Indian Voices of the Great War: Soldiers’ Letters, 1914–18

by David E. Omissi (Editor), Omissi

Indian soldiers served in France from 1914 to 1918. This book is a selection of their letters. By turns poignant, funny, and almost unbearably moving, these documents vividly evoke the world of the Western Front - as seen through 'subaltern' Indian eyes. The letters also bear eloquent witness to the sepoys' often unsettling encounter with Europe, and with European culture. This book helps to map the imaginative landscape of South Asia's warrior-peasant communities.

Genres: History, India, Nonfiction

409 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

David Omissi is Senior Lecturer in Modern History at the University of Hull, specialising in the military history of the British Empire, with an emphasis on British India.

Reviews

[Peyton]

Hard to rate a collection of primary sources but v useful for my final paper for a course

[Rajiv Chopra · Rating 5 out of 5]

In many ways, this is a beautiful book. There are so many books written from the perspective of generals, kings and queens.

The role of the Indian soldiers in World War I has been largely forgotten by historians, and by Indians. David Omissi does a wonderful job in correcting this, and by publishing the letters of the soldiers, he brings them to life.

The letters give us an insight into the reality of war. They give an insight into their observations of life in foreign lands. Their eyes were opened, and if we had paid heed to what they wrote, India would be in a better place today.

This is a wonderful tribute to the forgotten Indian soldiers of World War I.

[SL · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were about one million Indian soldiers who served in the First World War as a part of the British army. Of them, about 60,000 died and 9,000 were decorated for their valour. Yet, they remain unsung heroes, their sacrifices are not acknowledged in the post-colonial world. Their struggles and stories don’t find a place in history. The book Indian Voices of the Great War (Penguin India) aims to recount the stories of these forgotten heroes by opening a window onto the tremendous role that India played in Britain’s win in the Great War.

The 300-odd page book, edited by eminent historian David Omissi, is a collection of correspondence between Indian soldiers in Europe and their families and friends in the subcontinent, between the years 1914 and 1919. The letters, written in various Indian languages but translated for the purposes of the book, are powerful reminders of the different battles, raids and large-scale attacks upon the German lines and the weather conditions in various theatres of war.

Through the various letters we find out how some soldiers detested the war, likening the scale of it to the Mahabharata and the battle of Karbala. On the other hand, the manner in which some of the Indians resigned themselves to the inevitability of death, how stoically they reported stories of horror and carnage not wishing to cause distress to their families and friends, is moving. These letters also reveal the soldiers’ unflinching loyalty to the King and how the Rajputs, Pathans and others fought not for mercenary motives but to preserve their izzat. Importance was also placed on receiving decorations — especially of the Victoria Cross.

But their letters also prominently dwell on things other than the war. Several interesting stories about their day-to-day life in the faraway land stand out in this aspect: a soldier recalling his encounter with a friendly child who didn’t shy away from talking to him, another narrating to his father how ‘pleasant and beautiful’ the country of France was, how the fruits there were tastier than what you got in India, are wonderful reminders of ordinary things in face of the looming war. One soldier, towards the fag end of the war, expressed the benefits of educating a girl child, saying, “The advancement of India lies in the hands of the women; until they act, India can never awake from her hare’s dream.”

Talking about the book, a friend recently remarked, “This book will teach us more about the First World War than our textbooks did.” And this is not an exaggerated claim. The book is a unique and compelling account of the Great War by those who experienced it first hand.

[Lghamilton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book. 75% of WWI books are about the experience of the French/English and German troops on the Western Front, and another 10% about the Eastern Front. Throw in a little Galipoli and all bases are covered, right? The British Empire (and other Allied empires) brought in troops from their far-flung colonies, but their narratives are slim; in some cases, because of a lack of written narrative culture. So I was excited to hear from the Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus from England's biggest colony. EXCEPT: these letters had to go through censors, so they boil down to (1) Paris and London are beautiful, and everyone is educated including the girls, (2) it rains a lot so there is plenty of harvest, (3) I am willing to die for the King/Allah/Guru - there's no greater honor so tell brother, cousin, friend to enlist, (4) war is hell (in general terms to get passed the censsor) - so don't let brother, cousin, friend enlist, and (5) where is my money?

[Iqra Tasmiae]

In acknowledgments of "A God in Every Stone".