Indian soldiers in the Great War

Dr Glyn Prysor will explain how Indians played a vital role in the British Empire’s war effort, from the Western Front to the Middle East and Africa.

Some 60,000 lost their lives, and their graves and memorials can be found from Brighton to Basra. The talk will explore their wartime experiences and reflect on how they are remembered today.

The Gateways to the First World War Annual Lecture, chaired by Dr Lucy Noakes, Reader in Modern History in the University of Brighton’s School of Humanities, was on Friday, 20 November, at 5.45pm, at the Old Courtroom in Church Street, Brighton.

The Gateways to the First World War, partnered by the University of Brighton, is a centre for public engagement with the First World War centenary and is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council to support public interest in the centenary of the First World War.

The Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove, have organised an international conference in Brighton, 'Voices of India: the First World War', supported by Gateways to the First World War. Taking part will be TV and radio presenter Anita Anand, historians from India and the Chattri Memorial Group amongst others from community groups and universities across the world.

The conference will consider how Indian soldiers and their families have been represented in memory, literature, media and official record; and how they can or should be remembered and viewed a century on.

The conference was on 21 November.