THE crucial contribution and valour of Indian soldiers in the two world wars are recognised in a book the Royal British Legion is bringing out to mark its 100th anniversary on May 15.
Its author, Julie Summers, told Eastern Eye she had been inspired as a little girl by her maternal grandfather, Lt Col Philip Toosey, who had served alongside Gurkhas in the Second World War and told her: “Well, we never would have won the First World War without the Gurkhas.”
“And so, I’ve grown up always knowing there was a much bigger picture to the British Army than just what white history tells us, basically,” she added.
The Indian contribution had been “written out” in the 1950s, noted Summers, but her book cannot be faulted from the British Asian point of view.
We Are The Legion: The Royal British Legion at 100, which is coming out on May 6, examines the battle of Kohima in 1944, when British and Indian soldiers eventually prevailed despite being heavily outnumbered by the Japanese.
Julie Summers.
Summers referred to the ‘Kohima Epitaph’ – “When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow, we gave our today” – and commented: “I’ve always been struck specifically about the Second World War, but also to some extent about the First World War, that when you get men together and they’re fighting, they are all fighting against a common enemy. And they lose, not to 100 per cent extent, but to a very great extent, any notion of race and ethnicity. They are much more interested in what they can do to support each other.”
The book also mentions the Memorial Gates in London which commemorate “five million men and women from the Indian subcontinent (Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka), Africa and the Caribbean”.
As for the Khadi Poppy, first proposed in 2017 by Lord Jitesh Gadhia, she commended it as “an absolutely brilliant idea” and expressed surprise that it will be dropped this year. “I thought it was absolutely fantastic to launch it with the English and Indian cricket captains (Joe Root and Virat Kohli, respectively).”
Summers believes Lord Gadhia had set an example: “It is his fervent wish that young Indians and Asians in Britain own their story. They are proud of the story as they should be – it’s remarkable. But until they start telling the story and bringing out the names of their ancestors and their deeds, it isn’t going to chime. It has to come from that community.”
She has written about the 12-pounder canon gifted to the village of Dulmial, now in Punjab in Pakistan, as an expression of gratitude for the high proportion of its men who had served the British army in several wars.
The author had her attention drawn to “the Dulmial gun” by Dr Irfan Malik, a GP in Nottingham, who discovered one of his ancestors, Captain Ghulam Mohammad Malik, had asked his grateful British superiors for the cannon as a reward instead of money or land.
“I could have written a whole book on this village,” enthused Summers. “The village had a very proud link to the British Army and had fought with the British from the early 19th century onwards.”
Summers, the author of 14 books, including British and Commonwealth War Cemeteries, explained: “I’m a Second World War historian. But I’m not a military historian. I’m much more interested in the social history behind the war. So, what happened to the women particularly, but also what happened when the men came home.”
She wanted to dispel the notion that Britain had won two world wars on its own: “One of the things that makes me so very, very upset are the white (Nigel) Farage Brexit supporters, who describe how ‘plucky little Britain’ stood on the edge of Europe and valiantly beat off those wretched Nazis.
“And it’s utter rubbish. We had this huge slew of volunteers from India, from the Caribbean, from Africa. It wasn’t till 1941 we had the Americans: before that we had all the other support. None of it could have been done on our own, it just wouldn’t have happened.”
The book includes an observation from Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck, who commanded the Indian forces in the Middle East. He said later that the British “couldn’t have come through both wars if they hadn’t had the Indian Army”.
Summers hopes her book will serve as a unifying influence. “I very much hope that people will read it and will see that the Legion has a much bigger view than the narrow field that people tend to associate with it.”
British Asians will obviously be disappointed if the Legion drops the Khadi Poppy because it connected them to the organisation for the first time. Lord Gadhia said: “It’s great to see its recognition in the book. I am hopeful we can keep the flame alive in future years.
“When we first launched the Khadi Poppy in 2018 to mark the centenary of the Armistice of World War I, it was always intended as a limited edition. Given the strong positive reaction it received, the Royal British Legion extended the production for a further two years.
“I understand that production will be paused this year, especially as the Royal British Legion needs to stabilise its operations after a difficult year during the pandemic. However, I hope the door will be kept open to producing the Khadi Poppy in future years, given its deep symbolism recognising the extraordinary contribution made by undivided India during both World Wars.”
Catherine Davies, the Legion’s head of remembrance, said: “In our centenary year, the Royal British Legion continues to recognise all those who served and sacrificed in defence of our freedom from the UK and across the Commonwealth.
“The book highlights the Legion’s proud heritage and the contribution of thousands of men and women from across the Commonwealth who have come to Britain’s aid over the last 100 years.
“During the First and Second World Wars, a collaboration of ethnicities, religions, languages and cultures were united against a common enemy. Not only did they play a crucial role in these conflicts, they were also instrumental in shaping modern Britain and creating the richly diverse society we live in today.”
We Are The Legion: The Royal British Legion at 100 by Julie Summers is published by Profile Books; £18.99.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said TRF is a 'front and proxy' of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a UN-designated terrorist group based in Pakistan. (Photo: Getty Images)
THE UNITED STATES on Thursday designated The Resistance Front (TRF), the group blamed for the April attack in Kashmir, as a terrorist organisation. The attack had triggered the worst conflict between India and Pakistan in decades.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said TRF is a "front and proxy" of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a UN-designated terrorist group based in Pakistan.
The designation "demonstrates the Trump administration's commitment to protecting our national security interests, countering terrorism, and enforcing President (Donald) Trump's call for justice for the Pahalgam attack," Rubio said in a statement.
In April, gunmen shot dead 26 people, most of them Hindus, in Pahalgam, a tourist area in the Indian-administered region of Kashmir.
Survivors told reporters that the gunmen had separated women and children and ordered some of the men to recite the Muslim declaration of faith.
India's foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Friday that the US decision was a "strong affirmation of India-US counter-terrorism cooperation", writing on X (formerly Twitter).
A strong affirmation of India-US counter-terrorism cooperation.
Appreciate @SecRubio and @StateDept for designating TRF—a Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) proxy—as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). It claimed responsibility for the… — Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) July 18, 2025
Little was previously known about TRF, which initially claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam killings.
As criticism grew over the attack, the group later retracted its claim.
India has listed TRF as a terrorist group, and the India-based Observer Research Foundation think tank has described it as "a smokescreen and an offshoot of LeT".
New Delhi has accused Pakistan of being involved in the attack, a claim denied by Islamabad.
The violence in Pahalgam led to four days of fighting between India and Pakistan, leaving more than 70 people dead on both sides. It was the worst military standoff between the two countries since 1999.
By clicking the 'Subscribe’, you agree to receive our newsletter, marketing communications and industry
partners/sponsors sharing promotional product information via email and print communication from Garavi Gujarat
Publications Ltd and subsidiaries. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the
unsubscribe link in our emails. We will use your email address to personalize our communications and send you
relevant offers. Your data will be stored up to 30 days after unsubscribing.
Contact us at data@amg.biz to see how we manage and store your data.
Diane Abbott has been suspended again by Labour after repeating comments about different forms of racism in a radio interview.
THE LABOUR PARTY has suspended Diane Abbott, the UK’s longest-serving female MP, after she repeated remarks on racism that had previously led to her suspension.
Abbott, a prominent figure in British left-wing politics and the first Black woman elected to parliament, was initially suspended by Labour in 2023 after she said the prejudice faced by Jewish people was similar to, but not the same as, racism.
She later apologised and withdrew the comments. Just weeks before the national election in July 2024, Abbott, 71, was readmitted into the Labour Party following internal criticism over her suspension.
Asked in an interview with BBC Radio on Thursday if she regretted the episode, she said: "No, not at all."
"Clearly, there must be a difference between racism which is about colour and other types of racism because you can see a Traveller or a Jewish person walking down the street, you don't know.
"But if you see a black person walking down the street, you see straight away that they're black. They are different types of racism," Abbott said.
A Labour spokesperson said Abbott had been administratively suspended while an investigation takes place.
Prime minister Keir Starmer has pledged to tackle antisemitism within the party after allegations of discrimination and harassment against Jewish people under former leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Starmer has also taken disciplinary action against other Labour MPs during his time as leader, including four lawmakers suspended on Wednesday for organising opposition to the government's welfare reforms.
(With inputs from agencies)
Keep ReadingShow less
This is Mittal’s ninth honorary doctorate and his third from a UK institution. (Photo: Getty Images)
SUNIL BHARTI MITTAL, founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises, has been awarded an honorary doctorate in business administration by the University of Bath in the United Kingdom, the company said on Thursday.
The University of Bath is ranked among the UK’s top ten universities and is placed within the top 10 per cent globally, the statement added.
“Founder and Chairman, Mr Sunil Bharti Mittal, has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration by the University of Bath, United Kingdom (UK),” the company said.
This is Mittal’s ninth honorary doctorate and his third from a UK institution. He was previously awarded the Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) by the University of Leeds in 2009 and the Doctor of Civil Law (Honoris Causa) by Newcastle University in 2012.
“I’m honoured to receive this recognition from the University of Bath, an institution renowned for its intellectual rigour, spirit of enterprise, and engagement with the world beyond the classroom,” Mittal said.
“We are very proud to honour Mr Sunil Bharti Mittal’s considerable achievements in enterprise, leadership and service to society. Not only has he built a world-leading global enterprise but his humanitarian work has impacted the lives of over 3.7 million children through education and rural development,” said Professor Phil Taylor, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Bath.
(With inputs from PTI)
Keep ReadingShow less
The gravesite is one of dozens unearthed across the country. (Photo: X)
THE skeletal remains of a girl aged between four and five have been identified among 65 sets of human remains exhumed from a mass grave in Sri Lanka’s Jaffna district. The site first came into focus during the LTTE conflict in the mid-1990s.
“The findings of the excavation at the Chemmani mass grave were reported to the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court on on Tuesday (15) by Raj Somadeva, a forensic archaeologist overseeing the exhumation,” Jeganathan Tathparan, a lawyer, said on Thursday (17).
Earlier this year, the court ordered a legally supervised excavation at the site after human skeletal remains were uncovered during routine development work.
Tathparan said the child’s remains were found alongside school bags and toys. Somadeva informed the court that the remains were those of a girl aged between four and five, he added.
Two additional skeletons are also suspected to be those of children, based on similarities in clothing and anatomical features, the lawyer said.
The Chemmani site first attracted international attention in 1998, when a Sri Lankan soldier testified to the existence of mass graves containing hundreds of civilians allegedly killed during the conflict between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan government in the mid-1990s.
An initial excavation in 1999 uncovered 15 skeletons, but no further action was taken until the recent findings.
The gravesite is one of dozens unearthed across the country. Thousands of people died or disappeared during the 26-year civil war, which ended in 2009.
The main Tamil political party, Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK), in a letter to president Anura Kumara Dissanayake, described the Chemmani mass grave as clear evidence of war crimes and “a genocidal campaign against Tamils”.
The excavation work, which was halted last Thursday (10), is scheduled to resume on July 21.
Amnesty International estimates that between 60,000 and 100,000 people have disappeared in Sri Lanka since the late 1980s.
The Tamil community in Sri Lanka claims that nearly 170,000 people were killed in the final stages of the civil war, while United Nations estimates put the figure at around 40,000.
The LTTE was seeking a separate homeland for Tamils.
(PTI)
Keep ReadingShow less
Aakash Odedra recently won Best Male Dancer and Outstanding Male Classical Performance at the National Dance Awards.
AAKASH ODEDRA has been appointed a Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist, the organisation has announced.
Born in Birmingham and based in Leicester, Odedra is known for combining classical and contemporary dance to reflect British Asian experiences.
He recently won Best Male Dancer and Outstanding Male Classical Performance at the National Dance Awards.
Odedra founded his company in 2011 and has performed over 300 full-length shows in 40 countries. His new work Songs of the Bulbul, which blends kathak dance with Sufi poetry, will be staged at Sadler’s Wells East from 17 to 19 July 2025.
His previous productions at Sadler’s Wells include Mehek in 2024, a duet with Aditi Mangaldas, and Samsara in 2022, presented with the Bagri Foundation.
Aakash Odedra said: “To become an Associate Artist of Sadler’s Wells feels like the golden gates of dance heaven have opened. It is, in the truest sense, an honour, and I am deeply humbled.”
Sir Alistair Spalding said: “As Aakash goes from strength to strength both as a performer and as a choreographic artist it is a pleasure to bring him to the family of Sadler’s Wells Associate Artists.”
Rob Jones said: “He is an incredible artist who over the years has grown and developed and we’re looking forward to following him on this journey.”
Odedra joins a group of Associate Artists including Akram Khan, Crystal Pite, Hofesh Shechter, and others. The appointments were made by Sir Alistair Spalding and Rob Jones.