Army of Empire: The Untold Story of the Indian Army in World War I

by George Morton-Jack

Overview

Drawing on untapped new sources, the first global history of the Indian Expeditionary Forces in World War I

While their story is almost always overlooked, the 1.5 million Indian soldiers who served the British Empire in World War I played a crucial role in the eventual Allied victory. Despite their sacrifices, Indian troops received mixed reactions from their allies and their enemies alike-some were treated as liberating heroes, some as mercenaries and conquerors themselves, and all as racial inferiors and a threat to white supremacy. Yet even as they fought as imperial troops under the British flag, their broadened horizons fired in them new hopes of racial equality and freedom on the path to Indian independence.

Drawing on freshly uncovered interviews with members of the Indian Army in Iraq and elsewhere, historian George Morton-Jack paints a deeply human story of courage, colonization, and racism, and finally gives these men their rightful place in history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780465094042
Publisher:	Basic Books
Publication date:	12/04/2018
Pages:	608
Sales rank:	691,891
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 2.00(d)

About the Author

George Morton-Jack studied at Oxford University and currently works as a lawyer in London. The author of The Indian Army on the Western Front, he lives in Bristol, UK.

Table of Contents

Maps v

Introduction 1

Part 1 The Road to World War

1 'The peasant's university' 31

2 'Inferiors in the scale of humanity' 51

3 'He merely obeys orders' 74

Part 2 1914

4 'Vivent les Hindous!' 99

5 'In the nick of time' 121

6 'The riff-raff' 142

7 That God-forsaken ground' 158

8 'Enterprises and surprises' 174

Part 3 1915

9 'An anti-British crusade' 191

10 'I could not bear the news' 204

11 'Just like the photos' 222

12 'Keskersay' 243

13 'As when the leaves fall off a tree' 266

Part 4 1916

14 'The Pasha of Baghdad' 291

15 'A tin full of kerosene' 314

16 'Looking for Germans' 333

Part 5 1917

17 'A cemetery of reputations' 355

18 'An ambulating refrigerator' 366

19 'No longer a Cinderella' 383

20 'Why did I leave my little trench in France?' 394

21 'Bonjour petite fille Louise' 406

Part 6 1918

22 'The political self-development of the people' 431

23 'We alone have got to keep Southern Asia' 450

24 'Each one of us must fight on to the end' 464

Part 7 Veterans

25 'Which side their bread is buttered' 491

Epilogue 517

Note on names and places 529

Endnotes 530

Glossary 551

Dramatis Personae 557

Acknowledgements 562

Index 563

Illustrations appear after page 288.

Editorial Reviews

★ 10/29/2018
In this massive, masterful history, author and lawyer Morton-Jack (The Indian Army on the Western Front) illuminates the WWI contributions of the far-flung, multicultural Indian army. He tells “not only of the Indians’ part in the Allied victory over the Central Powers, but also of soldiers’ personal discoveries on their four-year odyssey.” He mines previously unpublished letters and postwar interviews to reveal how Indian officers and enlisted men, as British colonial subjects and people of color, experienced military life. He writes with authority about the wrenching battles of Ypres, Gallipoli, Kut, the Somme, and East Africa, expertly weaving in how soldiers’ political loyalty and Muslim soldiers’ interest in jihad affected military campaigns. By war’s end, the Indians’ sense of unity with the British barely masked growing nationalist sentiment on the subcontinent. This book is essential for devotees of WWI military history and those fascinated by the complexities of empire. Illus. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

"This book is essential for devotees of WWI military history and those fascinated by the complexities of empire."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Revelatory... fluent and colourful... This book describes the war as a worldwide conflict involving a million Indian soldiers [and] shows how crucial they were to Allied success."
—Telegraph (UK)

"Absorbing [and] welcome... explores a remarkably diverse fighting force 1.5 million men of all castes and creeds... This book is a fitting testament to the sacrifices they made."
—Guardian (UK)

"[A] highly detailed look at India's global effort in their (mostly) patriotic devotion to the empire ... World War I fans will appreciate the broad look."—Kirkus

"A splendid book ... comprehensive and distinctive... A multi-layered, rigorously researched and empathetically interpreted account of the Indian contribution to the Great War."—Hindustan Times

"One of the most interesting and informative works yet published on the Indian Army during World War I ... Morton-Jack's use of little known accounts from Indian Army veterans is what really brings the book to life"—History of War Magazine (UK)

"Beautifully written . . . essential to a proper understanding of the war and of our world of today. A much needed book"—Michael Morpurgo, author of War Horse

"One of this year's most enlightening reads [and] revelatory... Written with brilliant verve from the perspective of the Indian soldier and using almost entirely new information, it fits the Indian experience superbly into the overall Great War narrative"—Andrew Roberts, author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny

"An outstanding book that brings to life the experiences of Indian soldiers in all of the theatres of WWI, from German colonies in China and Africa to the Middle East and the Western Front. Thoroughly researched and engagingly written, George Morton-Jack restores the Indian Army to its rightful place in the history of the Great War."
—Eugene Rogan, author of The Fall of the Ottomans

"The Indian Army's role in World War I is perhaps the least understood dimension of that global conflict. Although the centenary of the war sparked off some interest in the stories of these soldiers, there has been no sustained examination of their experiences. Army of Empire fills this void in our historical understanding admirably and comprehensively. Widely researched and vividly written, George Morton-Jack's account of the Indian Army's crucial contribution to the Allied victory is unlikely to be surpassed any time soon."
—Srinath Raghavan, author of India's War

"Fascinating....George Morton-Jack writes with the compassionate heart of a poet and the cold eye of a historian seeing the vast canvas of the ages. We owe him gratitude for bringing light to a deserving but neglected part of world history; those of us with an interest in South Asia are forever indebted to him."
—Akbar Ahmed, Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies, American University

From the Publisher

2018-10-02

Morton-Jack (The Indian Army on the Western Front: India's Expeditionary Force to France and Belgium in the First World War, 2014) reveals the extent to which the army of British India affected the outcome of World War I.

Historians have often declared that Indian soldiers suffered terribly in Europe's bitter 1914 winter even though many came from mountain regions where cold, snow, and ice were the norm. They were also viewed as a weak colonial force only useful for easy border scrapes. On the contrary, writes Morton-Jack in this deep, dense history, the soldiers were seasoned professionals: well-traveled, politically aware, militarily skilled, and fully capable of employing their own tactics and enterprise. During WWI, the Indian Army was in a state of perpetual evolution. By 1916, the Indian cavalry in France was the British Expeditionary Force's best trained and most experienced. The British knew the Indian Army needed to be well treated to hold them; in the first year in France, there were a record number of desertions and self-inflicted wounds. The British did all they could to provide the comforts of home, with special food, equipment, and arms—at least in France—but discipline was strict for deserters. The stories of the different forces and their successes and failures show the diversity of the war and the strong need for central leadership. Until the beginning of 1916, Britain's military forces had divided controls between two separate departments and headquarters in London and India. Under Field Marshal William Robertson and Commander in Chief Charles Monro, the size of the Indian force was increased via improved pay, pensions, and promotions. With sufficient men and money, earlier losses were reversed. The author includes a helpful cast of characters and a glossary to define "durbar," "kafir," "sahib," and many other terms that may be unfamiliar to general readers.

This highly detailed look at India's global effort in their (mostly) patriotic devotion to the empire occasionally gets bogged down but usually picks back up quickly. World War I fans will appreciate the broad look.

Kirkus Reviews