This article first appeared in My Travelogue by Bhushavali
INDIAN SOLDIERS IN WORLD WAR 1
MEMORIAL TOURISM IN PAS-DE-CALAIS, FRANCE FOR INDIANS
Visiting the graves of the forgotten soldiers of Indian Army in the First World War near Neuve-Chapelle, France
Following the Indian War Graves in Belgium and Indian War Graves in Somme in France, it was time to visit the Indian War Graves in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. In France, there are 3 regions with the majority of graves of Indians Soldiers of WWI in France - Somme, Marseille, and Pas-de-Calais.
The region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais touches the southern Belgian border, meaning
it is very close to Brussels, however, by public transport, it is not too easy
to visit. The best way to visit this region is either by bike or by car.
Recently, we headed there, with a friend and his car! The trip was for 3 days
including the UNESCO Listed Mining Sites in Nord-Pas-de-Calais for 2 days and
1 day dedicated to the Common Wealth War Graves in the region.
UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN FRANCE & BELGIUM - FUNERARY AND
MEMORY SITES OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR
In 2023, after I visited these sites, 139 World War I sites in France
& Belgium, have been included together, as the Funerary and Memory
Sites of the First World War under UNESCO. Many of these cemeteries
listed below have been included in the list of 139 sites.
.jpg)
Rue-Petillon Military Cemetery. Photo by Benoit Dieval
.jpg)
Rue-de-Bacquerot No:1 Military Cemetery. Photo by Benoit Dieval
.jpg)
Neuve Chapelle Indian Memorial. Photo by Benoit Dieval
WHY DID THE INDIANS FIGHT IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR?
To give you a gist - Austria's crown prince Archduke Ferdinand was killed by
Serbian nationalists. Austria wages war on Serbia. Serbia befriends Germany,
here on called Axis. Austria befriends Russia & France, here on called
Allies. Britain joined the Allies. India was a British Colony and they
deputed Indian soldiers & laborers to Europe!
Not a few but, more than 8,00,000 soldiers and more than 5,00,000 laborers
participated in the First World War (which was then called the Great War) of
whom more than 73,000 died! Read here to know more about the role of Indians in WWI.
Again, I mention here too, as I mentioned in my earlier posts - we are
talking about British India which includes today's India, Pakistan, Nepal,
Bhutan, Bangladesh, Srilanka, and a bit of Afghanistan as well.
INDIAN SOLDIERS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR IN THE NORD-PAS-DE-CALAIS
REGION
As I mentioned in my earlier article on Indian War Graves of the Somme Region,
after the Ypres battles, the Indian soldiers, were moved to the Pas-de-Calais
in France (very close to Ypres), as well as Somme (further south). Specific
battles and defense took place time and again in this region and in some of
those, Indian soldiers played a preeminent role. This includes, but is not
limited to, the Defence of Festubet, the Battle of Festubert, the Battle of
Loos, the Battle of La Bassee, the Battle of Aubers, and of course, the Battle
of Neuvechapelle which many many Indians lost their lives.
Read more: Indian War Graves in Belgium; Indian War Graves in Somme, France; Indische Legion at Atlantikwall
BATTLE OF LA BASSÉE
The Battle of La Bassée happened on Oct 1914. The German Army had now
occupied Neuve-Chapelle and La Bassée. By 15 October, the British
recaptured Givenchy but were defeated at La Bassée. By 21st Oct the Lahore
division joined the forces. Later on, by 28th Oct, more and more Indian
forces incl. 8th Gurkha, 9th Bhopal, and 47th Sikh regiments joined. On
30th Oct 1914, a German attack pushed the 8th Gurkha battalion back.
Several soldiers of our 8th Gurkha regiment perished. 22 of these Indian War
Graves of the Gurkha soldiers of the First World War who died in this
particular attack are in Y-Farm Cemetery and Laventie Cemetery (more details
below).
.jpg)
Laventie Military Cemetery (above & below)
.jpg)
.jpg)
St.Gorre British & Indian Cemetery
DEFENCE OF FESTUBERT
After the First Battle of Ypres, by early Nov 1914, there was a pause to deal
with the severe winter weather and exhaustion of the soldiers on either side.
However, there were some Winter Operations. These were some smaller attacks
that kept happening from Nov 1914 to Feb 1915.
The Defence of Festubert happened on 23rd & 24th Nov 1914 when the
7th Meerut Division of the British Indian Army defended the village of
Festubert against German attack. The German army took over some trenches and
the Indian Army recaptured all the trenches very quickly. This 7th Meerut
Division included regiments of Garhwal Rifles, Gurkha Rifles, Baluchis, and
more, which all suffered severe losses during the battle. Darwan Singh Negi of
the 39th Garhwal Regiment was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery
during the Defence of Festubert (more details below).
DEFENCE OF GIVENCHY
The Defence of Givenchy happened at Givenchy-lès-la-Bassée on
20th Dec 1914 when the front line held by Lahore and Meerut divisions
was shelled by the Germans. As many as 10 mines exploded here causing a major
loss of lives. The trenches of Givenchy and Festurbest were captured by the
Germans and were eventually recaptured by British Indian & French troops
the very next day.
BATTLE OF NEUVECHAPELLE
The battle of Neuvechapelle happened on 10th - 13th March 1915. By now,
the war had taken a deadlier turn with aerial photography! On 10th March, the
British Indian Army was tasked with an artillery bombardment of German wire
which happened in 30 minutes. This was followed by an infantry attack by the
Garhwal Brigade of the Meerut Division. In spite of several casualties, the
Lahore Battalions forwarded and took the village, while incapacitating German
infantry (trench defense) and taking over their machine guns! The battle of
Neuve-Chapelle was the first big battle for the British Indian Army and 4200
Indian soldiers perished here. The Indian Memorial of Neuve Chapelle was built
here to commemorate the same (more details below).
.jpg)
Pont-du-Hem Military Cemetery (above & below)
.jpg)
BATTLE OF LOOS
The battle of Loos requires a very special mention when talking about the
Indian Soldiers of the First World War in France. Battle of Loos was one of
the bloodiest battles for the British Indian Army during the First World
War. It is the battle in which most number of Indians died in the
Nord-Pas-de-Calais region.
The Battle of Loos took place from 25th Sept - 8th Oct 1915. The
British used poison gas for the first time in an effort to recapture Artois
& Champagne. However, the German defense was much better and the British
were defeated. One of the major sections of the British Army during this
battle was the Third Gurkha Rifles regiment from India (today's Nepal).
Rifleman Kulbir Thapa was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery during
the Battle of Loos (more details below).
VICTORIA CROSS AWARDEES IN THE NORD-PAS-DE-CALAIS REGION
Victoria Cross is the highest gallantry medal awarded to the most courageous
act and valor 'in the presence of the enemy', meaning 'in the battlefront' in
the British Army. This is the British equivalent of the Indian Param Vir
Chakra. The first ever Indian to have been awarded this was Khudadad Khan.
Read here for more info on the Khudadad Khan memorial in Ypres, Belgium.
A total of 11 Indians (as usual I'm skipping the British Commanders who served
in the Indian Army) were awarded the Victoria Cross during WWI. Of the 11, 6
were in the Western Front (France & Belgium) and the rest 5 were in the
North African Campaign (Egypt & Mesopotamia). Of the 6 VC awardees in
Western Front, 3 were at the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. - Kulbir Thapa, Darwan
Singh Negi, and Gabbar Singh Negi.
KULBIR THAPA - INDIANS WHO WERE AWARDED THE VICTORIA CROSS
The story of Kulbir Thapa is rather very emotional and very touching. Unlike
many other soldiers who won the Victoria Cross, he won, not for fighting off
the enemy but for saving his friends despite the enemy's fire! Technically
he's from what's today Nepal.
During the Battle of Loos, on 25th Sept 1915, Kulbir Thapa of 3rd
Gurkha Rifles regiment was wounded in action, when he spotted a comrade (not
clear if he was Bill Keightly or Private Evan Jones), behind the first-line
German Trench. He risked his life to save him. He didn't stop then, he kept
going back into the enemy line to save more of his comrades, one by one,
carrying them on his shoulders or dragging them, crossing back to safety. He
saved quite a under a heavy enemy fire. Finally, early morning the next day,
when he was bringing yet another soldier back to safety, the Germans stopped
firing to let him go through and he walked across No Man's Land to safety. For
a moment, just like during the Christmas Truce, the soldiers stopped the war
and were just human. He lived on and
In 2021, the movie Gurkha - Beneath the Bravery was made based on his life.
Here's the movie's trailer on YouTube. The full movie is available to watch on
Amazon Prime, but you may have to use the VPN to set your location to the UK.
.jpg)
VC Gabbar Singh Negi & Indian Doctors names at Neuve Chapelle
DARWAN SINGH NEGI - INDIANS WHO WERE AWARDED THE VICTORIA CROSS
Darwan Singh Negi was from Uttarakhand and he was in the 39th Garhwal Rifles
Regiment which became a part of the 7th Meerut Division. On 23rd & 24th
November, during the Defence of Festubert, he was one of the first
to take charge of clearing out the trenches and recapturing those, even though
he was shot in two places on his head and his arm. He survived and continued
to serve in the army.
His son Balbir Singh also served in the Garhwal rifles and served in the
Indian Army post-independence. The regimental museum of Garhwal rifles has
been named after him, in his honour. I hope I'll get to visit Lansdowne in
Uttarakhand and visit the museum.
GABBAR SINGH NEGI - INDIANS WHO WERE AWARDED THE VICTORIA CROSS POSTHUMOUSLY
Gabbar Singh Negi was the only one of the 3 who died on the battlefield
and he was a very young, 19-year-old boy. He has no known grave and his name
has been inscribed at the Neuve Chapelle Memorial.
He was already on the frontline during the Battle of Ypres as a part of the
39th Garwal Rifles Regiment! After that, their regiment became a part of the
7th Meerut Division and was moved to the Pas-de-Calais region. On 10th March
1915, during the Battle of Neuve Chapelle, he was a part of the bayonet
party with bombs whose task was the clear the German trenches. When his
Commandor was killed in action, he took charge, and did the job well, forcing
the German soldiers to exit the trenches & surrender. He was also killed
in action.
He was also from Uttarakhand. To date, the Gabbar Singh Negi Fair happens
annually in Chamba, Uttarakhand, India on Apr 20th or 21st. I hope to visit
Chamba sometime on these dates, to be there and hopefully meet his grandson or
great-grandchildren.
GRAVES AND MEMORIALS OF INDIAN SOLDIERS OF WWI IN NORD-PAS-DE-CALAIS
REGION
Y FARM CEMETERY
The first cemetery I visited on my pilgrimage to the Indian War Graves in the
Pas-de-Calais region was the Y Farm Cemetery. As soon as I entered both to my
right and left were the plots dedicated to the graves of Indian soldiers. The
list on CWGC's website said 20 graves which includes Jamedar, Naik, Riflemen,
and more. However, when went there, I counted a total of 57 graves, which
means, 37 of the Indian graves here were of unidentified Indian
soldiers.
I also observed that 6 of these soldiers were martyred 29th-30th Oct 1914,
which was when the Battle of La Bassée happened. All these 6 soldiers
were from the 2nd Battalion of 8 Gurkha Rifles regiment. Another 5 soldiers
were killed on 25th Sept 1915, which was when the
Battle of Loos happened. These soldiers would have been the comrades of
VC Kulbir Thapa.
Where is Y Farm Cemetery, Bois-Grenier(On Google Maps): Y Farm Cemetery, Bois-Grenier
How to reach Y Farm Cemetery, Bois-Grenier: 6.5km from Gare de Armentières railway station which is a 10-minute car ride.
Ilevia Bus Route 65 and 74 go towards Y Farm Cemetery from Gare de Armentières railway station, but till Mairie and Touquet
respectively. There's a 1.5-2km walk after that. If you don't have a car, it
is easier to ride a bike to cover this 6.5km.
Gif (18 images change every 3 secs) - Indian War graves in Y-Farm Military Cemetery
RUE-DAVID MILITARY CEMETERY
Very close to Y Farm Cemetery is the Rue-David cemetery which has 42
identified Indian War Graves plus 2 unidentified, totaling 44. Many of the
soldiers were Sepoys from Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Lucknow, Jhansi, Jhelum,
Kangra, Hoshiarpur, etc. 4 of these Sepoys died in the
Battle of Loos as well (the same as the one VC Kulbir Thapa was in).
One of the important graves here is of Diwan Singh, who was awarded the Indian
Order of Merit.
Where is Rue David Military Cemetery, Fleurbaix (On Google Maps): Rue-David Military Cemetery, Fleurbaix
How to reach Rue David Military Cemetery, Fleurbaix: 1.3km (15 mins walk / 5 mins bike) from Y-Farm Military
Cemetery
Gif (7 images change every 3 secs) - Indian War graves in Rue-David Military Cemetery
RUE-PETILLON MILITARY CEMETERY
Our next stop was also very close by, the Rue-Petillon Military Cemetery which
has just 2 Indian War Graves of WWI. As soon as I entered, to the right, was
the tiny plot for the 2 - Sundar Singh & Ram Singh who were martyred on
5th & 8th July 1915, respectively. Both were from Punjab, but Ram Singh
was from Lahore (today's Pakistan) and Sundar Singh was from Ludhiana (today's
India).
Where is Rue Petillon Military Cemetery, Fleurbaix (On Google Maps): Rue-David Military Cemetery, Fleurbaix
How to reach Rue Petillon Military Cemetery, Fleurbaix: 2km (30 mins walk / 7 mins bike) from Rue Petillon Military
Cemetery
.jpg)
LAVENTIE MILITARY CEMETRY, LA GORGUE
A bit further away from this area, is La Gorgue which has 2 cemeteries with
graves of Indian Soldiers. Our first stop was the Laventie Military Cemetery.
My sheet downloaded from the CWGC website said that there are 19 Indian War
Graves of WWI at Laventie Military Cemetery, but I was in for a rude shock!
There were a whopping 60 graves of Indian Soldiers of WWI here in Laventie
Military Cemetery. An entire section in the back of the cemetery has been
dedicated to the Indian Soldiers.
Here are more points to note - Of the 60, 16 were of the 39th Garhwal Rifles
Regiment (the one of which both VC Darwan Singh Negi and VC Gabbar Singh Negi
were a part of). However, none of these 16 are identified.
Another 16 were from the 8 Gurkha Rifles Regiment. Of these 16, 15 have been
identified (14 Riflemen and 1 Subadar) and all of them were martyred on 30th
Oct 1914, which was when the Battle of La Bassée happened. 6 of their
comrades from the same regimen, who died on the same day, have been buried in
Y Farm Cemetery as well.
Where is Laventie Military Cemetery, La Gorgue (On Google Maps): Laventie Military Cemetery, La Gorgue
How to reach Laventie Military Cemetery, La Gorgue:
6km (20 mins bike / 8 mins drive) from Rue Petillion Military
Cemetery
Gif (9 images change every 3 secs) - Indian War graves in Laventie Military Cemetery
PONT-DU-HEM MILITARY CEMETERY, LA GORGUE
In the same La Gorgue locality, there's also the Pont-du-Hem Military
Cemetery. As soon as I entered, both on the left and right were small plots
dedicated to Indian War Graves (5 to the left and 10 to the right). Of these
15 Indian War Graves, only 8 have been identified. Of the 8 identified, 5
soldiers (1 rifleman and 4 sepoys) were martyred on 25th Sept 1915, which
means, they too were killed in action during the Battle of Loos, along
with their comrades whose graves are in Laventie Military Cemetery and Rue
David Military Cemetery. They were all from the 8 Gurkha Regiment and some
were saved by VC Kulbir Thapa.
Where is Pont-du-Hem Military Cemetery, La Gorgue (On Google Maps): Pont-du-Hem Military Cemetery, La Gorgue
How to reach Pont-du-Hem Military Cemetery, La Gorgue: 4km (15 mins bike / 4 mins drive) from Laventie Military
Cemetery
Gif (6 images change every 3 secs) - Indian War graves in Pont-du-Hem Military Cemetery
RUE-DU-BACQUEROT NO.1 MILITARY CEMETERY, LAVENTIE
To begin with, Rue-de-Bacquerot No:1 Military Cemetery was a bit of a
challenge to find. There was a point where the boards said Rue-de-Bacquerot
Cemetery on either side, however, one was the 13th London Graveyard and the
other was No:1 Military Cemetery. After finding the right direction, we ended
up in a place, that looked like a farm. Quite amusingly, the cemetery is
inside the farm! The farm owners had given away a piece of their land for this
cemetery to CWGC!
There's a tiny road as soon as you go in. and on either side of it are 2
sections of the CWGC cemetery. In the part on the left, further is a huge plot
filled with more than 100 Indian War Graves of which 88 are identified graves
of Indian Soldiers of WWI. Of the 88 identified Indian War Graves of WWI in
Rue-de-Bacquerot No:1 Military Cemetery, 17 had died between 17-28th Sept 1915
(Battle of Loos began on 25th Sept 1915). Apart from the 8 Gurkha
Rifles (who primarily fought during the Battle of Loos) there were quite a few
graves of 39 Garhwal Rifles. There were also some from 9 Gurkha Rifles and 10
Gurkha Rifles regiments.
One of the important graves here is of Guman Singh Negi, who was awarded the
Military Cross, the Indian Distinguished Service Medal which is about 4-5
levels below the Victoria Cross.
Where is Rue-de-Bacquerot No:1 Military Cemetery, Laventie (On Google Maps): Rue-de-Bacquerot No:1 Military Cemetery, Laventie
How to reach Rue-de-Bacquerot No:1 Military Cemetery, Laventie: 2.5km (30 mins walk / 8 mins bike / 3 mins drive) from
Pont-du-Hem Military Cemetery, La Gorgue
Gif (12 images change every 3 secs) - Indian War graves in Rue-de-Bacquetor No:1 Military Cemetery
ST. VAAST POST MILITARY CEMETERY, RICHEBOURG-L'AVOUE
After visiting Rue-de-Bacquerot No:1 Military Cemetery, Laventie, we headed to
the Neuve Chapelle Memorial and then to St.Vaast Post Military Cemetery,
Richebourg-l'Avoue. St.Vaast Post Military Cemetery has a section in the back
for 46 Indian War Graves.
There are 2 things that are quite interesting about St.Vaast Post Military
Cemetery. One, there were the graves of 3 bearers of the Indian Army Medical
Corps regiment, the first of which I saw. Two, the dates on which the soldiers
here died - Battle of Loos began on 25th Sept 1915 when three of the
soldiers buried here were martyred, then 3 more on 26th Sept; 1 more each on
27th, 28th Sept, 03rd Oct, 04th, 05th, 10th and goes on and on until 3rd
November 1915. I assume that while some died in the battlefront during the
Battle of Loos, others died due to war wounds later on, in the warfront
medical post, which should explain the presence (& deaths) of the Indian
Army Medical Corps too here.
Where is St.Vaast Post Military Cemetery, Richebourg-l'Avoue (On Google Maps): St.Vaast Post Military Cemetery, Richebourg-l'Avoue
How to reach St.Vaast Post Military Cemetery, Richebourg-l'Avoue: 3.5km (13 mins bike / 4 mins drive) from Rue-de-Bacquerot No:1 Military Cemetery.
Gif (7 images change every 3 secs) - Indian War graves in St.Vaast Post Military Cemetery
NEUVECHAPELLE MEMORIAL
My next stop was perhaps the most important stop of them all - the
Neuvechapelle Indian Memorial. This is the largest memorial for the
Indian Soldiers of the First World War with the names of 4,742 soldiers
with no known graves. This includes the graves of the comrades of Dr.
Kanwar Inderjit Singh who were killed when their medical post was
shelled as well as VC Gabbar Singh Negi who was awarded the Victoria
Cross posthumously.
Unlike the Indian Memorial in Ieper/Ypres, this was designed before
Indian Independence and was unveiled in 1927, which means this doesn't
bear the post-independence elements of India like our emblem or Ashoka
Chakra, etc (which are present in Ypres/Ieper). This was designed by
Herbert Baker, an English architect who also designed India's old
Parliament Building as well as Rashtrapathi Bhavan.
It was quite visible from a distance, thanks to the towering pillar with
the 'Star of India' emblem and the Imperial Crown on its top (yes, as I
mentioned, this was designed pre-Independence). On either side are 2
lions. On the pillar is written 'God is one. His is the Victory' in
English followed by 'Bismillahi Rahmani Raheem' in Arabic which means
'In the name of Allah, the most gracious & the most merciful'
followed by 'Om Bhagavathe Namah' in Hindi (Devanagari) which means 'We
bow to you God', followed by 'Wahe Guruji ke Fateh' in Punjabi which
means 'Victory to God'. The whole place is circular in plan. In front of
the pillar, outside, is a commemorative plank that was laid when the
Indian Prime Minister Mr.Narendra Modi visited the Neuvechapelle Indian
Memorial in 2015 during the Centenary of WWI.
As soon as I entered, there was a small pavilion (in Mughal style,
complete with Jaali-style windows). Inside, there were planks and planks
and plank after plank filled with hundreds of names of the Indian
Soldiers who died during the First World War with no known graves. There
was also a separate plank dedicated to the Prisoners of War who died in
captivity and were buried near Zehrensdorf near Berlin. On the wall,
opposite the pillar, was written 'To the Honour of the Army of India
which fought in France & Belgium 1914-18 and in perpetual
remembrance of those, of their dead, whose names are here recorded, and
who have no known grave'. On the opposite wall (behind & under the
pillar) is the list of the battles in which our Indian soldiers lost
their lives in World War I in Flanders & France - La Bassee,
Messines, Armientiers, Ypres, Cheluvelt, Festubest, Givenchy,
Neuve-Chapelle, St.Julien, Aubers, Loos, Somme, Bazentin, Delville,
Morval, Cambrai, and Flers-Courcelette.
How to reach Neuve-Chapelle Indian Memorial: 3.3km (11 mins bike / 5 min drive) from St.Vaast Post Military Cemetery, Richebourg-l'Avoue
.JPG)
Photo by Benoit Dieval
.jpg)
.jpg)
VIEILLE-CHAPELLE NEW MILITARY CEMETERY, LACOUTURE
Our next stop was the Vielle-Chapelle New Military Cemetery at LaCouture. Like
the Laventie Military Cemetery which has several unidentified graves that
brought up the number from the one given on the CWGC Website, here too the
same happened. There were more than 70 Indian War Graves at Vielle Chapelle
New Military Cemetery in La Couture of which only 27 were identified and
listed on the CWGC website.
16 of the 27 identified soldiers here died on 23rd & 24th Nov 1914 which
was when the Defence of Festubert happened. It was during the Defence
of Festubert, that the shelling of the medical post happened.
Also, another 8 of the identified soldiers in Vielle-Chapelle New Military
Cemetery died on 10th Dec 1914 which was when the Defence of Givenchy
happened.
Where is Vielle-Chapelle New Military Cemetery, LaCouture (On Google Maps): Vielle Chapelle New Military Cemetery, La Couture
How to reach Vielle-Chapelle New Military Cemetery, LaCouture: 5.5km (18 mins bike / 6 mins drive) from St.Vaast Post Military
Cemetery, Richebourg-l'Avoue
Gif (4 images change every 3 secs) - Indian War graves in Vielle Chapelle New Military Cemetery
ZELOBES INDIAN CEMETERY, LACOUTURE
Our next stop was at Zelobes Indian Cemetery. Quite amusingly, like
Rue-de-Bacquerot No:1 Military Cemetery, this was also quite hidden from the
main street. This cemetery is entirely dedicated to Indian Soldiers of WWI.
There are 105 graves of the Indian Soldiers of WWI of whom 73 have been
identified.
Of the 73 identified soldiers, 11 were martyred on 20th December 1914 which
was when the Defence of Givenchy happened; 9 were killed on 9th &
10th May 1915 which was when the Battles of Artois/Aubers Ridge happened; 7
died in the battlefront during the Battle of Neuve Chapelle on
14th-17th March 1915; 6 were martyred between 16th to 22nd May 1915 which was
when the Battle of Festurbert happened.
If you know Hindi, here's a little thing of curiosity - I found a grave of one 'Budiman Gurung' who was Rifleman and a Budhu was a follower! Budiman literally means 'Intelligent' and Budhu literally means 'Stupid'. That really made me wonder if a few (or many) of these people actually enrolled with a name that's, kind of, a pet name/nick name???
How to reach Zelobes Indian Military Cemetery, LaCouture: 1km (10 mins walk / 3 mins bike / 1 min drive) from
Vielle-Chapelle New Military Cemetery, La Couture
Gif (11 images change every 3 secs) - Indian War graves in Zelobes Indian Cemetery
GORRE BRITISH & INDIAN CEMETARY
My 2nd last stop of the day was at Gorre British and Indian Cemetery. The
cemetery has over 100 graves of Indian soldiers of WWI of which 77 are
identified graves. This is perhaps the most grove-like place with trees all
around and absolute quiet and peace. All the Indian War Graves in Gorre
British & Indian Cemetery are together at the back of the cemetery.
24 of these 77 identified graves are of 24 drivers all belonging to the 7th
Mountain Battery of Royal Garrison Artillery. The 7th Mountain Battery is from
Quetta, the capital city of Balochistan in Pakistan. 22 of the 24 were from
Punjab (most from Rawalpindi) and 2 were from Kashmir. This was the first
time, I was seeing a grave of a Kashmiri Soldier of WWI. All of them were
martyred on 8th January 1915. My best assumption is a series of vehicles,
carrying British soldiers, all driven by Indian drivers, could have been
ambushed or bombed in which many died including most/all the drivers. I'm
trying to find what happened on 8th January 1915 and there are 2 possible
answers - Affairs of Cuinchy or First Battle of Artois. The most probable one
is the Affairs of Cuinchy. On Jan 1 & 2, a German attack captured
several British posts near Cuinchy. The British tried to recapture it but
failed. On 10th January, a bigger British attack happened with reinforcements.
My assumption is that, during the smaller trials to recapture, before Jan 10,
on Jan 8th a series of vehicles could have been blown up killing our drivers.
Apart from these 24, there's a shoulder-to-shoulder burial of 9 soldiers of
the First World War. They were all riflemen who died between 19th to 22nd
December 1914 which was when the Defence of Givenchy happened.
How to reach Gorre British & Indian Cemetery: 1km (10 mins walk / 3 mins bike / 1 min drive) from
Vielle-Chapelle New Military Cemetery, La Couture
Gif (7 images change every 3 secs) - Indian War graves in St.Gorre British & Indian Cemetery
.jpg)
Shoulder-to-shoulder burial of 9 soldiers at St.Gorre British & Indian Cemetery
.jpg)
Shoulder-to-shoulder burial of 3 soldiers at St.Gorre British & Indian Cemetery
BETHUNE TOWN CEMETERY
The very last cemetery I visited for the day was Bethune Town Cemetery before
settling down at Le Vieux Beffroi Hotel for the night.
Bethune Town Cemetery is, as the name suggests, a town cemetery that includes
the graves of the general public and not a Military Cemetery. There's a
section dedicated to CWGC and it has 6 graves of Indian Soldiers of WWI. Of
the 6 soldiers, 5 are in a dedicated plot. The remaining 1 is in another area
with the British Commanders. Why so? Well, because Dr. Kanwar Inderjit Singh
is one of the very few Indians who could rise to the level of a Captain in the
British Indian Army. He was a doctor and was in the Indian Medical Service
regiment. He was killed in action on 23rd Nov 1914 during the
Defence of Festubert when an enemy shell hit the medical post he was
working in. His comrades Major Dr. Pandit Piaraylal Atal and Asst Surgeon
Hakim Rai were also killed at the same time; however, their bodies couldn't be
recovered and their names have been engraved at Neuve Chapelle Memorial. Quite
amusingly this was the first time I came to know of the surname Singh for a
Christian.
How to reach Bethune Town Cemetery: 2.5km (10 mins bike / 8 min drive) from Gare Bethune Railway
Station.
Gif (6 images change every 3 secs) - Indian War graves in Bethune Town Cemetery
.JPG)
HOW TO VISIT THE INDIAN WAR GRAVES IN NORD-PAS-DE-CALAIS REGION
Apart from a car, the best option is an e-bike. If you have an e-bike bring it
on the train to Lille or hire an e-bike at Lille. Then take it on the train to
Armentiers and start seeing the cemeteries one by one, in the same order in
which I've mentioned above. The whole route is about 50km from Gare de
Armentiers, stopping at each and every place above, and finally reaching
Bethune railway station. You can carry the bike again on the train from
Bethune to Lille to return the bike (or continue on the train if it's your own
bike).
However, for a more efficient trip, the best option would be by car. If you
can drive, hire a car, and if you cannot or choose not to, hire a chauffeured
car tour. Mr.Sylvestre of Terres de Memoires (operates from Arras,
France), who took me around the Indian War Graves of Somme Region also
operates in the Battlefields of Nord-Pas-de-Calais region.
Ms.Genevera of Flanders Battlefield Tours (operated from Ypres,
Belgium) who took me around the Indian War Graves in Belgium also operates in
the Battlefields of Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. (P.S: This time, in the
Nord-Pas-de-Calais region, a friend accompanied us and brought his car. I did
not use the services of any Battlefields Tours operators).
Terre de Memoires official website: Terre de Memoires
Terre de Memoires e-mail: contact@terresdememoire.eu
Terre de Memoires phone number: +33(0) 3 22 84 23 05
Flanders Battlefield Tours official website: Ypres FBT
Flanders Battlefield Tours e-mail: info@ypres-fbt.com
Flanders Battlefield Tours phone number: +32(0) 57 360 460
On a different note, if you're in a far away country and will not be physically able to visit France to visit these cemeteries and memorials, here's a virtual tour for you.
PIN IT/BOOKMARK IT NOW AND READ LATER
How very interesting to visit the Indian war graves in so many different spots. Great that you had a friend to help you get to the graves in Pas-de-Calais. My ex-Navy hubby would be interested in learning more about this area and the war history for the different battles. Great to learn more about the Indians awarded the Victoria Cross. I can see why you needed more than one day to see all the different memorial sites. A great idea to get a tour to not miss all the details.
ReplyDeleteThat's a very moving tour. It must have been a jolting experience to see so many tombstones. I remember seeing the cemetry in South Korea and it was an experience I couldn't frame in words. Wars are terrible. And in this tour you have posted, I saw that so many stones had Aum Bhagwate Namah on them, some had Gurbani. I am now going to watch the movie Gurkha on the life of Kulbir Thapa. If I had to do this tour, I would opt for the ebike.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to learn about the role the Indian soldiers had in the first world war. I didn't know any of this, or these battles. I have been to Calais several times, but never knew about the existence of these cemeteries. It would be great if some sort of public transport would be introduced, especially that there are many people who want to visit the different cemeteries. Now having your own car seems to make it very difficult, unless you rent a bike.
ReplyDeleteWhat a foray into the history of World War One and why so many Indians fought in the war due to the association of being a British colony no less. I always like a travel theme to visit places. It makes the travel to places more meaningful and insightful.
ReplyDeleteOh wow! I didn't even realize any of this. I never really thought about India's role in WWI, and this explains so much. I just visited there, and it's good that they're not under British rule anymore, although a lot of earmarks are there. Thank you so much for highlighting the role of Indians and how they served as I think these forgotten parts of history are interesting and important to remember.
ReplyDeleteI admire your persistance in tracking down all this Indian war cemeteries. I think visiting the graves of the dead soldiers is a sign of respect. And I can only imagine what this means for you as an Indian. In Germany we learn a lot about WWII. The few thing we learn about WWI are usually from a European perspective. So I appreciate your posts about this subject very much.
ReplyDeleteI learned a lot from reading this post about Indians serving in WWI. Honestly I had no idea there were Indians who had served in the war, and I appreciated your clear explanation of why Indians would be fighting in this war. I would imagine that it has been a sore spot for many that they were essentially drafted to serve in the first place. I am glad that memorials and monuments have been set aside to honor those who died -- and that there is a place you and others can go to remember the fallen. Your great attention to detail has made it possible for others to do the same.
ReplyDelete