Artists impression of Scotland’s First BIA Memorial

Did you know that ‘The British Indian Army (BIA)’  played an instrumental role to protect Britain and contributed more than 4 million personnel and many other resources during both World War 1 & 2? The BIA was made up of personnel mainly from modern day countries  such as India, Pakistan & Bangladesh as well as from Nepal & Srilanka.

During World War 2 (WW2) alone over 2.5 million soldiers including Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, Christians and people of no faith from the BIA fought to protect Britain. More than 87,000 Indian soldiers of various ethnicities and faiths lost their lives and 150,000 sustained injuries, often life changing during WW2. They were also awarded 28 Victoria Cross medals from King George VI himself for extreme acts of bravery.

Scotland has a special connection with WW2 and the BIA through a special contingent called ‘Force K6‘ (see our previous article – Scotlands special Connection to Force K6). They were a mule transport contingent of the Royal Indian Army Service Corps of mainly Punjabi Muslim soldiers (nearly 1700) from the Pakistan side of undivided India that came and stayed in the Highlands of Scotland after escaping from Dunkirk during WW2. Their story has recently been documented in Dr Ghee Bowmans book ‘ The Indian Contingent – The Forgotten Muslim soldiers of Dunkirk’.

Scotland is also home to the Victoria Cross medal of the late WW2 veteran Naik Gian Singh VC. His son Charanjit Sangha lives in Glasgow and shares the story of Gian Singh VC which is one of bravery and kindness. In 2023 he appeared on the BBC Antiques Road show to highlight his Fathers story and to have his VC medal evaluated which valued in at £250K! Gian Singh VC served with the 15^th Punjab Regiment when he captured a Japanese anti-tank gun in Burma. After partition the 15^th Punjab regiment went to the Pakistan side and he generously donated this anti-tank gun to Pakistan (If anyone can help us locate this then please email info@colourfulheritage.com).

Despite their immense sacrifices, how much do people across Britain know about the contribution and sacrifices of the BIA? Is this history taught to our young people in schools? 

Colourful Heritage want to get this message out and ensure that everyone in society knows about the amazing contribution from across the Commonwealth especially British India. We need your help to do so. Together with your support we want to build Scotland’s first National Memorial dedicated to the BIA.

Colourful Heritage are delighted to have been granted planning permission by Glasgow City Council, to construct the memorial within the grounds of the iconic Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow, which houses a painting by Henry Lamb of BIA’s ‘Force K6’ Driver: Abdul Ghani. This now resides within the ‘Conflict & Consequence Gallery’ in a special exhibition by Colourful Heritage & Glasgow Museums called ‘GlaswegAsians: The South Asian Contribution during WW2’. The Victoria Cross belonging to Naik Gian Singh is also on display along with a video showing celebrations in India featuring him in the footage when it was announced that he was awarded the VC.

In August 2023 the ‘Memorial Brick Laying Ceremony’ was held and featured on the BBC One Show in Nov 2023.  The memorial will be a striking structure, designed in the Chattri (umbrella) style using red sandstone, resting on engraved pillars, that will serve as a permanent reminder of the contribution and sacrifice made by the BIA. We plan to also have a digital aspect to engage younger generations, and to exhibit a lesser-known aspect of history.

Scotland has over 4,900 war memorials to commemorate various regiments and countries, yet not a single memorial exists in Scotland to commemorate the BIA. Our project aims to build a national memorial in Glasgow dedicated to the British Indian Army. The memorial will:

1) help to remember the BIA and their contribution to protecting Britain. It will be a fitting tribute to these soldiers that died alongside their British counterparts.

2) serve to enhance education that Scotland has a unique connection with the BIA in terms of ‘Force K6’ and highlight the amazing story of Isobel Harling BEM and her selfless commitment as well.  Isobel passed away on St Andrews day aged 100 years old and is now buried opposite ‘Her Boys’ in Kingussie Cemetery. Educate about many other connections of the BIA to Scotland (see ‘Digital Schools Resource Pack’ & video from Colin Hexley – share the story of his father Captain Tom Hexley).

3) be a tangible asset for the city of Glasgow and act as a focal point to bring both young and old people of different faiths & backgrounds together. In turn this will help them to reflect on their shared histories and further learn about the valuable contribution made by the BIA.  

Nearly 100 memorial designs and ideas were sent in by over 300 school pupils in and around Glasgow. Click here to see some of them!

A permanent memorial will show today’s generation that we have a shared past that needs to be remembered and commemorated and we have a shared future.

The BIA played vital roles in several theatres of war, and it’s important that their contribution and sacrifice are recognised. We are seeking crowdfunding support to help us raise the necessary funds to build Scotland’s First National BIA Memorial in Glasgow that will serve as a fitting and lasting tribute to these brave soldiers. Your contributions will go towards the construction and installation of the memorial.

Please share our ‘Just giving’ page and donate generously to help us make this project a reality. 

“While this is a proud time for all those with connections to India, it will also provide the opportunity for future generations to learn about the brave sacrifice made by these soldiers.” – Pam Gosal, MSP

For further information or to make a pledge or donation contact: info@colourfulheritage.com

Thank you!