Latest update March 28th, 2024 12:59 AM
Aug 06, 2014 Letters
Dear Editor,
The one hundredth anniversary of the start of the WW I was observed on Monday in Europe. It was on Aug. 4, 1914 that Britain declared war on Germany for its transgressions. The “war to end all wars” spread carnage across Europe, especially northern France and Belgium, killing 17 million soldiers and civilians between 1914-18.
The war’s origins may lie in the Balkans and somehow people may feel Europe was the theater of the war. Besides in Europe, the war fought in Asia, Africa, Middle East and the Mediterranean. Although there was no military action in the Caribbean, West Indian soldiers contributed to the war effort with soldiers from then British Guiana and other neighboring territories fighting in the war. Also, Indian and African troops fought in the war.
In fact, the bulk of the colonial troops were from India with some 1.4 million Indians fighting in the war with some 75,000 dying and another 65K injured.
The Caribbean, India, Africa and Asia were profoundly affected by the war having to divert manpower, materials, production and funds to the war effort hurting the progress and development of the colonies to protect Europeans. Although colonial troops played a critical role in the war, the troops were never properly compensated or recognized by the European colonial empires and their role is not well known.
A recent survey conducted in England reveal that over half of Britons didn’t know whether India had contributed over 1,000 troops in the war. Even the French and Belgians, who the Indians defended with their blood, are not knowledgeable of the important role the Indians play in saving their countries from German takeover and the French and Belgians did not provide meaningful compensation. I did research on the Indian contribution to both WWI and WW II under the supervision of Prof. James Watts of CCNY and plan to write about it.
A feature-film is being made by Hollywood Director and former tennis star Vijay Singh on the lesser known fact of the 1.4 million Indian soldiers and civilian workers who came to defend France and Belgium. The hardships, casualties and diseases suffered by the colonial soldiers are not public knowledge. According to Singh, the Indian soldiers wrote about their experiences in around 600 letters when they were in hospitals, records of which are maintained in the Haryana Academy of Art and Culture. “Soldiers used to send one rupee from their monthly salary to the academy, which went towards education of students”, said the filmmaker.
Singh said “Not many pictures have been available of the Indian soldiers except the ones from the hospitals where King George V had gone to visit them”.
In tribute to the fallen heroes, in England, lights were switched off for an hour on Monday night. Also, British landmarks, including both Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge and St Paul’s Cathedral, went dark from 10 p.m. Reports say candles went out one by one until only a burning oil lamp remained at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior. Prime Minister David Cameron asked Britons to switch off all but a single light in their homes for an hour as a mark of tribute to the fallen soldiers and the injured.
Cameron and Prince William, second in line to the throne, attended 100th anniversary ceremonies in Scotland and Belgium on Monday paying tribute to those who died.
The Prince said: “We salute those who died to give us our freedom. We will remember them,” he told Belgium’s King Philippe and other heads of state attending the Liège ceremony at the Allies’ Memorial, near to where German troops invaded Belgium in the early hours of Aug. 4, 1914 – the event which brought Britain into the war”.
Politicians and royalty from 83 countries, including Presidents Francois Hollande of France and Joachim Gauck of Germany, were among those in memorial service in Belgium. In Glasgow, Scotland, Cameron was joined by heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles at a centenary service.
Cameron said: “When you think that almost every family, almost every community was affected, almost a million British people were lost in this war, it is right that even 100 years on, we commemorate it, we think about it and we mark it properly”.
But proper recognition has not been given to those colonial troops who gave their lives in defense of Britain and other colonial empires. It would not be too late for the former empires to make adequate compensation to the surviving families who gave their lives in defense of Europe.
Vishnu Bisram
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
Mar 28, 2024
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