Indian soldiers in the First World War

[siadwell]

I've just read an article on the BBC news website about the forgotten Indian soldiers of WW1 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-33317368).

I know that a lot of the "British" soldiers in certain theatre (e.g. Mesopotamia) were actually Indian, but the author of this article asserts that "It was Indian jawans (junior soldiers) who stopped the German advance at Ypres in the autumn of 1914, soon after the war broke out, while the British were still recruiting and training their own forces."

This struck me as odd, because I thought the British Indian Army was constituted as a separate army with its own structure and a quick Google indicates that the First Battle of Ypres involved primarily the IV Corps of the British Expeditionary Force.

Anybody out there a WW1 geek (in the nicest possible way)?

 

[SD1]

So clearly the Indian part of the British army didn't stop

the German advance at Ypres

It was the good old Tommy who kept the Hun at bay!

 

[accountantpete]

I thought the British Indian Army was constituted as a separate army with its own structure

I have a book which details the daily activities of a club founded by a British army regiment based in India during the first world war.

To summarise a typical day:

Morning - went pigsticking - 2
Afternoon - went pigsticking - 1
Evening - more pigsticking - 2.

 

[ufkacbln]

Whether the politics are good or bad, there were severs breakthroughs in WW1

The fact that there was no differentiation between cultures and origin could be seen s inclusive

... And the first ever " black " officer was also a WW1 innovation

 

[SD1]

Another display of your 'insight'...

Yes.