Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Our forgotten Heroes found
BATTLE-WEARY soldiers stand atop Scraggy Hill in a picture offering a perfect history lesson into the multiracial unity which helped Britain prevail in the Second World War.
British and Indian officers are joined by Gurkhas and soldiers from West Africa after capturing an enemy position.
The image was taken at Imphal, northern India, in July 1944, after Japanese troops were forced back.
They would go on to lose their grip on Burma as the Allies secured victory.
Now the bravery of black and Asian troops at places like Imphal have been brought home to their great-great-grandchildren in a unique school project.
For Remember Together, pupils at schools in London and Manchester interviewed local families to hear untold stories of their heroic ancestors.
Thirteen-year-old Saeeda discovered her great-grandad Henry Braimah was a British Army colonel.
Proud Saeeda, who attends Eden Girls’
School in Waltham Forest, East London, says: “Finding out my great-grandfather fought in the Second World War was very surprising, because it never came up in our household.
“I’m really happy to know that one of my relatives fought in the war.
“It did make me feel differently about remembrance because mostly, it’s white British soldiers who get remembered, they don’t really talk about all the black and Asian soldiers who fought.
“If we talk about this history that everyone shares, it will be a thing that brings us together, because we’re talking about different races, different ethnicities, who fought together.
“As a student from a West African background, I believe we need to show recognition of the different people who contributed to the war.
“People should know what happened and what difficulties these men and women went through.”
Saeeda interviewed her father Mubarak to learn more about Henry, who was from Ghana. He served in the Burma campaign as part of a West Africa force within the British Army. Mubarak says: “I was inspired by him because to fight in World War Two and come back alive in Japanese territory is amazing. I think he’s made the world a better place to live in. They are forgotten soldiers.”
Fellow Eden Girls’ School pupil Roviha, 13, interviewed her uncle Rehan Ashraf about her great-grandad, Indian-born Shere Muhammad.
He fought as a Captain in the British Army and also served in Burma. Roviha says: “When I found out my great-grandfather served in World War Two I felt immensely proud of him – but also guilty for not being aware of this before.
“Remembrance has felt more personal for me. I feel more aware that I’m also part of this country.
“I will take more time to appreciate the efforts of all the people who served.
“It’s important to know that people from different backgrounds and ethnicities have built this society.
We need to recognise the people who made a contribution in the war SAEEDA, 13 ON HEROICS OF GREAT-GREAT-GRANDAD
Knowing this has really changed my perspective – it makes me feel grateful to the people that put the effort in to give us the lives we live today.”
Nearly 2.5 million troops were in the British Indian army and 89,000 died in the Second World War, with servicemen and women from Africa, the Caribbean and other Commonwealth nations. In 1947, two years after the end of the
war, India won its independence from the British and split into two states – India and Pakistan. East Pakistan became Bangladesh in 1971.
Roviha’s uncle Rehan says: “If more people know our background and how we supported British troops, there is more sense of unity in terms of community and social lives. It creates a bond. “We have different cultures, different ideas and different religions, but we fought for the same cause.”
In 1947, Shere moved to Pakistan with his family, where he served with the Pakistani army. Rehan’s father would later emigrate to the UK.
Zaynab, 13 – also at Eden Girls’ School – says the project has made remembrance more meaningful for her as she now knows it is “a history that we all share”.
She says: “It can feel like the contribution of black and Asian soldiers is overlooked in our history books.
“As a student from a Muslim background, I’d like other people to realise that our greatgrandfathers served alongside theirs.”
Pupils at Falinge Park High School in Rochdale, Gtr Manchester, have also taken part in the project for Remembrance Sunday.
They will gather today to share their stories and celebrate and commemorate the lesser-known soldiers who put their lives on the line.
Pupils interviewed Yasmine Dar, the granddaughter of Pakistani-born platoon commander Ahmed Din, a captain who was awarded five medals.
Yasmine, from Manchester, says: “My grandad received several medals and my uncle has them all framed and it’s absolutely beautiful – we’re so proud.
“I think the inspiration for me is knowing that my ancestors were part of this great nation and helped it win the battles against its enemies and helped make Britain ‘Great Britain’.
“I think it’s really important that this education is provided to all children, especially from black and ethnic minority communities, who will have this sense of pride and belonging – that this is our country and where we belong.”
Teacher Vacas Ahmed, who led the project at Falinge Park, says: “Local people were really proud of what their ancestors had done and were keen to tell their stories. The project brought history to life for our students. It shows how our past shaped the diverse community they live in today.
“Soldiers of all creeds and colours from across the Commonwealth served together in the world wars. We should remember them together today.”
As well as tales of heroism, there were moving accounts of bravery and suffering. They included Pakistani Bashir Karim, who fought for Britain in Kenya and Burma. He was captured and tortured by the Japanese and endured “severe physical and physiological damage”.
The project, in conjunction with the charity British Future, was hailed by Labour’s MP for Tottenham, David Lammy.
He said: “Every child grows up learning about the Second World War, but stories of black and brown soldiers who helped defeat the Nazis have long been missing from their textbooks.
“We can and must do more to commemorate this forgotten sacrifice, so every child in our diverse classrooms sees that British history is their history.”
I’m inspired to know my ancestor helped put the ‘Great’ in Britain ON FIVE MEDALS AWARDED TO GRANDAD