First World War and Second World War
First World War
Over a million South Asian men served in the Indian Army during the First World War. These soldiers came from modern-day Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma (Myanmar), India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus all fought during the war and saw active service as infantrymen, cavalrymen and in non-combatant roles. South Asian men served in France, Belgium, Gallipoli, Mesopotamia and East Africa.
The British Indian Army tried to recruit from areas where they believed men were better suited to war. They preferred men from hilly, colder regions such as the Gurkhas, Punjabi Sikhs and Muslims, and Rajputs from what is now Northern India. They called people from these regions the ‘martial races’. Men who the British did not view as ‘martial races’ served in non-combatant roles.
© IWM (Q 2061) Forward scouts of the 9th Hodson's Horse (Bengal Lancers), Indian Army, pause to consult a map, near Vraignes, April 1917
© IWM (E 699) Indian troops parade with anti-tank weapons - a Boys anti-tank rifle and 'Molotov cocktails', 6 October 1940.
Second World War
Approximately 2.3 million South Asian soldiers fought in the Indian army during the Second World War. The Indian Army played a major role in operations in Italy, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, North and East Africa and East Asia. Crucially, the Indian army helped recapture Burma from the Japanese.
On the homefront, India’s factories maintained regular supply of important war materials. This huge contribution to the war altered the psychology of the Indian people and transformed the relationship between India and Britain. The war had reversed the economic relationship between imperial power and colony as the British government now owed India money for their support to the war effort. The cost of war reduced Britain’s economic power greatly. This shift in power relations sped up the path to independence.
