The Commonwealth War Graves Commission CWGC has commissioned a short-film titled “India Remembers” to commemorate the servicemen and women who played a part in the two World Wars.
According to Peter Francis, Media and PR Manager of CWGC, “India Remembers has an Indian and UK dimension – so we want to raise awareness within India itself but also within the UK.
“We have been working with the United Service Institution of India to raise awareness of the contribution and sacrifices made by India’s servicemen and women since 1914, with CWGC partnering with USofI on those elements related to the commemoration of India’s war dead from the two world wars.
“The CWGC is proud of the fact that India is one of our member governments and we feel privileged to honour the memory of more than 160,000 Indian servicemen and women who died during the two world wars. We care for the graves and memorials to India’s war dead in more than fifty countries. The new film, through interviews with veterans and descendants, tells just some of the stories of those we commemorate,” said Peter.
The Producer, Tracey Hobbs, Creative Director of Samuel Frank Media Limited told the Asian Voice that the film will be made both in Hindi and English and made into DVDs. “We've been talking to people in Delhi, historians and the descendent of soldiers... we are going through the archive of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and pulling out all the material relevant to India to highlight the amazing part they played in the World Wars,” she said.
The film includes the story of Noor Inayat Khan, a descendent of the Indian Royalty who was recruited as a secret agent. She was the first woman radio operator to be dropped into Paris and she survived for three months until she was betrayed, sent to a prison in Germany for ten months and eventually executed at Dachau Concentration Camp, at the young age of 30.
“Noor was posthumously awarded the British George Cross and the French Croix du Guerre,” said Tracey.
The biography “Spy Princess” was written by Srabani Basu and her bust has been installed at the Gordon Square.
Between 1914 and 1916, about 12 thousand Indian soldiers who were wounded on the Western Front were brought across the Channel to be treated in England.
The film showcased the loyal story of Manta Singh, one of those brave men who was treated at the Royal Pavilion. He saved the life of his officer, Captain Henderson, who lay wounded in no mans land. This led to a friendship between the two men’s grandsons Jaiml Singh Johal and Ian Henderson, which continues to this day. The film has interviews of the two grandsons.
It also showcases testimonials of Lt Col Raj Singh Gursey, whose grandfather Subedar Pat Ram was stationed in Basrain October 1914 and died in a prisoner of war camp. His name is commemorated by the Basra Memorial.
India will feature in other activities of the CWGC to commemorate the centenary celebrations this year. Andrew Fetherston, Archivist of CWGC told Asian Voice that the “portable version of the centenary exhibition will touring in India, along with other countries like Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa.”
The exhibitions will be showcasing stories through historical artefacts, using archival materials. CWGC will be launching a new website that would make it easier to search for records of the war dead and a mobile-friendly design making it easily accessible online.
“We would like to collaborate with (Asian) communities and welcome you to upload photos and information about your ancestors in a Public Archive,” Andrew said.
David Richardson, Director of Horticulture at the CWGC, had worked in the war memorials in different cities of India - Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Imphal, Kohima, Digboi and Guwahati for nine years. He talked to us about CWGC's global plans for horticulture.
“The challenge in India is the climate is very different. How do you create that sort of look when you are dealing with that palette of plants and you are dealing with the challenges of extreme heat and drought... In India one of the things that we will be looking at is water and water availability and how we can maintain grass and ornamental horticulture when resources including water are very much in demand,” said David.
In terms of the global commitment, sustainability is the key for an organisation that is 100 years old and is now looking at another 100 years to go, according to David. “It was established in perpetuity, so all the nations that were a part of the British Empire at that time – we have a historic stage and we are dealing with things that are ageing, so how can we look after them in the best way into the next century, is our aim,” he said.
