'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME I.' [‎43v] (91/454)

66 HISTORY OF THE WAR : MESOPOTAMIA
to follow his British leaders under unaccustomed conditions to
almost certain death.*
The war proved what has been always urged in India, namely,
that to get the best out of the Indian soldier, it is essential
that he should be commanded and led in action by a British
officer who knows and understands him.f For any expansion
of the Indian army, therefore, British officers who knew the
language by which the men had to be trained were required
in considerable numbers; and they were extraordinarily
difficult to obtain. The War Office had at the outset taken
10 per cent, of the whole number in the Indian army for the
European war and they recruited for the same purpose many
others who by past experience and linguistic qualifications
would in most cases have been more useful to the Empire if
they had been sent to India. British civilians in India in
peace time are only employed to a limited extent and those
generally in the supervising ranks of essential occupations or
industries, from which, therefore, only a small percentage could
be spared in war time. Indian officers, even if they had been
forthcoming in sufficient numbers, had not the necessary
education, training or prestige to take the place of British
officers to any appreciable extent. Most of them had been
promoted from the ranks and only a very small percentage
knew English. Attempts before the war to increase the
* Message from H.M. the King-Emperor to the Indian Army and the Imperial
Service Troops, delivered by H.R.H. the Duke of Connaught in laying the
foundation stone of the All India War Memorial at Delhi in February 1921 :
“ The great war from which our Empire has emerged victorious involved
the most powerful nations of the earth and spread over vast seas and continents.
From the crowded record here and there certain features stand clearly out,
arresting the attention and admiration of the world to-day and claiming
with confidence the verdict of posterity. In this honourable company
the Indian Army has an assured place.
“ Scattered far and wide under alien skies, in adversity and in triumph,
the Indian troops played their part with stout and gallant hearts. T rue
to their traditions, they answered the Empire’s call with soldierly discipline
and fortitude, and staunch in the loyalty they have ever displayed to the
Throne and person of their King-Emperor, they made this cause their own
and willingly laid down their lives for their Sovereign.
“ Gratitude for loyalty such as this lies deep in my heart and is beyond
the power of words. They did their duty.”
f It is true that there were many occasions in the war when young Indian
soldiers followed gallantly British officers they hardly knew, and other
instances where they were rallied and held positions before fierce attacks by
the action of individual British N.C.Os. and soldiers posted among them
from some neighbouring unit. But the writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. has discussed the question
with many officers of Indian experience who served with their units in the
field during the war, and their almost unanimous opinion is that it was only
the officers who knew and understood their men who obtained the finest
results.