Commemoration and Service of Remembrance

For

Royal Indian Army Service CorpsForce K 6

Kingussie Cemetery31st October 2019

The Importance of the British Indian Army

‘If the Indian Army had not arrived when it did, the Germans may well have broken through and they may well have got the Channel Ports and the whole history of the war may well have been very different’. Military Historian Gordon Corrigan

The British Indian Army was one of the largest ‘volunteer’ armies in the world. It was the principal military of the British Indian Empire before partition of All India into present day India, Pakistan and neighbouring countries. It formed an important part of the British Empire forces both in India and abroad.

In World War I, over 1.5 million servicemen and soldiers served with over 74,000 losing their lives and more than 100,000 injured. India contributed over £479 million (£25 billion in today’s money) in money and supplies to fund the war and earned a total of 11 Victoria Crosses.

In World War II, approximately 2.5 million servicemen and soldiers served with over 87,000 deaths and more than 150,000 injured. India contributed over £1.3 billion (£53 billion in today’s money) in money and supplies and earned a total of 28 Victoria Crosses.

The Indian soldiers showed exceptional loyalty, courage and determination in Britain’s fight for freedom. One such front line soldier was Sepoy Khudadad Khan from the 129th Duke of Connaught’s Own Baluchis, British Indian Army. He was the first In-dian soldier to receive the Victoria Cross, awarded for his valour and bravery during World War I.

Buried in Kingussie are nine servicemen from Force K6, an all Muslim transport corps. They originated from Punjab and arrived in France in Dec 1939 and eventually were evacuated from Dunkirk to Britain. In the UK, they trained, provided supplies and prepared for Churchill’s ‘Operation Jupiter’. Kingussie represents the largest grave site of Force K6 soldiers in the UK.

Last year Colourful Heritage organised the inaugural multifaith remembrance service at Kingussie Cemetery to honour all the soldiers who gave their lives for Britain in both World Wars and in doing so it recognises the role of all British Indian soldiers.

Once again, this year we have invited all faiths and denominations to join us at this ser-vice of collective remembrance. Together with the Armed Forces, Colourful Heritage intend to make this a permanent and regular event for the years to come.

Across Scotland, thirteen Force K6 servicemen are buried across four sites. These individuals resting in Scottish soil provide a special and everlasting link between Scot-land and South Asia and between Muslims and Britain.

Their selfless sacrifice should never be forgotten nor should we take for granted the freedom and privileges we enjoy today for which they gave their lives.

Order of Service

WelcomeOmar Shaikh

Recitation from Quran Imam Asim Hafiz, Islamic Adviser to CDS and Service Chiefs

Prayers and ReflectionsImam Asim Hafiz & Major Andrew Forbes

Wreaths

ExhortationMajor Heather Lawrie

Last PostBugler

2 Minute Silence

ReveilleBugler

Flowers of the ForestPiper

Kohima Epitaph“When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say,

For Your Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today”

172870 DriverMuhammad

Burch Basoa, Gujrat, PakistanDied 30th October 1942, Age 29

172305 NaikMuhammad Sadiq

Sukho, Rawalpindi, PakistanDied 28th June 1942, Age 29

780335 DriverMushtaq Ahmad

Dhok Saiyan, Jhelum, PakistanDied 19th October 1942, Age 21

Kingussie Cemetery, Inverness-Shire

59383 DafadarAli Bahadur

Badyal, Hazara, PakistanDied 22nd November 1942, Age 38

64164 DriverBari Sher

Ali Sojal, Poonch, KashmirDied 20th June 1943, Age 37

783738 DriverDadan Khan

Merabala, Hazara, PakistanDied 20th August 1942, Age 22

784364 DriverFazl Ali

Chak Mehmda, Gujrat, PakistanDied 25th June 1943, Age 25

28513 DriverKhan Muhammad

Jawra, Rawalpindi, PakistanDied 15th October 1942, Age 32

65621 DriverKhushi Muhammad

Chok Anjam, Mirpur, KashmirDied 20th April 1943, Age 35

Names of Royal Indian Army Service Corps soldiers from Force K 6 buried in northern Scotland

172870 DriverMuhammad

Burch Basoa, Gujrat, PakistanDied 30th October 1942, Age 29

172305 NaikMuhammad Sadiq

Sukho, Rawalpindi, PakistanDied 28th June 1942, Age 29

780335 DriverMushtaq Ahmad

Dhok Saiyan, Jhelum, PakistanDied 19th October 1942, Age 21

Aberdeen (Allenvale) Cemetery, Aberdeenshire

782018 DriverMir ZamanSahib, Rawalpindi, PakistanDied 13th January 1943, Age 22

Dornoch (Proncynain) Cemetery, Sutherland

26929 NaikAbdul RakhmanButigaram (Siri Kote), Hazara, PakistanDied 1st January 1944, Age 37

179422 DriverGhulam NabiDhir Kot, Hazara, PakistanDied 28th September 1943, Age 24

Grange Cemetery, Banffshire

783860 DriverKaram DadChak Pinana, Gujrat, PakistanDied 2nd December 1943, Age 22

Kingussie Cemetery

Names of Royal Indian Army Service Corps soldiers from Force K 6 buried in northern Scotland

Force K 6 in Scotland The forgotten sacrifices

By Ghee Bowman, University of Exeter

On December 26th 1939, 1723 men from India disembarked at Marseilles together with over 2000 mules. These were Force K6: Punjabi Muslims of the Royal Indian Army Service Corps (RIASC), sent to France to help the British Expeditionary Force deliver supplies to the front lines.

Five short months later, after one of the harshest winters in living memory, these men were in flight from the German blitzkrieg, together with the British and French armies. Two companies escaped via Dunkirk, one company via St Nazaire, and the fourth company ended up in a German POW camp.

After their escape from France they were reinforced and spent 3½ years in Britain, much of that time in Scotland. They were part of preparations for Operation Jupi-ter, one of Churchill’s ‘mad plans’ (Alanbrooke): a proposed invasion of Northern Norway to secure German airfields and thereby protect the arctic convoys delivering supplies to the Soviet Union. The plan was never approved, but the training and the preparation continued, with Force K6 companies attached to British infantry brigades, training them in loading and handling mules.

During their time in Scotland, men of the RIASC were posted around the Highlands from Glenfeshie to Kinlochleven and from Aberdeenshire to Loch Ewe. There are many stories from their time there including a letter from the school teacher in Lairg, Iby Fraser, who wrote:

‘Lairg is bleak and deserted now that they are gone, and the empty stables are a mute reminder of the happy faces and busy figures that were ever seen there. The children have lost their “good companions” from whom they were never separated during the months of the Indian’s sojourn in Lairg, and the great majority of firesides have an empty chair tonight’.

There was also a leave centre established for them at 13 Wester Coates Terrace in Edinburgh. This incorporated a prayer room on the side of the building, possibly Edinburgh’s first mosque.

During their time in Scotland, there were inevitably casualties. 13 of the men are buried in 4 cemeteries across Scotland. There were nine burials at Kingussie, as their Indian General Hospital was nearby. Local British Legion member Mrs Isobel Harling has been tending the graves since the war, and said “I like to think that it brings their families comfort knowing that even though their loved ones are so far away from home they are still being looked after”.

There is another lasting relic of these men’s stay in Scotland. In the gallery of Glas-gow’s Kelvinside Museum, you can see a portrait of Driver Abdul Ghani, ammunition bandolier over his shoulder, looking somewhat dreamily into the distance. The Punja-bi Muslims of Force K6 are still remembered in Scotland.

Colourful Heritage

The story of Colourful Heritage started with a conversation amongst friends over a cup of tea in 2010 to capture the stories of the early South Asian and Muslim migrants to Scotland. Never did we imagine that our own journey as second-generation Scots would take us to developing the largest archive of oral migrant stories in the UK. Our collaboration with Glasgow Museums delivered the Bashir Maan Archive at Mitchell Library, Scotland’s first dedicated physical archive that starts to address the archival si-lence that existed. We have an exclusive partnership with Glasgow Museums where we recently in July 2017 launched the GlaswegAsians exhibition at Scotland Street School Museum which has been a first for Scotland and has been incredibly well received.

Our latest ‘stop’ on our journey has been the emotional uncovering of the story of our ancestors from South Asia who fought and sacrificed their lives in World War I and II. Our team has travelled from the graves of northern Scotland, to Muslim sol-diers buried in Woking, to visiting the battlefields of Ypres in Belgium.

Last year, as part of the commemorations marking the centenary of the end of World War I, we refreshed the GlaswegAsians exhibition war thematic to include a unique infographic detailing the costs and number of servicemen that took part in both the wars. There is footage of Muslim soldiers from the trenches of World War I as well as several short videos including the story of a World War II veteran who lives in Glas-gow and an exclusive interview given by the Glaswegian son of Naik Gian Singh VC. In addition, the names of all the Force K6 soldiers buried in Scotland were poignantly read out in Scottish Parliament.

This year we have further developed the conversation of South Asian and Muslim contributions to World War I and II by holding workshops with over 1500 high school pupils, a new mobile poster exhibition and launching a primary school resource pack which is currently being piloted in Glasgow.

Going forward, we have made a call for a permanent memorial dedicated to the Brit-ish Indian Army to be curated in Glasgow and we invite like minded individuals and organisations to partner with us.

Colourful Heritage is striving to capture our history; celebrate and commemorate the lives of those who have gone before; and inspire future generations to build a better and more cohesive society.

When you go home, tell them of us and say:

For your tomorrow we gave our today

Force K 6 badge

RIASC badge

51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotlandare delighted to have been able to support thisCommemoration and Act of Remembrance.

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