Army of Empire

October 15, 2018
Morton-Jack (The Indian Army on the Western Front: India's Expeditionary Force to France and Belgium in the First World War, 2014) reveals the extent to which the army of British India affected the outcome of World War I.Historians have often declared that Indian soldiers suffered terribly in Europe's bitter 1914 winter even though many came from mountain regions where cold, snow, and ice were the norm. They were also viewed as a weak colonial force only useful for easy border scrapes. On the contrary, writes Morton-Jack in this deep, dense history, the soldiers were seasoned professionals: well-traveled, politically aware, militarily skilled, and fully capable of employing their own tactics and enterprise. During WWI, the Indian Army was in a state of perpetual evolution. By 1916, the Indian cavalry in France was the British Expeditionary Force's best trained and most experienced. The British knew the Indian Army needed to be well treated to hold them; in the first year in France, there were a record number of desertions and self-inflicted wounds. The British did all they could to provide the comforts of home, with special food, equipment, and arms--at least in France--but discipline was strict for deserters. The stories of the different forces and their successes and failures show the diversity of the war and the strong need for central leadership. Until the beginning of 1916, Britain's military forces had divided controls between two separate departments and headquarters in London and India. Under Field Marshal William Robertson and Commander in Chief Charles Monro, the size of the Indian force was increased via improved pay, pensions, and promotions. With sufficient men and money, earlier losses were reversed. The author includes a helpful cast of characters and a glossary to define "durbar," "kafir," "sahib," and many other terms that may be unfamiliar to general readers.This highly detailed look at India's global effort in their (mostly) patriotic devotion to the empire occasionally gets bogged down but usually picks back up quickly. World War I fans will appreciate the broad look.

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from October 29, 2018
In this massive, masterful history, author and lawyer Morton-Jack (The Indian Army on the Western Front) illuminates the WWI contributions of the far-flung, multicultural Indian army. He tells “not only of the Indians’ part in the Allied victory over the Central Powers, but also of soldiers’ personal discoveries on their four-year odyssey.” He mines previously unpublished letters and postwar interviews to reveal how Indian officers and enlisted men, as British colonial subjects and people of color, experienced military life. He writes with authority about the wrenching battles of Ypres, Gallipoli, Kut, the Somme, and East Africa, expertly weaving in how soldiers’ political loyalty and Muslim soldiers’ interest in jihad affected military campaigns. By war’s end, the Indians’ sense of unity with the British barely masked growing nationalist sentiment on the subcontinent. This book is essential for devotees of WWI military history and those fascinated by the complexities of empire. Illus.

December 1, 2018

Troops from British India, modern-day India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the tribal areas, played a significant though often overlooked role in World War I on the Western Front, at Gallipoli and beyond. Little written correspondence remains of how the Indians viewed their experience, though Morton-Jack (The Indian Army on the Western Front) pieces together an exhaustive overview of their contributions, outlook, treatment, and motivations during the war. A chance for a financially better life was a strong motivator, and while accommodations were made by the British for caste and religious requirements, the Indians had to fight to receive full officer commissions, equal combat pay and housing, and recognitions of valor. Throughout the war, Indian soldiers and officers were made to feel subservient to whites and treated as racially and intellectually inferior. However, World War I could not have been won without the Indian Army, whose casualty rates were better than most countries owing to experience, training, and previous endured hardships. VERDICT This sweeping history of the Indian Army would be a welcome addition to any history collection and appreciated by readers of World War I, India, and the British Empire.--Zebulin Evelhoch, NC LIVE, Raleigh

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.