Indian War Memorials

This gateway is the gift of India in commemoration of her sons who, stricken in the Great War, were tended in the Pavilion in 1914 and 1915.

Dedication on Southern Gateway, Royal Pavilion

The Indian Memorial Gateway

Dedication of the Indian Memorial Gateway by HM The Maharaja of Patiala Brighton 1921

In addition to the Chattri (which specifically commemorates Indian soldiers who died during the war) the Indian Memorial Gateway (or Southern Gateway) to the Royal Pavilion, is a more general memorial that commemorates Brighton’s link with the Indians during the First World War. The Gateway was a gift from the people of India to the inhabitants of Brighton and Hove. It was paid for by subscription in India raised by Sirdar Daljit Singh.

Major-General His Highness the Maharaja of Patiala unveiled and dedicated the Gateway and presented it to the Corporation of Brighton on October 26th, 1921. In return the Mayor presented the Maharaja with a gold key, a copy of the original key to the Royal Pavilion.

Crowds at the Opening of the Indian Memorial Gateway Brighton 1921

His Highness said that from many of those who had returned to India, he had heard expressions of fervent gratitude for the attention and care lavished upon them by 'Doctor Brighton,' whose fame and skill as a healer and health restorer were talked of in many hundreds of remote Indian villages.

HM The Maharaja of PatialaAt the Dedication of the Indian Memorial Gateway Brighton 1921

Barton Obelisk

The Memorial to the Indians Barton-on-Sea, Hampshire

The only other memorial in the United Kingdom to record the presence of Indian wounded in 1914-1915 is an obelisk that stands on Barton-on-Sea sea-front in Hampshire. This granite memorial was erected in 1917 and commemorates the Indian convalescent depot that was established there under the auspices of army doctors Chaytor-White and Mawson.

Urdu Inscription on the Barton-on-sea Memorial

Neuve Chapelle: India’s Memorial in France 1914 - 1918

The Column and Battle Honours The Neuve Chapelle Memorial

The Neuve Chapelle Memorial to the memory of the Indian soldiers who fell on the Western Front in the Great War was erected on the road from Estaires to La Bassée in 1927. It was here, at Neuve Chapelle, that the Indian Corps fought its first great action as a single unit, and many Indian lives were lost in this region.

On the inside of the circular wall that protects the memorial are inscribed the names of 4843 Indians who were killed in action in France and who have no known grave (this figure includes some of the soldiers cremated at Patcham). Also inscribed are the Battle Honours of the Indian units in France and Belgium.

The Western Chattri at the Neuve Chapelle Memorial

Opening of the Neuve Chapelle Memorial

The Indian Contingent Leaving the Memorial Following the Opening of the Neuve Chapelle Memorial

This memorial was unveiled on 7th October 1927 by the Earl of Birkenhead, Secretary of State for India. The Earl’s involvement with the Indians dated back to 1914 when, as Sir Frederick Smith, he was asked by Lord Kitchener to undertake duties in relation to the records of the Indian Corps and served on the Corps staff from 1914 – 1915 in this capacity.

The Unveiling of the Neuve Chapelle Memorial By the Earl of Birkenhead

The opening ceremony was attended by many notable figures including Marshal Foch who had commanded the allied forces in France in 1918 and Lieut.-General Sir Charles Anderson who had commanded the Indian Corps. India was represented by Colonel the Maharaja of Kapurthala and Rudyard Kipling spoke on behalf of the Imperial War Graves Commission. The unveiling was attended by a contingent of Indian troops, including many veterans, representative of the various units engaged on the Western Front.

The Inscription on the Column Neuve Chapelle Memorial

Next Chapter

Roll of Honour