First World War Indian soldiers commemorated after historical omission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) on Thursday announced the largest single addition to its casualty records since the Second World War, following a major international research project drawing on rare historical records. A total of 9,909 Indian Army servicemen - previously missing from the CWGC’s records - have now been added, correcting a past historical omission that meant they were never formally commemorated.
This milestone is the outcome of the Punjab Registers project, a five-year partnership between the CWGC, the UK Punjab Heritage Association (UKPHA) and the University of Greenwich. Together, the organisations digitised and analysed a rare and fragile collection of documents held at Lahore Museum, containing the names and service details of approximately 320,000 Punjabi recruits.
Dr Inder Singh Palahey, a dentist in Leicester (UK), spent years searching for information about his great-grandfather, Kesar Singh, who he knew had gone to war and never returned. He said, “From just hearsay to now discovering the facts about my great-grandfather’s ultimate military sacrifice, in particular the regiment he served in, has been incredibly poignant. Upon his death, he left a widow and two young children in poverty. So, the fact that he will now be remembered in perpetuity within global history ensures the whole family sacrifice is recognised, which simply means everything to us.”
Manjinder Nagra, the first Sikh to represent England in Rugby, found out her maternal great-grandfather, Jagat Singh, had not been properly commemorated. She said: “When I attended the annual Chattri Memorial Service in Brighton, held in honour of the soldiers from Undivided India who gave their lives during the First World War, I never expected to receive such momentous news.
“Learning from the UK Punjab Heritage Association that my maternal great-grandfather will now be officially recognised on the CWGC casualty database was incredibly moving and overwhelming.
“To know that his service and sacrifice are finally being properly acknowledged means so much to our family over 100 years on. In the present difficult times, this recognition feels especially significant. After all these years, he is finally being given the honour, dignity and remembrance he always deserved”
Claire Horton CBE, Director General of the CWGC, said, “Over a century after the end of the First World War, our mission endures, ensuring all those who died in the service of the Commonwealth receive the commemoration they deserve. The Punjab Registers project is a landmark moment in that mission. The recovery of every one of these 9,909 names helps restore missing chapters in family and world histories. It stands as a constant, timeless reminder that commemoration is not only about the past - it is about personal identity, family legacy and recognising the human cost of war. “CWGC remains committed to meaningful physical commemoration and to working with governments and nations to seek their views on a memorial to honour these individual soldiers with dignity and respect they so rightly deserve.”
