For the first time, thousands of Punjabi soldiers who fought in World War One are officially honoured in the Commonwealth War Graves database.
British Indian Army records show that around 1.4 million people from the sub‑continent served in the war, yet more than 9,900 Punjabi veterans had been omitted from formal memorials for eight decades.
Volunteer researchers from the UK Punjab Heritage Association spent years sifting through fragile, leather‑bound registers held in Lahore Museum, Pakistan. By digitising these documents they uncovered the names of 9,909 servicemen who had died away from the front lines.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has now issued the largest update to its records since World War Two, adding the missing soldiers’ names and granting them war‑grave status. Historians say that wartime rulings had previously excluded these men, a decision that the Commission now overturns.
Among those added are 40% Muslim, 25% Sikh and 25% Hindu soldiers, reflecting the diverse faiths of Punjab’s regiments. Researcher Jasmin Basra, a PhD student, noted that the discovery also re‑connects British‑Punjabi families to their ancestral roots: "It is a tangible link to all of it," she said.
Sunney Palahey, a dentist from Leicester, shared how the confirmation brought closure. “The circle has closed. I feel much more complete,” he said, after learning that his great‑grandfather Kesar Singh had been formally recognised.
The update is part of a broader effort to de‑centrifuge World War One history, making it more inclusive of non‑European participants. By recording these names, the Commission acknowledges the global reality of the war and extends honour to those who had been overlooked for decades.
Additional reporting by Catherine Wyatt.
