Hello
I live in Haifa Israel I would like to discuss the role of the Indian army in Palestine 1918
Every year on 23 September the Indian Army commemorates Haifa Day, when two Indian cavalry brigades fighting under British General Edmund Allenby during World War I helped liberate Haifa, Israel, from Turkish-German forces in 1918.
The courageous uphill assault by the Jodhpur Lancers, which took by surprise the German and Turkish artillery and machine gun emplacements on top of Mount Carmel, is also commemorated by the Haifa Monument that stands at one of New Delhi's busiest intersections.
I am looking for pictures of that units or the battle of Haifa or any other data
We have an Indian cemetery in Haifa for Hindu and Muslim Indian solders
I went there last week to pay them honor
http://idf-armor.blogspot.com/
Indian Army in Palestine --> World War One, 1917-1918
Re: Indian Army in Palestine w.w 1 1917 1918
no need to close the thread, can be merged with IA history?
IIRC, the Maharajah of Jodhpur himself led the Jodhpur Lancers charge at Haifa... can anyone corroborate?
(Possibly the last cavalry charge of the IA)
IIRC, the Maharajah of Jodhpur himself led the Jodhpur Lancers charge at Haifa... can anyone corroborate?
(Possibly the last cavalry charge of the IA)
Re: Indian Army in Palestine w.w 1 1917 1918
This thread should stay, not many are aware of these episodes. Let me start with Haifa Hero.
Haifa Hero; Major Maj Dalpat Singh Shekhawat
Haifa Hero; Major Maj Dalpat Singh Shekhawat
Tributes to 'Haifa Hero'Marwar, the land of sand dunes, has always been the cradle of heroes where numerous chivalrous persons were nursed and, thus, this land became the nursery of brave and gallant people. One paladin nursed in this cradle was a military hero— late Maj Dalpat Singh Shekhawat, known in the annals of history as Haifa Hero.
Maj Dalpat Singh was born and brought up in Jodhpur. His father, Col Hari Singh Shekhawat was a famous polo player. Under his guidance, Dalpat Singh grew and became an Army officer. He received his `King Commission' in 1912.
During the first world war, on September 23, 1918 Haifa (now in Israel), a stronghold of the Britishers was captured. Maj Shekhawat was given the task of capturing back Haifa from the enemies. By showing his military skill, tactics and leadership in battle, he succeeded in his mission and won Haifa. However, he became a martyr while completing his task. Haifa victory was a great achievement of Maj Dalpat Singh and the British Government honoured him with 'Military Cross' in the battle field.
Col Harvey, a British Army officer lamented on the death of such a heroic personality and in his words, "His death is a loss not only to all Jodhpuris, but to India and the whole of the `British Empire'. The British Government eulogised his heroic deed and adored him as Hero of Haifa.
The Government of Marwar built `Dalpat Memorial Hall' in the premises of Pratap School in his memory. Maharaja Shri Umed Singhji got prepared his silver replica which is now a piece of glory for 61 Cavalary at Jaipur.
Maj Dalpat Singh's valour has been depicted in the literature of Rajasthan. A great poet of Marwar, Mr Kishore Dan Baharat has written many poems in his memory named `Veer Vilas' and ‘Dalpat Raso’ in Rajasthani language. The supreme sacrifice of Maj Dalpat Singh was appreciated by the British Government. It got made his statue with two other first world war heroes' statues by an architect of London, Leonard Jennings in 1922. These statues were placed side by side on a monolith pillar in New Delhi.
The 83rd death anniversary of late Maj Dalpat Singh Shekhawat was recently celebrated at his native place, Jodhpur. At a meeting held on this occasion the senior officers, of Indian Army and civil administration recalled the supreme sacrifice of this Haifa Hero.
Re: Indian Army in Palestine w.w 1 1917 1918
Mysore Lancers and Jodhpore Lancers passing through Haifa
Uri, I am sure you have already seen this photo at churmuri, but still...
Re: Indian Army in Palestine w.w 1 1917 1918
I know crossposting from other forums and providing liks are haraam but forgive me mods, I want to provide the details still want to give the credit to original author.
From Michaeldr at Great wars forum..
Haifa Day
A force of 700 Turks from the garrison of Haifa attempted to get to Tiberias, but at 0130 hrs on the morning of the 22nd September it reached the outposts of the 13th Cavalry Brigade and was attacked in moonlight by the 18th Lancers. A large number were killed, and 311 were captured together with 4 machine guns. The next air reconnaissance of Haifa now seemed to indicate that the town was evacuated and at 1330 hrs that afternoon a detachment of Light Armoured Cars under Brig Gen A. D'A. King advanced along the Nazareth road to occupy Haifa. Before the town was reached however they found that the road was barricaded. At this point they were shelled from the slopes of Mount Carmel and subjected to machine gun fire. The column withdrew with slight casualties.
The next day, 23rd September 1918, the 14th and 15th Cavalry Brigades turned over their line to the 3rd Australian Light Horse Brigade and at 0500 hrs commenced their march on Haifa. Their route passed along the foot of the Mount Carmel range and was kept in a confined strip by the boggy ground along the River Kishon and its tributary streams. This left little room in which cavalry could manoeuvre. At 1015 hrs as the 15th Cavalry Brigade approached Haifa they came under fire from 77mm guns on Mount Carmel. The 14th Cavalry Brigade together with the divisional headquarters occupied the Kishon railway bridge and 'Harosheth of the Gentiles' at midday.
At 1400 hrs the Jodhpur Lancers supported by 'B' Battery H.A.C. attacked Haifa and encountered strong resistance, the lancers making a brilliant charge in the face of the enemy's machine guns. A squadron of the Mysore Lancers (supported by a squadron of Sherwood Rangers) had meanwhile gone over Mount Carmel to turn the town from the south. They captured two naval guns on the ridge of the Carmel and also made a gallant charge against the fire of the enemy's machine guns.
One of the German guns on Mount Carmel, above Haifa, as photographed in 1920
After street fighting, the town was captured at about 1500 hrs with 1,352 prisoners, 17 guns and 11 machine guns being taken. Not without cost however. In the main text of his Despatch of 31st October 1918, General Allenby particularly mentioned
"Whilst the Mysore Lancers were clearing the rocky slopes of Mount Carmel, the Jodhpur Lancers charged through the defile, and riding over the enemy's machine guns, galloped into the town, where a number of Turks were speared in the streets. Colonel Thakur Dalpat Singh, M.C., fell gallantly leading the charge."
from the CWGC
THAKUR DALPAT SINGH
Nationality: Indian
Rank: Major
Regiment/Service: Jodhpur (Imperial Service) Lancers
Date of Death: 23/09/1918
Awards: MC
Additional information: Son of Thakur Hari Singh, of Deoli, Pali, Jodhpur, Rajputana.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Memorial: HELIOPOLIS (PORT TEWFIK) MEMORIAL
General Sir Pratap Singh had accompanied his Jodhpur Lancers on their 70 mile ride to Nazareth during a night and a day. Just short of 73 years old, the empire's faithful warrior was in Allenby's words "quite knocked up." He also had a fever. Allenby ordered him to rest for a few days, otherwise the old war horse would no doubt have joined his lancers in their action at Haifa. The anonymous author of 'Through Palestine with the 20th Machine Gun Squadron' is I believe mistaken when he refers to the death of Sir Pratap's son in this battle. He can only be referring to Colonel Thakur Dalpat Singh MC., and it may well be that this officer was the son of the same Thakur Hari Singh who had been Sir Pratap's AdC and boon polo companion. If that is so then it would be quite understandable that Sir Pratap was deeply distressed by the death, described as a loss "much regretted by his comrades, and all who knew him."
In his 'History of the British Cavalry' the Marquess of Anglesey concludes his description of this action thus;
"By 3 p.m. the battle was over and victory complete. A vital new supply base had fallen into British hands. Four days later the landing of supplies started. Without a doubt this was the most successful mounted action of its scale in the course of the campaign. It was won by a weak brigade of only two regiments and a single 12-pounder battery pitted against about 1,000 well-armed troops who had so far seen no action. These, skilfully deployed, occupied a naturally formidable defensive position with an impassable river on one side of a narrow defile and a steep hill on the other. That they had already received news of the general rout is certain and this may well have affected their behaviour, but there is little evidence to show that they put up less than a respectable resistance. The speed and daring, dash and boldness of the two Indian Imperial Service regiments, in conjunction with the skilful flanking movements devised by Holden [Lieutenant-Colonel H. N., the senior Special Service Officer] were what made the action such a success. The speed and good order demonstrated by the leading squadron of the Jodhpores when it was forced to change direction under heavy fire, were other vital ingredients in what was almost certainly the only occasion in history when a fortified town was captured by cavalry at the gallop."
A footnote on a footnote:
Gen Sir Archibald Wavell in his biography 'Allenby – A Study in Greatness' has the following footnote on page 281
"This is probably the only recorded charge of cavalry in which men of the Royal Engineers have ridden. The 15th Field Troop, R.E., happened to be alongside the Jodhpur Lancers just before the charge, and on the invitation of the Lancers' commanding officer armed themselves with lances and swords from casualties and rode in the charge. Though none of them had ever handled such weapons before they claim to have killed at least one Turk with the arme blanche."
From Michaeldr at Great wars forum..
Haifa Day
In order to keep his forces moving after the retreating Turks, it was vital to Allenby's 'Megiddo' plan that he secure Haifa with its harbour and railhead. Without Haifa, a lack of viable roads meant that it would be impossible for him to keep his army re-supplied.
From the Despatch dated 31st October 1918, by Gen Sir. E.H.H. Allenby: item 19
"........I ordered the Desert Mounted Corps to occupy Acre and Haifa. The roads leading to Haifa from Tul Keram are only country tracks, which, in the event of rain, might become impassable for motor lorries at any time. Any force, advancing northwestwards from Haifa along the coast, would have to depend on supplies landed at that harbour. It was necessary, therefore, to occupy the town without delay, in order that the harbour could be swept for mines, and the landing of stores could be taken in hand."
A force of 700 Turks from the garrison of Haifa attempted to get to Tiberias, but at 0130 hrs on the morning of the 22nd September it reached the outposts of the 13th Cavalry Brigade and was attacked in moonlight by the 18th Lancers. A large number were killed, and 311 were captured together with 4 machine guns. The next air reconnaissance of Haifa now seemed to indicate that the town was evacuated and at 1330 hrs that afternoon a detachment of Light Armoured Cars under Brig Gen A. D'A. King advanced along the Nazareth road to occupy Haifa. Before the town was reached however they found that the road was barricaded. At this point they were shelled from the slopes of Mount Carmel and subjected to machine gun fire. The column withdrew with slight casualties.
The next day, 23rd September 1918, the 14th and 15th Cavalry Brigades turned over their line to the 3rd Australian Light Horse Brigade and at 0500 hrs commenced their march on Haifa. Their route passed along the foot of the Mount Carmel range and was kept in a confined strip by the boggy ground along the River Kishon and its tributary streams. This left little room in which cavalry could manoeuvre. At 1015 hrs as the 15th Cavalry Brigade approached Haifa they came under fire from 77mm guns on Mount Carmel. The 14th Cavalry Brigade together with the divisional headquarters occupied the Kishon railway bridge and 'Harosheth of the Gentiles' at midday.
At 1400 hrs the Jodhpur Lancers supported by 'B' Battery H.A.C. attacked Haifa and encountered strong resistance, the lancers making a brilliant charge in the face of the enemy's machine guns. A squadron of the Mysore Lancers (supported by a squadron of Sherwood Rangers) had meanwhile gone over Mount Carmel to turn the town from the south. They captured two naval guns on the ridge of the Carmel and also made a gallant charge against the fire of the enemy's machine guns.
One of the German guns on Mount Carmel, above Haifa, as photographed in 1920
After street fighting, the town was captured at about 1500 hrs with 1,352 prisoners, 17 guns and 11 machine guns being taken. Not without cost however. In the main text of his Despatch of 31st October 1918, General Allenby particularly mentioned
"Whilst the Mysore Lancers were clearing the rocky slopes of Mount Carmel, the Jodhpur Lancers charged through the defile, and riding over the enemy's machine guns, galloped into the town, where a number of Turks were speared in the streets. Colonel Thakur Dalpat Singh, M.C., fell gallantly leading the charge."
from the CWGC
THAKUR DALPAT SINGH
Nationality: Indian
Rank: Major
Regiment/Service: Jodhpur (Imperial Service) Lancers
Date of Death: 23/09/1918
Awards: MC
Additional information: Son of Thakur Hari Singh, of Deoli, Pali, Jodhpur, Rajputana.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Memorial: HELIOPOLIS (PORT TEWFIK) MEMORIAL
General Sir Pratap Singh had accompanied his Jodhpur Lancers on their 70 mile ride to Nazareth during a night and a day. Just short of 73 years old, the empire's faithful warrior was in Allenby's words "quite knocked up." He also had a fever. Allenby ordered him to rest for a few days, otherwise the old war horse would no doubt have joined his lancers in their action at Haifa. The anonymous author of 'Through Palestine with the 20th Machine Gun Squadron' is I believe mistaken when he refers to the death of Sir Pratap's son in this battle. He can only be referring to Colonel Thakur Dalpat Singh MC., and it may well be that this officer was the son of the same Thakur Hari Singh who had been Sir Pratap's AdC and boon polo companion. If that is so then it would be quite understandable that Sir Pratap was deeply distressed by the death, described as a loss "much regretted by his comrades, and all who knew him."
In his 'History of the British Cavalry' the Marquess of Anglesey concludes his description of this action thus;
"By 3 p.m. the battle was over and victory complete. A vital new supply base had fallen into British hands. Four days later the landing of supplies started. Without a doubt this was the most successful mounted action of its scale in the course of the campaign. It was won by a weak brigade of only two regiments and a single 12-pounder battery pitted against about 1,000 well-armed troops who had so far seen no action. These, skilfully deployed, occupied a naturally formidable defensive position with an impassable river on one side of a narrow defile and a steep hill on the other. That they had already received news of the general rout is certain and this may well have affected their behaviour, but there is little evidence to show that they put up less than a respectable resistance. The speed and daring, dash and boldness of the two Indian Imperial Service regiments, in conjunction with the skilful flanking movements devised by Holden [Lieutenant-Colonel H. N., the senior Special Service Officer] were what made the action such a success. The speed and good order demonstrated by the leading squadron of the Jodhpores when it was forced to change direction under heavy fire, were other vital ingredients in what was almost certainly the only occasion in history when a fortified town was captured by cavalry at the gallop."
A footnote on a footnote:
Gen Sir Archibald Wavell in his biography 'Allenby – A Study in Greatness' has the following footnote on page 281
"This is probably the only recorded charge of cavalry in which men of the Royal Engineers have ridden. The 15th Field Troop, R.E., happened to be alongside the Jodhpur Lancers just before the charge, and on the invitation of the Lancers' commanding officer armed themselves with lances and swords from casualties and rode in the charge. Though none of them had ever handled such weapons before they claim to have killed at least one Turk with the arme blanche."
Re: Indian Army in Palestine w.w 1 1917 1918
Lt Gen Sir Prathap Singh in World War One
http://img72.imageshack.us/i/indianjodhpurroyal.jpg/]
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http://img72.imageshack.us/i/indianjodhpurroyal.jpg/]
[/URL]Re: Indian Army in Palestine w.w 1 1917 1918
Uri
Do you have pictures of the Indian cemetery in Haifa?
Do you have pictures of the Indian cemetery in Haifa?
Re: Indian Army in Palestine w.w 1 1917 1918
Wow! So he is one of the Teen Murtis after which Teen Murti marg is named.
Re: Indian Army in Palestine w.w 1 1917 1918
I will take pictures in this week endSurya wrote:Uri
Do you have pictures of the Indian cemetery in Haifa?
http://www.idf-armor.blogspot.com/
Re: Indian Army in Palestine w.w 1 1917 1918
since when ?I know crossposting from other forums and providing liks are haraam but forgive me mods, I want to provide the details still want to give the credit to original author.
that is only for deff and dumb forum.Re: Indian Army in Palestine w.w 1 1917 1918
The Regimental Centre of the erstwhile Mysore Lancers is still there in the suburb of Bangalore - R.T Nagar. It is now the Regimental Centre of the Parachute Regiment.
Re: Indian Army in Palestine w.w 1 1917 1918
Thanks Uri
Wish I had know of it when I was in Haifa.
At least if I have another trip there - I will locate it.
Wish I had know of it when I was in Haifa.
At least if I have another trip there - I will locate it.
Re: Indian Army in Palestine w.w 1 1917 1918
Not related to Indian Army in Haifa but an article on the role Sixth Indian Division (Pune IIRC) of the Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force in the war against the Ottoman Empire.
Siege, surrender, Turkish army biscuits and a Roman parade into Baghdad
"This photograph shows an emaciated Indian army soldier who survived the siege of Kut (December 1915-April 1916). It was probably taken in July 1916, after he and other British POWs had been released from Turkish captivity in Baghdad during a prisoner exchange. The soldier’s skeletal frame indicates not only the appalling conditions inside Kut during the siege, but also the harsh treatment meted out to ‘other ranks’ while in enemy hands afterwards."
Siege, surrender, Turkish army biscuits and a Roman parade into Baghdad
"This photograph shows an emaciated Indian army soldier who survived the siege of Kut (December 1915-April 1916). It was probably taken in July 1916, after he and other British POWs had been released from Turkish captivity in Baghdad during a prisoner exchange. The soldier’s skeletal frame indicates not only the appalling conditions inside Kut during the siege, but also the harsh treatment meted out to ‘other ranks’ while in enemy hands afterwards."
Re: Indian Army in Palestine w.w 1 1917 1918
Surya wrote:Thanks Uri
Wish I had know of it when I was in Haifa.
At least if I have another trip there - I will locate it.
Most welcome
I will take you to see the location of the battle and to the cemetry
mail me idfarmor@gmail.com
http://www.idf-armor.blogspot.com/
Re: Indian Army in Palestine w.w 1 1917 1918
I was in the Haifa Indian Army cemetery from W.W 1
and took some pictures as promised
All the honor for India and its army in the past and in our days!!!
http://picasaweb.google.com/urihaifa/In ... directlink
http://www.idf-armor.blogspot.com/
and took some pictures as promised
All the honor for India and its army in the past and in our days!!!
http://picasaweb.google.com/urihaifa/In ... directlink
http://www.idf-armor.blogspot.com/
Re: Indian Army in Palestine w.w 1 1917 1918
Thank you Uri. Much appreciated.
Re: Indian Army in Palestine w.w 1 1917 1918
A ceremony to commemorate Indian soldiers was observed at the Haifa Cemetery.
for more got o my blog:
http://haifa-history.blogspot.com/2010/ ... y-for.html
http://www.idf-armor.blogspot.com/
for more got o my blog:
http://haifa-history.blogspot.com/2010/ ... y-for.html
http://www.idf-armor.blogspot.com/
Re: Indian Army in Palestine w.w 1 1917 1918
x-post by Peter from the Historical Battles thread -
From: http://www.maharajajodhpur.com/hh/hist_lancer.htm. Have added a few things in bold:
a) Were Turks inept in the handling of machine guns?
b) Were rajput cavalry excellent in a charge that even with modern machine guns of 20th century it was hard to stop them just like at Dharmat etc?
c) Did it have to do with the speed and the mettle of the horses they possessed? Kathiawaris and Marwaris are known to be battle tough.
d) Had they figured out, through experience, the right density of horses to attack the artillery?
e) What else?
From: http://www.maharajajodhpur.com/hh/hist_lancer.htm. Have added a few things in bold:
What do forum members think about these:Already celebrated as the "Jo Hukums", which literally means "As you command", for their reckless courage and discipline in following orders, however dangerous, the Jodhpur Lancers arrived in Egypt in early 1918, a part of the 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade, 5th Cavalry Division, Desert Mounted Corps. After three months of training near Cairo they moved into the Jordan Valley. There, in more familiar terrain at last, they would cover themselves with glory. Indeed, bored with the trenches of France and itching for some real cavalry fighting, they showed their mettle in their very first action, at Abu Tulul on 14th July. Two squadrons of the Lancers led by Harji's son, Major Thakur Dalpat Singh (Kachwaha tribe), attacked a large body of Turks on a ridge, spearing many and capturing many more. The Eastbourne educated Dalpat, like his father a great favorite of Sir P's, outpaced his troop and single-handedly attacked a machine-gun emplacement, succeeding in capturing a senior officer. For this he was awarded the Military Cross. Not the only one decorated that day. In all the Lancers received six Indian Orders of Merit and seven Distinguished Service Medals for their success at Abu Tulul.
Yet, it was only the beginning. The Commander-in-Chief, Egypt Expeditionary Force, Sir Edmund Allenby's historic offensive into Palestine and Syria began on 19th September,1918. Four days later the Jodhpur Lancers with the 15th Cavalry Brigade, including the Mysore and Hyderabad Lancers, moved into position to capture strategic Haifa. This charming coastal town, now in Israel, was both strongly defended and easily defensible, commanded as it is by Mount Carmel (hailed for its beauty in the Song of Solomon) in the south-west and protected by the River Kishon in the north-east.
At 1400 hrs on 23rd September the battle began. Under heavy Turkish machine-gun fire, negotiating quicksand on the banks of the Kishon which they had to cross on the one hand, and the not-so-gentle slopes of Carmel on the other, the Jodhpur Lancers charged into Haifa. (The Mysore Lancers were sent in to "mop up" and the Hyderabad Lancers were held in reserve. Cover fire was provided by the Sherwood Rangers.) Interestingly the attack was led by 'B' squadron which consisted solely of Jodha Rathores. 'A' squad, the Mertias followed and 'C' squad, with its mixed forces, came in later.
Such raw courage the world had rarely seen. Nor had death and pain ever been treated with such disdain. Here were descendants of men who had fought at Sumel (Kumpa and Jaita's cavalry charged Sher Shah and penetrated deep), Khanua (Sanga's cavalry in his wings attacked Babur as discussed in this thread earlier) and Dharmat (Hadas, Jhalas, Sisodiyas and others charged Aurangzeb and reached his elephant. I don't think there were many rathores in the charge. Durgadas and company were in the gol protecting Jaswant Singh) and Merta (Dispersed De'boigne and the Marathas) and Malpura, all legendary Rathore charges, but this was perhaps the finest of them all. Indeed this charge at Haifa is described by many as the most remarkable cavalry action ever in the history of war and, as the historian Charles C.Trench remarks in his book, 'The Indian Army and the King's Enemies',."Only the Jo Hukums could have done it." That day the Jo Hukums had to be restrained as they galloped through the streets of Haifa, even after all the machine-gun posts had fallen, towards the placid and unknowing Mediterranean, spearing and butchering the unfortunate Turks who crossed their path, civilians even, for they had seen too many of their brothers fall. And among the dead was their beloved commander, Major Thakur Dalpat Singh (apparently he was shot in the spine).
a) Were Turks inept in the handling of machine guns?
b) Were rajput cavalry excellent in a charge that even with modern machine guns of 20th century it was hard to stop them just like at Dharmat etc?
c) Did it have to do with the speed and the mettle of the horses they possessed? Kathiawaris and Marwaris are known to be battle tough.
d) Had they figured out, through experience, the right density of horses to attack the artillery?
e) What else?
Re: Indian Army in Palestine w.w 1 1917 1918
Jodhpur Lancers' "Haifa Day" commemorated at Baha'i House of Worship in India in 2000
The courageous uphill assault by the Jodhpur Lancers, which took by surprise the German and Turkish artillery and machine gun emplacements on top of Mount Carmel, is also commemorated by the Haifa Monument that stands at one of New Delhi's busiest intersections. This year, for the first time, a Haifa Day commemorative event was held at the Baha'i House of Worship in New Delhi, highlighting a little-known connection between the bravery of the Indian fighters and the early history of the Baha'i Faith.
One of the residents of Haifa in 1918 was 'Abdu'l-Baha, the son of the Founder of the Baha'i Faith and designated by Him as His successor. The commander of the Turkish forces in Syria and Palestine, Jamal Pasha, had threatened to crucify 'Abdu'l-Baha and destroy the Baha'i holy places in Haifa and nearby Acre. With the liberation of Haifa, the threat to 'Abdu'l-Baha's life was lifted.
This link between the Jodhpur Lancers and the life of 'Abdu'l-Baha first came to light in February 2000 when the architect of the Baha'i House of Worship, Fariborz Sahba, met with Union Minister for External Affairs, the Honorable Jaswant Singh. Mr. Singh's father was a member of the Jodhpur Lancers and fought under General Allenby. The event on 23 September was attended by the Home Minister, Mr. L. K. Advani; the Union Minister for Disinvestments and Planning, Mr. Aroun Shourie; the Ambassador of Israel, Mr. David Aphek; the Deputy High Commissioner of the United Kingdom, Mr. T. McCann; the Ambassador of the European Commission, Mr. Caillouet; and other high-ranking army personnel, diplomats, and heads of nongovernmental organizations. The ex-rulers of the princely states of Jodhpur, Mysore and Hyderabad, whose cavalries have now combined to form the Indian Army's 61st Cavalry, were also invited.
"The Jodhpur Lancers distinguished themselves with their equestrian and fighting skills and sheer courage ... and the day is a very important one in our annals," wrote the Maharaja Gaj Singh of Jodhpur in response to the invitation. "The link between the Haifa Charge of 1918 and the life of 'Abdu'l-Baha is indeed interesting and adds a new dimension to the whole story of Haifa for us here at Jodhpur."
The courageous uphill assault by the Jodhpur Lancers, which took by surprise the German and Turkish artillery and machine gun emplacements on top of Mount Carmel, is also commemorated by the Haifa Monument that stands at one of New Delhi's busiest intersections. This year, for the first time, a Haifa Day commemorative event was held at the Baha'i House of Worship in New Delhi, highlighting a little-known connection between the bravery of the Indian fighters and the early history of the Baha'i Faith.
One of the residents of Haifa in 1918 was 'Abdu'l-Baha, the son of the Founder of the Baha'i Faith and designated by Him as His successor. The commander of the Turkish forces in Syria and Palestine, Jamal Pasha, had threatened to crucify 'Abdu'l-Baha and destroy the Baha'i holy places in Haifa and nearby Acre. With the liberation of Haifa, the threat to 'Abdu'l-Baha's life was lifted.
This link between the Jodhpur Lancers and the life of 'Abdu'l-Baha first came to light in February 2000 when the architect of the Baha'i House of Worship, Fariborz Sahba, met with Union Minister for External Affairs, the Honorable Jaswant Singh. Mr. Singh's father was a member of the Jodhpur Lancers and fought under General Allenby. The event on 23 September was attended by the Home Minister, Mr. L. K. Advani; the Union Minister for Disinvestments and Planning, Mr. Aroun Shourie; the Ambassador of Israel, Mr. David Aphek; the Deputy High Commissioner of the United Kingdom, Mr. T. McCann; the Ambassador of the European Commission, Mr. Caillouet; and other high-ranking army personnel, diplomats, and heads of nongovernmental organizations. The ex-rulers of the princely states of Jodhpur, Mysore and Hyderabad, whose cavalries have now combined to form the Indian Army's 61st Cavalry, were also invited.
"The Jodhpur Lancers distinguished themselves with their equestrian and fighting skills and sheer courage ... and the day is a very important one in our annals," wrote the Maharaja Gaj Singh of Jodhpur in response to the invitation. "The link between the Haifa Charge of 1918 and the life of 'Abdu'l-Baha is indeed interesting and adds a new dimension to the whole story of Haifa for us here at Jodhpur."
Re: Indian Army in Palestine --> World War One 1917-1918
The sepoys in Istanbul: During World War I, Indian troops spread across the Ottoman empire, helped lay the foundations of West Asia as we know it.
“The Turkish Empire has committed suicide, and dug with its own hands its grave”, the British prime minister Herbert Asquith, proclaimed in early November 1914. He was responding to the Ottoman naval bombardment of Ukraine, bringing Turkey into the First World War in alliance with Germany against the Allies.
“It is the Ottoman Government that has drawn the sword, and which, I venture to predict, will perish by the sword”, Asquith added of Britain’s war with the Turks. “It is they and not we who have rung the death-knell of Ottoman dominion, not only in Europe, but in Asia.”
The Indian army’s pivotal part in making Asquith’s prophecy come true has often been overlooked. By 1918, it was the principal military force of Allied conquest in the Middle East, making Britain the regional superpower when the First World War was won — and doing much to lay the foundations of the region as it is today.
When the Turks entered the war in 1914, their primary concern was fighting the Russians in the Caucasus. But they also had active plans against the British empire. They promptly gathered forces in Syria and Palestine to march across the Sinai Desert to invade British-occupied Egypt, and they launched a much broader strategic initiative: A holy war or jihad.
The jihad was declared at Istanbul by the sultan of Turkey, and it called on most of the world’s Muslims to rise up against the Allies. The intention was to multiply anti-Allied fighters in Caucasus, Egypt and elsewhere, whether among enemy ranks on the battlefield or local populations of the Allied empires.
The British decided on immediate military steps against the Ottoman threat, deemed essential to secure India as their British Empire’s prize possession. By the close of 1914, therefore, three Indian Expeditionary Forces had sailed from Mumbai to Egypt and Ottoman Iraq.
These initial Indian interventions in the Middle East dramatically escalated over the next four years at London’s behest, in the interests of British imperial defence and aggrandisement, and in combination with other Allied forces from Britain, Australia, New Zealand, France and Italy.
In the process, the Indian army with its British-made rifles, machine guns and artillery advanced against the Turks in an extraordinary range of operations great and small, blasting, bayoneting and bounding its way forward over beaches, deserts, rivers and mountains almost all around the Ottoman fringe.
To illustrate — in north-west Iran and the Caucasus, Indian regiments helped to block Turkish movements towards Central Asia. In central and southern Iran, they attacked suspected anti-Allied jihadists, and countered Turkish and German agents seeking to infiltrate sensitive Indian border zones. From the Arabian Gulf, Indian troops attacked hundreds of miles into Iraq, reaching its northernmost Ottoman province to seize the oil fields. On the Arabian Peninsula, they contained the Ottoman garrisons of Yemen, assisted Lawrence of Arabia and embedded like him in local Arab rebel forces, and raided Ottoman outposts on Red Sea islands. Then out of Egypt Indian units made multiple attacks, both westwards in the Western Desert against Libyan jihadists, and eastwards into the Sinai, Palestine and Syria. From Egypt they also took part in the Allies’ amphibious assault on European Turkey: The Gallipoli campaign.
By November 1918, the Indian army’s immense grip on formerly Ottoman-controlled soil, where it had defeated the Turks, was reflected in the sheer size and breadth of its occupation. It was the single-largest Allied force in the Turkish theatres, having deployed a total of approximately 7,60,000 Indian troops to them. Its men stood guard from Basra, Baghdad, Fallujah, Ramadi and Mosul to Cairo, Suez, Gaza, Jerusalem, Amman, Haifa, Damascus, Gallipoli and Istanbul. At the time, the British empire, in fact, approached its territorial zenith.
The Allied peace negotiations with the Turks were to last longer than the First World War itself. Their protraction was proof of their complexity. The Allies hotly competed for the spoils of Ottoman defeat: The British angled for new British-influenced Middle Eastern buffer states from Iraq to Palestine in order to cushion the Indian imperial sphere, while the French, Greeks and Italians looked to partition the Ottoman empire for new imperial possessions of their own. The Turks wanted Turkey for themselves and fought for it, above all against the Greeks.
Eventually, the Allies and the Turks signed the Treaty of Lausanne on July 24, 1923. In conjunction with other international agreements applying more widely to the Ottoman lands of 1914-18, the borders were drawn of the Turkish Republic and other post-war Middle Eastern states and European-administered mandates including Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan and Iraq. The map of the modern Middle East had taken shape.
The Indian army gradually evacuated the Middle East up to the late 1920s as the post-war settlements took effect. Having been a wrecking ball to knock down the Ottoman empire during the war, its place between the old and the new Middle East had ultimately been destructive — on behalf, of course, of the British empire.
“The Turkish Empire has committed suicide, and dug with its own hands its grave”, the British prime minister Herbert Asquith, proclaimed in early November 1914. He was responding to the Ottoman naval bombardment of Ukraine, bringing Turkey into the First World War in alliance with Germany against the Allies.
“It is the Ottoman Government that has drawn the sword, and which, I venture to predict, will perish by the sword”, Asquith added of Britain’s war with the Turks. “It is they and not we who have rung the death-knell of Ottoman dominion, not only in Europe, but in Asia.”
The Indian army’s pivotal part in making Asquith’s prophecy come true has often been overlooked. By 1918, it was the principal military force of Allied conquest in the Middle East, making Britain the regional superpower when the First World War was won — and doing much to lay the foundations of the region as it is today.
When the Turks entered the war in 1914, their primary concern was fighting the Russians in the Caucasus. But they also had active plans against the British empire. They promptly gathered forces in Syria and Palestine to march across the Sinai Desert to invade British-occupied Egypt, and they launched a much broader strategic initiative: A holy war or jihad.
The jihad was declared at Istanbul by the sultan of Turkey, and it called on most of the world’s Muslims to rise up against the Allies. The intention was to multiply anti-Allied fighters in Caucasus, Egypt and elsewhere, whether among enemy ranks on the battlefield or local populations of the Allied empires.
The British decided on immediate military steps against the Ottoman threat, deemed essential to secure India as their British Empire’s prize possession. By the close of 1914, therefore, three Indian Expeditionary Forces had sailed from Mumbai to Egypt and Ottoman Iraq.
These initial Indian interventions in the Middle East dramatically escalated over the next four years at London’s behest, in the interests of British imperial defence and aggrandisement, and in combination with other Allied forces from Britain, Australia, New Zealand, France and Italy.
In the process, the Indian army with its British-made rifles, machine guns and artillery advanced against the Turks in an extraordinary range of operations great and small, blasting, bayoneting and bounding its way forward over beaches, deserts, rivers and mountains almost all around the Ottoman fringe.
To illustrate — in north-west Iran and the Caucasus, Indian regiments helped to block Turkish movements towards Central Asia. In central and southern Iran, they attacked suspected anti-Allied jihadists, and countered Turkish and German agents seeking to infiltrate sensitive Indian border zones. From the Arabian Gulf, Indian troops attacked hundreds of miles into Iraq, reaching its northernmost Ottoman province to seize the oil fields. On the Arabian Peninsula, they contained the Ottoman garrisons of Yemen, assisted Lawrence of Arabia and embedded like him in local Arab rebel forces, and raided Ottoman outposts on Red Sea islands. Then out of Egypt Indian units made multiple attacks, both westwards in the Western Desert against Libyan jihadists, and eastwards into the Sinai, Palestine and Syria. From Egypt they also took part in the Allies’ amphibious assault on European Turkey: The Gallipoli campaign.
By November 1918, the Indian army’s immense grip on formerly Ottoman-controlled soil, where it had defeated the Turks, was reflected in the sheer size and breadth of its occupation. It was the single-largest Allied force in the Turkish theatres, having deployed a total of approximately 7,60,000 Indian troops to them. Its men stood guard from Basra, Baghdad, Fallujah, Ramadi and Mosul to Cairo, Suez, Gaza, Jerusalem, Amman, Haifa, Damascus, Gallipoli and Istanbul. At the time, the British empire, in fact, approached its territorial zenith.
The Allied peace negotiations with the Turks were to last longer than the First World War itself. Their protraction was proof of their complexity. The Allies hotly competed for the spoils of Ottoman defeat: The British angled for new British-influenced Middle Eastern buffer states from Iraq to Palestine in order to cushion the Indian imperial sphere, while the French, Greeks and Italians looked to partition the Ottoman empire for new imperial possessions of their own. The Turks wanted Turkey for themselves and fought for it, above all against the Greeks.
Eventually, the Allies and the Turks signed the Treaty of Lausanne on July 24, 1923. In conjunction with other international agreements applying more widely to the Ottoman lands of 1914-18, the borders were drawn of the Turkish Republic and other post-war Middle Eastern states and European-administered mandates including Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan and Iraq. The map of the modern Middle East had taken shape.
The Indian army gradually evacuated the Middle East up to the late 1920s as the post-war settlements took effect. Having been a wrecking ball to knock down the Ottoman empire during the war, its place between the old and the new Middle East had ultimately been destructive — on behalf, of course, of the British empire.
Re: Indian Army in Palestine --> World War One 1917-1918
World War I: The Indian soldier in foreign battlefields.
France, Flanders, East Africa, Gallipoli, Aden, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Palestine, Transcaspia and even Persia. 104 years ago, when crossing a sea was still a taboo for many in the subcontinent, thousands of untrained soldiers from undivided India boarded ships and set out for these foreign shores , and from there to the battlefields of what’s today called the Great War.
Today, November 11, is the centenary of Armistice Day+ – a memorial day observed in Commonwealth of Nations member states since the end of the war – and the UK says it has not forgotten the contribution of Indians. Last week, British Prime Minister Theresa May, said: “We must never forget that over 74,000 soldiers came from undivided India and lost their lives, 11 of them won the Victoria Cross for their outstanding bravery.”
More than 13 lakh men and 1.7 lakh animals left India. At least 74,000 soldiers lost their lives. More than $20 billion in today’s money, including 3.7 million tonnes of supplies went from India.
The worry that a majority of these men being drafted into its army were untrained notwithstanding, the British seized on the opportunity that they were willing to fight and took advantage. However, not all the men who went out from India were untrained, although most were underequipped compared to the armies of Germany and other Axis members.
The Mysore Lancers and the Jodhpur Lancers, for example, are still remembered for their contribution and the Israelis still say they owe them for the Battle of Haifa. Although there isn’t much dispute about India’s contribution in the war, the achievement of the Indian Corps in the Western Front has been the subject of intense debate.
Santanu Das, who has authored Touch and Intimacy in First World War Literature and edited many books on the war writes for the British Library: “Military historians such as Jeffrey Greenhut had pointed out their uneven performance, noting the unsuitability of a colonial army raised primarily for internal and frontier defence for industrial warfare or the long European winters, without adequate training or winter clothing.” But, he says, some of these ideas have been challenged by a younger generation of scholars such as George Morton-Jack who have argued for the professionalism and competence of the Indian Corps on the Wester n Front.
The Indian contingent was a multi-ethnic, multilingual and multi-religious force consisting semi-or-nonliterate people. This means that there aren’t many diaries, poems and memoirs, but traces of their war experience is scattered across the libraries, archives and private collections.
The British Library, for one, has a good collection, and just last week, it made public a host of letters and photographs relating to Indians during the war. If one letter from an unnamed sepoy likens the war to Mahabharata another letter from Maulvi Sard-Ud-Din demands that all Mohammedan soldiers be given a proper burial as per customs.
There is enough material to show how important India’s contribution was – from operating telephones in the signals corps, to fighting gas attacks in theatres of the war, Indians were everywhere – but somehow, it was largely ignored soon after the war.
But things are changing.
Sqn Leader Rana Chhinna, Secretary, United Service Institution (USI) of India said: “It is a matter of great pride that the very significant Indian contribution to the war that changed the course of modern history is finally getting the recognition that it so richly deserves. The Indian soldier deserves an acknowledgement of his contribution, and a commemoration of his sacrifice, making clear his central place in history.”
So, why did these men participate in the Great War? Historians have noted that initially, it was a means of proving India’s loyalty to Britain and that the mainstream political opinion’ was also in favour of the war effort with an intensity that took even the colonial administrators by surprise. Even-Gandhi said, after his return in 1915, that if India were to obtain greater political responsibility, it must offer its unconditional support to Britain in her hour of need.
Marking 100 years since Armistice Day, the USI of India, supported by the British High Commission, is hosting a series of events here, over the weekend to commemorate the contribution of the Indian Army to World War I.
UK Member of Parliament and Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Tom Tugendhat, said in a statement shared with STOI: “I’m privileged to have the opportunity to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the cause of freedom – including more than 74,000 men who did not return home to India. India’s remarkable contribution to the war effort must be recognized, because it changed the course of history.” His statement comes at a time the UK is in the middle of centenary commemorations that have a three-fold agenda: To revive the memory of a forgotten legion and to honour its sacrifice; to build bridges with partner nations through the acknowledgement of a shared past; and to highlight the futility of war and the urgent need to work towards its eradication as a means of settling disputes among nations.
India and the UK share amicable relations today, 70 years after the former gained Independence. But the Great War had its impact on India’s freedom struggle too. The stresses and strains imposed by the wartime economy strengthened the cracks that had already begun to appear in the structure of imperial solidarity.
By the time the war ended, Britain’s relationship with India had changed. The contiguous social and political effects then hastened the process that would lead to the end of the British Raj.
France, Flanders, East Africa, Gallipoli, Aden, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Palestine, Transcaspia and even Persia. 104 years ago, when crossing a sea was still a taboo for many in the subcontinent, thousands of untrained soldiers from undivided India boarded ships and set out for these foreign shores , and from there to the battlefields of what’s today called the Great War.
Today, November 11, is the centenary of Armistice Day+ – a memorial day observed in Commonwealth of Nations member states since the end of the war – and the UK says it has not forgotten the contribution of Indians. Last week, British Prime Minister Theresa May, said: “We must never forget that over 74,000 soldiers came from undivided India and lost their lives, 11 of them won the Victoria Cross for their outstanding bravery.”
More than 13 lakh men and 1.7 lakh animals left India. At least 74,000 soldiers lost their lives. More than $20 billion in today’s money, including 3.7 million tonnes of supplies went from India.
The worry that a majority of these men being drafted into its army were untrained notwithstanding, the British seized on the opportunity that they were willing to fight and took advantage. However, not all the men who went out from India were untrained, although most were underequipped compared to the armies of Germany and other Axis members.
The Mysore Lancers and the Jodhpur Lancers, for example, are still remembered for their contribution and the Israelis still say they owe them for the Battle of Haifa. Although there isn’t much dispute about India’s contribution in the war, the achievement of the Indian Corps in the Western Front has been the subject of intense debate.
Santanu Das, who has authored Touch and Intimacy in First World War Literature and edited many books on the war writes for the British Library: “Military historians such as Jeffrey Greenhut had pointed out their uneven performance, noting the unsuitability of a colonial army raised primarily for internal and frontier defence for industrial warfare or the long European winters, without adequate training or winter clothing.” But, he says, some of these ideas have been challenged by a younger generation of scholars such as George Morton-Jack who have argued for the professionalism and competence of the Indian Corps on the Wester n Front.
The Indian contingent was a multi-ethnic, multilingual and multi-religious force consisting semi-or-nonliterate people. This means that there aren’t many diaries, poems and memoirs, but traces of their war experience is scattered across the libraries, archives and private collections.
The British Library, for one, has a good collection, and just last week, it made public a host of letters and photographs relating to Indians during the war. If one letter from an unnamed sepoy likens the war to Mahabharata another letter from Maulvi Sard-Ud-Din demands that all Mohammedan soldiers be given a proper burial as per customs.
There is enough material to show how important India’s contribution was – from operating telephones in the signals corps, to fighting gas attacks in theatres of the war, Indians were everywhere – but somehow, it was largely ignored soon after the war.
But things are changing.
Sqn Leader Rana Chhinna, Secretary, United Service Institution (USI) of India said: “It is a matter of great pride that the very significant Indian contribution to the war that changed the course of modern history is finally getting the recognition that it so richly deserves. The Indian soldier deserves an acknowledgement of his contribution, and a commemoration of his sacrifice, making clear his central place in history.”
So, why did these men participate in the Great War? Historians have noted that initially, it was a means of proving India’s loyalty to Britain and that the mainstream political opinion’ was also in favour of the war effort with an intensity that took even the colonial administrators by surprise. Even-Gandhi said, after his return in 1915, that if India were to obtain greater political responsibility, it must offer its unconditional support to Britain in her hour of need.
Marking 100 years since Armistice Day, the USI of India, supported by the British High Commission, is hosting a series of events here, over the weekend to commemorate the contribution of the Indian Army to World War I.
UK Member of Parliament and Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Tom Tugendhat, said in a statement shared with STOI: “I’m privileged to have the opportunity to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the cause of freedom – including more than 74,000 men who did not return home to India. India’s remarkable contribution to the war effort must be recognized, because it changed the course of history.” His statement comes at a time the UK is in the middle of centenary commemorations that have a three-fold agenda: To revive the memory of a forgotten legion and to honour its sacrifice; to build bridges with partner nations through the acknowledgement of a shared past; and to highlight the futility of war and the urgent need to work towards its eradication as a means of settling disputes among nations.
India and the UK share amicable relations today, 70 years after the former gained Independence. But the Great War had its impact on India’s freedom struggle too. The stresses and strains imposed by the wartime economy strengthened the cracks that had already begun to appear in the structure of imperial solidarity.
By the time the war ended, Britain’s relationship with India had changed. The contiguous social and political effects then hastened the process that would lead to the end of the British Raj.
Re: Indian Army in Palestine --> World War One, 1917-1918
Srinath Raghavan has written an article in Outlook.
Will post his tweet.
Will post his tweet.
Re: Indian Army in Palestine --> World War One, 1917-1918
I found a veritable treasure of Pre Independence USI journals full issues from 1987 to 1922.
tsarkar and Philip
you might find some interesting articles!!!!
https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000501517
tsarkar and Philip
you might find some interesting articles!!!!
https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000501517