Derby University Talk

It was a huge compliment to be invited and to collaborate with the University of Derby. The event helped ensure that we are making history accessible to all, so being asked to speak about our project was great. The event was open to community members as well as academics and young students.

Myself and my colleague, Major Gogna, discussed how the army has changed over the years - when men enlisted for war, they did so for wanting a better life for their families. The promise of money, honour and land enticed men to sign up and promised that when they returned they would have better living conditions. When the men travelled they were travelling by boat and their movements have been documented though the war diaries written by British Officers.

When Indian troops were enlisted, they travelled to various destinations to replace British troops in places such as Egypt, Malta, Gibraltar and many more destinations. One of the ships was destined for Egypt but was then diverted to Marseilles, France. The men were poorly equipped and the problems they faced came in the winter, where they froze and frostbite became a serious problem.

The heat in the summer made it difficult for them as they had heavy equipment strapped to themselves. The war was the bloodiest that they had encountered and the trenches were full of the Indian and British troops together, something that we are not taught when researching the First World War.

In the present day there are Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims currently serving in the Armed Forces today. The Army currently has the highest recruits whereas the Royal Navy numbers are lower due to communities thinking that the Armed Forces are just British white people. They think this because they don’t see people that represent them in the Forces. Major Gogna explained that when he had joined the Army there were not many from a Sikh background and but now men and women are joining the forces.

The talk also enabled me to speak about how we have used our research to work with the communities in Birmingham and in London. Many of the audience were surprised to see Major Gogna wearing a Turban and in Army uniform. The question and answer session allowed me to inform people of how they can research their own histories. When starting this project we wanted to make it inclusive to all as this would be a chance to tell the stories of the men that never got a chance. These men are not forgotten it is about ensuring that everyone has access to learn about their past.

We enjoyed being in Derby and giving the community to enjoy our exhibition. In our project we have worked with various experts and academics to help with the learning of our volunteers. It is easy to search for the main images of the British Indian Army over the last couple of years. and working with a researcher we were able to find images that are not rarely seen and this was how we were able to engage with the wider community.