T

he First World War names data from pre-Partition India was provided by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Of the various colonies in the French, German and British empires, undivided India (comprising present-day’s India, Pakistan and Bangladesh) contributed the highest number of men. The total number of Indian ranks recruited up to December 31, 1919, was 877,068 combatants and 563,369 non-combatants, for a total of 1,440,437. Between August 1914 and December 1919, India had sent overseas for purposes of war 622,224 soldiers and 474,789 non-combatants, pressed into one of the seven expeditionary forces: Indian Expeditionary Force (IEF) A to Europe, IEFs B and C to East Africa, D to Mesopotamia, E and F to Egypt or G to Gallipoli. 

For more information, go to www.cwgc.org.