
Where the Indian soldiers are to be praised, he does so, and where they have made errors, he has pointed them out. Through the book, I could make out his deep respect for the soldiers, and their contribution to the war effort.
What always needs to be borne in mind, is that the Indian soldiers had never been trained to fight in the trenches. The policy of building reserves also meant that some of the men who came into battle without adequate training. They fought in the cold, wet winter in uniforms meant for the tropics. They innovated by making bombs of local material, and through their time in Europe, they fought with gallantry.
This comes through, and for this, India owes Gordon Corrigan a debt of gratitude.
I like this book, and consider it essential reading for anyone interested in the role of the Indian soldiers in the European front of World War I.
Gordon Corrigan is an army man, and his treatment of the subject reflects his background. The book is precise, with no hyperbole.
Gordon Corrigan has done his research well, and has done a lot to separate myth from historical fact.
Where the Indian soldiers are to be praised, he does so, and where they have made errors, he has pointed them out. Through the book, I could make out his deep respect for the soldiers, and their contribution to the war effort.
What always needs to be borne in mind, is that the Indian soldiers had never been trained to fight in the trenches. The policy of building reserves also meant that some of the men who came into battle without adequate training. They fought in the cold, wet winter in uniforms meant for the tropics. They innovated by making bombs of local material, and through their time in Europe, they fought with gallantry.
This comes through, and for this, India owes Gordon Corrigan a debt of gratitude.
I like this book, and consider it essential reading for anyone interested in the role of the Indian soldiers in the European front of World War I.
December 15, 2012
This well researched and nicely presented book; Sepoys in the Trenches by Gordon Corrigan, offers the reader an insightful and interesting account of the Indian Corps during the first year of the Great War. The book provides a detailed combat narrative of the period between 1914 - 1915 when the Indian Corps served on the Western Front. The author, who served in the British Army from 1962 to 1998, spent some time in command of a Gurkha unit and his love for these brave and resourceful soldiers shows in this account.
The book is well written and covers a large range of material and subjects concerning the Indian units who served on the Western Front as part of the BEF until they were re-deployed to Mesopotamia in November 1915. Not only are the battles covered in detail but the make-up and performance of the Indian Corps is assessed and a number of myths and stories are clarified and laid to rest.
The author takes the time to give you the background of the Indian Corps and how it was organized and recruited to function under much different circumstances than the attritional warfare of the Western Front. He then shows the problems encountered by the Indian Army on the Western Front due to it being raised, trained and equipped to fight skirmishes on the Indian frontiers and not a modern European war.
At the end of the book you feel that the officers and men of the Indian Corps did an outstanding job during that first year of the Great War and that they might not have received the credit that they were due. That they had fought in every major British battle during that period and suffered horrendous casualties fighting in a country they knew little of and in a war that had nothing to do with them and still retained their loyalty and faith in the British Empire was quite amazing.
The author has utilised a number of first-hand accounts throughout the narrative, which give you a small idea and feeling of the Indian troops fighting in France. A number of black & white photographs and detailed maps are provided throughout the book and are of a decent standard. Overall this is an excellent account covering a little known and sparsely written about aspect of the First World War. I am sure that any student or reader of this period of history will enjoy this book and will learn something new to take away after putting the book back on its shelf.
The book is well written and covers a large range of material and subjects concerning the Indian units who served on the Western Front as part of the BEF until they were re-deployed to Mesopotamia in November 1915. Not only are the battles covered in detail but the make-up and performance of the Indian Corps is assessed and a number of myths and stories are clarified and laid to rest.
The author takes the time to give you the background of the Indian Corps and how it was organized and recruited to function under much different circumstances than the attritional warfare of the Western Front. He then shows the problems encountered by the Indian Army on the Western Front due to it being raised, trained and equipped to fight skirmishes on the Indian frontiers and not a modern European war.
At the end of the book you feel that the officers and men of the Indian Corps did an outstanding job during that first year of the Great War and that they might not have received the credit that they were due. That they had fought in every major British battle during that period and suffered horrendous casualties fighting in a country they knew little of and in a war that had nothing to do with them and still retained their loyalty and faith in the British Empire was quite amazing.
The author has utilised a number of first-hand accounts throughout the narrative, which give you a small idea and feeling of the Indian troops fighting in France. A number of black & white photographs and detailed maps are provided throughout the book and are of a decent standard. Overall this is an excellent account covering a little known and sparsely written about aspect of the First World War. I am sure that any student or reader of this period of history will enjoy this book and will learn something new to take away after putting the book back on its shelf.
February 13, 2015
An excellent readable history of the British Indian Corps on the Western Front in the first year of the Great War
April 24, 2014
Sepoys in the Trenches is the story of the Indian Corps serving in the British Expeditionary Force, in France in 1914-1915. Corrigan provides a complete and informative account, examining every aspect of the story, but keeping the narrative readable and entertaining.
The author served many years as an officer in British Gurkha regiments, and his knowledge and affection for the Gurkhas and the wider British Indian Army show through. The narrative begins with a thorough background of the composition and organization of the Indian Army that at the outset of World War I. While this may not sounds terribly exciting, the details of how the Indian Army took a wide array of ethnic, religious, and caste groups (as well as British officers) and synthesize them into a coherent and capable fighting force.
While it may seem odd to take a force of colonial troops unaccustomed to Europe and European warfare, and send them to France, Britain was short of professional soldiers at the start of World War I and the Indian Army provided a large source of these. While the soldiers and officers of the Indian Army were professional soldiers, and more experienced than many of their British and French counterparts in 1914, they also encountered many difficulties.
The author explores how the Indian Corps overcame many obstacles, such as difficulties replacing casualties, high casualty rates among officers and NCOs, being re-armed with new weapons and receiving insufficient training on them, and lack of proper artillery and other support weapons (machine guns, mortars, and grenades) to achieve an admirable record of service in France. Corrigan gives a detailed account of the campaigns in which the Indian Corps fought, highlighted with tales of individual valor by men of the Corps who won the Victoria Cross and other military accolades. He also thoroughly examines and busts some myths that grew up around the Corps and its service in France, over the years.
While the author is overall very positive about the Indian Corps, and obviously their story holds a special place for him, his narrative is not uncritical. Corrigan recognizes and admits weaknesses and failures, where they occurred, which if not included might leave the reader thinking that the author fairly fawned over the Indians. This book is a very strong account, overall, but it has one big, glaring weakness. There are no maps or illustrations in this text, this may be specific the the e-book format, but some maps at least would have gone a long way in helping to keep track of the Indian Corps' movements and battles in France.
The author served many years as an officer in British Gurkha regiments, and his knowledge and affection for the Gurkhas and the wider British Indian Army show through. The narrative begins with a thorough background of the composition and organization of the Indian Army that at the outset of World War I. While this may not sounds terribly exciting, the details of how the Indian Army took a wide array of ethnic, religious, and caste groups (as well as British officers) and synthesize them into a coherent and capable fighting force.
While it may seem odd to take a force of colonial troops unaccustomed to Europe and European warfare, and send them to France, Britain was short of professional soldiers at the start of World War I and the Indian Army provided a large source of these. While the soldiers and officers of the Indian Army were professional soldiers, and more experienced than many of their British and French counterparts in 1914, they also encountered many difficulties.
The author explores how the Indian Corps overcame many obstacles, such as difficulties replacing casualties, high casualty rates among officers and NCOs, being re-armed with new weapons and receiving insufficient training on them, and lack of proper artillery and other support weapons (machine guns, mortars, and grenades) to achieve an admirable record of service in France. Corrigan gives a detailed account of the campaigns in which the Indian Corps fought, highlighted with tales of individual valor by men of the Corps who won the Victoria Cross and other military accolades. He also thoroughly examines and busts some myths that grew up around the Corps and its service in France, over the years.
While the author is overall very positive about the Indian Corps, and obviously their story holds a special place for him, his narrative is not uncritical. Corrigan recognizes and admits weaknesses and failures, where they occurred, which if not included might leave the reader thinking that the author fairly fawned over the Indians. This book is a very strong account, overall, but it has one big, glaring weakness. There are no maps or illustrations in this text, this may be specific the the e-book format, but some maps at least would have gone a long way in helping to keep track of the Indian Corps' movements and battles in France.
August 1, 2018
Well researched. The preparations required to get the Corps to the Front is the most interesting segment but it is so well written that the author makes even the description of the movements of the individual battalions at the Front readable.
July 9, 2019
Excellent book about a Corps who deserve far more recognition
Anybody who has an interest in the First World War should read this book. Written by a former Gurkha officer, it deals with a body of extremely brave men who have been shamefully ignored by history in Britain.
Anybody who has an interest in the First World War should read this book. Written by a former Gurkha officer, it deals with a body of extremely brave men who have been shamefully ignored by history in Britain.
March 29, 2014
A much-needed work
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews