07-08-2025
Forgotten no more: Growing demand for UK memorial to India's WW2 Heroes
Words by ITV News Journalist in New Delhi, Sanjay Jha
More than 2.5 million Indian soldiers served in the Allied forces during Second World War - forming the largest volunteer army in history.
From the deserts of North Africa to the mountains of Italy and the jungles of Burma, they fought with courage and distinction. Yet, their sacrifice remains largely overlooked, both in India and abroad.
Now, as the world nears the 80th anniversary of the war's end, calls are growing for a dedicated memorial in the United Kingdom to honour these forgotten heroes.
Squadron Leader Rana TS Chhina, MBE, director of the Centre for Military History and Conflict Studies at the United Service Institution of India, strongly supports the initiative.
"It is unfortunate that there is no dedicated memorial to the Indian Army in World War Two - neither in India nor in the UK. If such a memorial were to come up, it would be a very welcome step,' he told ITV News.
Chhina also highlighted the complexity of India's wartime role. The British Viceroy unilaterally declared war on Germany in 1939 without consulting India's elected leaders.
While many Indian political parties opposed fascism, they demanded independence in return for supporting the war effort - a demand Britain refused. Yet, millions still volunteered.
"The Indian story in World War Two is slightly more complicated," Chhina said to ITV News.
"The Viceroy declared war without consulting political leadership. While Indian leaders opposed fascism, they believed a nation fighting for democracy abroad deserved its own freedom.'
Despite these tensions, Indian soldiers served with honour in nearly every major theatre of the war.
Mandeep Singh Bajwa, Military Affairs Columnist at The Indian Express, echoed this sentiment.
'A total of four million Indians fought on the Allied side in both world wars. 176,000 gave up their lives. The country's contribution in terms of manpower, goods, and money was phenomenal,' he told ITV News.
'But very few people in Europe or America know this. It's high time a magnificent monument is built in Britain to commemorate those who fought, and the governments of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh should all be involved in its unveiling.'
Momentum for such a memorial has grown since British artist Mahtab Hussain launched a petition on calling for recognition of Indian soldiers' wartime service.
"The Indian soldiers who fought in World War Two have been forgotten for too long," Hussain wrote in the appeal.
"Their stories, their bravery, their sacrifice - they deserve a permanent memorial that acknowledges their unique contribution, especially here in London."
While the Cenotaph and the Memorial Gates on Constitution Hill acknowledge Commonwealth contributions, critics argue they fail to reflect the scale and specificity of India's role in the war.
India's own record of remembrance is similarly lacking. Journalist Sudhir Arora of the Garhwal Post has questioned why India continues to sideline its Second World War veterans.
"Why don't we remember our Second World War dead?" he wrote. "Millions served bravely on multiple fronts, but our national memory has largely erased their courage."
Many analysts attribute this to a post-independence discomfort with India's colonial past.
There was reluctance to honour a military effort seen as part of British imperialism. But that narrative, critics argue, misses the broader point: Indian soldiers also fought against fascism.
Their sacrifice, they say, is not just a British or colonial story - it's an Indian one.
Although India inaugurated a National War Memorial in 2019, it honours only post-independence martyrs. The graves of Indian World War Two soldiers, maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission at the Delhi War Cemetery, remain largely forgotten and rarely visited.
As Chhina noted, remembrance must go beyond mere physical structures.
"This isn't only about a monument in stone," he said to ITV News. "It's about restoring honour, shaping collective memory, and telling a complete story of India's role in the world."
