Thousands of Forgotten Punjabi WWI Soldiers Officially Recognised More Than a Century Later

The names of 9,909 servicemen have been added to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's official casualty database following the completion of the five-year Punjab Registers Project.

About 1.4 million soldiers from the Indian subcontinent—present-day India, Pakistan and Bangladesh—served in the British Indian Army during the First World War.

Researchers from the UK Punjab Heritage Association identified the forgotten soldiers by examining recruitment and casualty registers preserved at the Lahore Museum, many of which had never before been systematically studied.

The newly recognised names are expected to help descendants trace the wartime service of family members whose stories had faded from public memory over generations.

During the First World War, Punjab was the largest recruiting ground for the British Indian Army. Hundreds of thousands of Punjabi soldiers fought across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. However, many who died were never formally commemorated because colonial policies at the time excluded numerous Indian soldiers, particularly those who died away from battlefields, from official war grave records.

Historians have described the recognition as an important step towards correcting a long-standing historical injustice. By restoring the identities of thousands of overlooked soldiers, the project acknowledges the contribution of Indian troops whose sacrifices were overshadowed for decades.

The updated records also provide researchers with valuable material for studying the role of Indian soldiers in the First World War and the scale of Punjab's contribution to the conflict.

The CWGC said the recognition is intended not only to preserve the names but also to address the long-standing Eurocentric narrative of the First World War by acknowledging the contributions of soldiers from across the former British Empire.

For families in India, Pakistan and the global Punjabi diaspora, the recognition offers more than a historical correction. It provides long-awaited acknowledgement of ancestors who served during one of history's deadliest conflicts and a chance to trace family histories that had been lost for decades.