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The Indian Empire At War

From Jihad to Victory, The Untold Story of the Indian Army in the First World War

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The Indian Empire At War

By: George Morton-Jack
Narrated by: Roger Davis
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A brilliantly original history of the First World War, re-tracing the footsteps of the Indian Army's 1.5 million men who in 1914-18 served about the globe from Europe to Africa, Asia and the Indian Ocean. After years of neglect, The Indian Empire at War raises the curtain on the Indian soldiers' personal experiences fighting for the Allies against the Central Powers, and returning home to play their part in the Indian Independence movement. Asia India Military South Asia War Imperialism Africa
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Critic reviews

The Indian Empire at War is a pioneering study that looks at 1914-18 from the perspective of South Asia. Beautifully written, Morton-Jack's book provides a vital corrective to accounts of the Great War and its aftermath that only look at the world of Europe, from Europe (Peter Frankopan)
Essential to a proper understanding of the war and of our world of today. A much needed book
Extraordinarily original (Max Hastings)
The Indian Army was of absolutely crucial importance to Britain in the First World War, but that simple fact has too often been neglected. Impeccably researched and very well written, George Morton-Jack's book should go a long way to rectifying this case of historical amnesia (Gary Sheffield)
Revelatory . . . fluent and colourful . . . This book describes the war as a worldwide conflict involving a million Indian soldiers [and] shows how crucial they were to Allied success
Morton-Jack skilfully presents the reader with the first comprehensive telling of the Indian story and places it in a global context . . . Morton-Jack's work is magisterial and yet immensely readable. This is the book for anyone interested in an authentic broad-based account of the role played by India and its soldiers in the defining conflict of the twentieth century . . . The book is remarkable in having used, for the first time, thousands of pages of interview transcripts of Indian veterans of the war, recorded in the 1970s
Readable, important, and fills a gap that should have been dealt with long ago (Professor Sir Michael Howard, author of The First World War)
A splendid book . . . A multi- layered, rigorously researched and empathetically interpreted account of the Indian contribution to the Great War. The author's objective of shining "a more filtered light on the Indian soldiers" is luminously met . . . Morton-Jack, to his credit, does not shy away from recording the cruel face of the colonial ruler
A tour de force . . . Morton- Jack writes with an easy flowing grace to expose a veritable chasm of under- explored Great War history: The Indian Empire at War incisively summarises the entirety of India's contribution to the British war effort, excels in its treatment of the Western Front, and challenges many shibboleths. Overall Morton- Jack brings refreshing new perspectives on the Indian Army as a war- winning machine, exposing the cruel nature and sheer brutality of the British colonial regime the Indian soldiers served, and laying bare the endemic racism they shamefully suffered (Peter Hart)
Quite a story with an excellent cast of characters - the deserter brothers Mir Dast VC and Mir Mast, the tragic figure of General Willcocks, and so many more fill out the vast canvas (Peter Weir)
Eloquent, scholarly and impressive (David Gilmour)
All stars
Most relevant
This is a wonderfully written overview of this piece of history. I learned more that I might have imagined about this subject and an equally impressed at and appalled by the experiences of these men (and o think it was exclusively men who were allowed to serve). The scope of coverage is such that it encourages greater discovery being the detail possible in this book. The prose is clear, informative and entertaining. Well done... this feels like a unique collection of information, presented sensitively and respectfully.

My single criticism is in the choice of reader of the audible version. Roger Davis appears to have made less than zero effort in learning how to pronounce any non-European words or names. He comes across, therefore, much as one of the colonial sahibs would have done. My irritation at his ham-fisted pronunciations grew and grew. It is testimony to the excellence of the writing that I decided to dissociate the book from the reader, but it wasn’t easy.

Excellent and unique historical view

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