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  • © 1999

Indian Voices of the Great War

Soldiers’ Letters, 1914–18

Palgrave Macmillan

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Table of contents (5 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxvii
  2. Introduction

    • David Omissi
    Pages 1-22
  3. 1914–15

    • David Omissi
    Pages 23-130
  4. 1916

    • David Omissi
    Pages 131-262
  5. 1917

    • David Omissi
    Pages 263-343
  6. 1918

    • David Omissi
    Pages 346-358
  7. Back Matter

    Pages 359-382

About this book

Indian soldiers served in France from 1914 to 1918. This book is a selection of their letters. By turns poignant, funny, and almost unbearably moving, these documents vividly evoke the world of the Western Front - as seen through 'subaltern' Indian eyes. The letters also bear eloquent witness to the sepoys' often unsettling encounter with Europe, and with European culture. This book helps to map the imaginative landscape of South Asia's warrior-peasant communities.

Reviews

'...provides an altogether rich and resonant testimony to the courage and stoicism of Indian soldiers and makes a valuable contribution to both Indian military history and to wider studies on the mind-set of soldiers at war.' - Apurba Kundu, Contemporary South Asia

'There's no shortage of first world war material around, but for me the most surprising and affecting remains Indian Voices of the Great War Soldiers' Letters 1914-18' - Kamila Shamsie, The Guardian's 'Best Holiday Reads' 2014

Authors and Affiliations

  • Department of History and Centre for Indian Studies, University of Hull, UK

    David Omissi

About the author

David Omissi is with the Department of History and Center for Indian Studies at the University of Hull.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access