India and Far East

India was an important and vital possession of the British Empire. Before the war the country was garrisoned by British troops of the Regular Army. At the outbreak of war these ‘professional soldiers’ were needed for the British Expeditionary Force to the Western Front. In the early weeks of the war these Regular units were brought home and replaced with units of the Territorial Force. These troops, along with Indian troops, formed the British Army in India. They policed the Country, protected against incursions – particularly from the North of India and, increasingly suppressing Indian nationalism.

Over 1 million Indian troops fought in all theatres of the war – the Western Front, Gallipoli, Macedonia and the Middle East – about 75000 became casualties.

 

1/4 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry at Rangoon, December 1914.

Ferozepore, Lahore, Pakistan. 1/1 Bn Kent Cyclist. May 1919

1914

December 1914

1/4 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry at Rangoon, December 1914.

The 4 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry was a Territorial unit. At the outbreak of war the battalion was on the annual training camp at Aberystwyth. The exercise was cancelled and the men sent home to ‘await further instructions’. The battalion was mobilised on 4 August and the men were ordered to report to Cardiff, From there they moved onto Sittingbourne in Kent, close to the Channel embarkation ports. The men expected to be going to France, however, the battalion was paraded and an appeal was made for volunteers for service in India. Eighty five per cent of the men stepped forward. They left for India on board HMT Deseado on 28 October 1914 and arrived in Bombay on 1 December. From there they travelled by train to Calcutta and ship onwards to Rangoon arriving on 10 December. At this time the battalion had its first casualty – Sergeant 718 Henry Tudor – who died of a heart attack on 14 December.

In January 1915, when they were at Rangoon, the battalion was called out to quell a mutiny among a Native Infantry Battalion. The mutiny was quickly suppressed but unrest among the native troops continued. In February the KSLI was quickly despatched to Singapore where more native troops had mutinied. Again, the uprising was put down with the ringleaders were subsequently executed. Tensions, however, remained high with other mutinies and unrest following, these were also quickly suppressed. In March 1915 a detachment of the battalion – 250 men from B & C Companies later made up to 400 men – were posted to to Hong Kong. The rest of the battalion stayed at Singapore. The battalion remained in this deployment engaged on policing and garrison duties – a small detachment also went to Australia as PoW escort guards. In January 1917 the battalion left the Far East and returned to the UK for re-deployment and service on the Western Front.

Sergeant 718 Henry Tudor, 4 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. Died 14 December 1914, Rangoon War Cemetery

Corporal 1590 Rowland Evans, 4 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. Died at Home 2 March 1917, Seion Chapel Oswestry – served in Hong Kong /Singapore and returned home ill.

1919

May 1919

Ferozepore, Lahore, Pakistan. 1/1 Bn Kent Cyclist. May 1919

The 1/1 Bn Kent Cyclist was mobilised in August 1914 and went out to India in February 1916. The battalion served in Pakistan throughout the war garrisoned at various places mainly in the north at Burhan, Lahaore and Ferozepore. In April the battalion was at Ferozepore and helped to quell riots in the Punjab against British rule. This was the time of the  Amritsar Massacre, 13 April 1919, when British troops opened fire on Indian protesters. The number killed is not known, the British officially listed 375 but the real figure was probably nearer 1000. In May 1919 the battalion took part in the Third Afghan War. They returned to England in November 1919.

Private 266507 Joseph W Darlington, 1/1 Bn Kent Cyclist. Died of illness 17 May 1919, Karachi 1914-18 War Memorial

 

 

 

References and Sources HistKSLI 

B&O India and Far East. All Years. (4 Bn KSLI 1914) (1/1 Kent Cyclist 1919)

BCA 3 Feb. 1915. Account of 4 Bn KSLI in Rangoon – by Corporal WE Jones

END