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. tells, for the first time, the personal stories of some of these Indians who went to the Western Front: 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.

Product details

• Authors: Shrabani Basu, Basu Shrabani
• Publisher: Bloomsbury
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 30.06.2016
• EAN: 9781408880111
• ISBN: 978-1-4088-8011-1
• No. of pages: 272
• Dimensions: 130 mm x 198 mm x 22 mm
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > General, dictionaries; Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political administration; Europe, First World War, HISTORY / Military / World War I, HISTORY / Military / General, military history, 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, c 1910 to c 1919, Asian History, General and world history, South Asia (Indian sub-continent), c 1914 to c 1918 (World War One period), Military institutions