A photo exhibition showcasing the contribution of Indian soldiers in World War I will also be on display at the Westduin cemetery
New Delhi: The Embassy of India, on behalf of the Commonwealth-Netherlands Joint Committee of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, will be hosting the Commonwealth Remembrance Day service this year to honour the sacrifices of the Commonwealth forces in the First and Second World Wars on November 12.
A photo exhibition showcasing the contribution of Indian soldiers in World War I will also be on display at the Westduin cemetery.
The forces of undivided India played a significant part in both the world wars and 1,63,000 Indian martyrs are buried and commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in war cemeteries in over 60 countries.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is responsible for marking and maintaining the graves of the members of the Commonwealth forces who died during the two world wars, for building and maintaining memorials and for providing records and registers of these 1.7 million burials and commemorations.
Over 74,000 Indian soldiers lost their lives in World War I in which approximately 1.1 million Indian soldiers participated on behalf of the British Government.
The Indian National Army (INA) was formed by Indian nationalists during ‘World War II’ in 1942. It was initially formed under the leadership of Mohan Singh with the aim of helping Japan in its campaign in ‘Southeast Asian theatre of WWII. However, it was disbanded in December 1942 over disagreement between the Japanese officials and INA leadership. The INA was later revived in 1943 by freedom icon Subhas Chandra Bose to fight for India's freedom.
By the end of World War II, the Indian Army, with over 2.5 million men, was the largest volunteer army the world had ever seen. Over 89,000 Indian soldiers lost their lives in the Second World War.
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