VEDay - Forgotten Facts about Non British participants

VEDay-75

In honour of #VEDay75 I thought I’d post some WWII images/stories we don’t usually see. Nice to remind ourselves of the facts of history, and ensure that important parts of it aren’t erased. Let’s start with this cheeky chappy- Indian Soldier, 1942.

These Dapper Dans are Sikh, Muslim and Hindu pilots who flew spitfires during WWII.

These extraordinary ladies came from the Caribbean and joined the WAAF (Women’s Auxiliary Air Force). Fly as hell.

In May 1942, the British formed the Women’s Auxiliary Corps (India) asking female volunteers to join the war cause. This was the first time Indian women entered the army. Saris on deck.

Many of the young women who joined the WAC(I) came from secure jobs and comfortable homes. They found themselves in difficult conditions and a number suffered the long-term psychological effects post-war with little help. Here they are in service dress, 1943.

Here, a French lady pins a flower on the Sikh saviours of France, Paris, 1916. (Not WWII admittedly, but a striking picture I couldn’t miss out).

British recruitment posters, used to persuade young men from all over the commonwealth to join up.

Britain recruited 600,000 African men to fight against the Axis powers but when fighting was over, they were sent home with a end-of-war bonus that was roughly a third of the reward given to their white counterparts. RAF Flight Lieutenant John Henry Smythe was from Sierra Leone.

Noor-un-Nissa Inayat Khan was a British spy who became the first female wireless operator to be sent from Britain into occupied France. She was captured after being betrayed, and executed at Dachau concentration camp. She was posthumously awarded the George Cross for her service.

Over 87,000 Indian soldiers (including those from modern day Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh) died in World War II. Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck, Commander-in-Chief, India, asserted the British "couldn't have come through both wars if they hadn't had the Indian Army."

Indian infantrymen of the 7th Rajput Regiment about to go on patrol on the Arakan front in Burma, 1944. Judging by their faces, these lads banter was top notch.

A Sikh soldier (of the 4th Division (the Red Eagles) of the Indian Army), holding a captured swastika flag after the surrender of Nazi German forces in Italy. Behind him, fascist inscriptions on the mural says VIVA IL DUCE, "Long live the Duce" (Benito Mussolini). May 1945.

Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh, then a flight lieutenant, with pilots of No 1 Squadron with their Hawker Hurricane aircraft in Burma. I think you’ll agree that the drip on display here is absolutely impeccable. 

The history of Indian participation in WWII has left a complex legacy- a reminder of Britain’s colonial past. But this was a WORLD war & those who fought while their families were abandoned to die in the Bengal Famine sacrificed so much for us. It would be a crime to forget them.

Private Begum Pasha Shah of the WAC(I) on duty in the Orderly Room of an RAF station in India, August 1943. Who knew military saris were such a lewk? 

During the London Blitz, Auxiliary Ambulance Station 50, Indian Section, (composed of over 100 Indians of various religions) proved itself to be one of the most efficient units in Great Britain. Here are two incredible ladies of this unit, dressed for immediate action.

With over two and a half million Indian soldiers in WWII, the Indian army became the largest volunteer army in history. In addition to soldiers, billions of pounds were borrowed by the British from India to be used on war expenses, without which the war could not have been won.

This sharp fella is Squadron Leader Mohinder Singh Pujji. He was an RAF Fighter Pilot in the Battle of Britain, got shot down over the Channel, rescued, then joined the Royal Indian Air Force at Burma. All while living on biscuits as army rations contained beef! Look him up!

The”Wrins” or the Women’s Royal Indian Naval Service played an imperative role during World War II, yet their story is in danger of being lost in the pages of history. Here they are in action- sistas did not come to play.

Kalyani Sen, a second officer and the first Indian service woman who visited the UK, served in the Women's Royal Indian Naval Service of The Royal Indian Navy during World War II. Incredible woman.

Muslim soldiers went into the trenches with imams who’s job was to recite the call to prayer into the ears of the dying. The evidence of their sacrifice is on display in a corner of Notre Dame de Lorette. Muslim headstones have Islamic inscriptions & tilt eastwards towards Mecca.

The British West Indies Regiment (WWI). All commanding officers in the BWIR were white, and no black man was permitted to hold a higher rank than Sergeant. Once deployed, the BWIR were given tough jobs loading ammunition, laying cables and digging trenches. Most were unarmed.

So, next time a black or turbaned actor is cast in a war film, please refrain from boring us with your ignorant, historically inaccurate tantrums. We have been here and we will always be here. We will remember them and we will remember them ALL.