Rs travelled 7000 miles to help Allies in WWII

scattered across the country, from Loch Ewe and Ballater to Kinlochleven, Lairg and Golspie, where they trained for Operation Jupiter – the invasion of occupied northern Norway – which never took place.

Scotland welcomed the Punjabis with open arms, inviting them to sit at their fire sides, dance at their ceilidhs, learn the bagpipes and share their tables.

In return, the soldiers introduced the Scots to curried mutton, chapatis and pilau rice, taught them traditional Indian dances and created Edinburgh’s first mosque in a YMCA conservatory.

The warm welcome they received is perhaps the reason so many south Asians chose to make Scotland their home in the 50s and 60s and shows how Scotland’s first Muslim communities were forged during World War II.

Ghee, 58, who lives in Exeter, said: “The bulk of the men of Force K6 spent the last 18 months of their European stay in the Highlands. Most of the units arrived, complete with their mules and horses, at Dalwhinnie station in July 1942.

“About 3000 in total were stationed in towns and villages across Scotland between then and January 1944, when they left Britain for India five months before D-Day.

“The men received the warmest of welcomes and, as I travelled around the Highlands researching my book, I spoke to people who remembered the charming and well-mannered men who brightened up the war years. I unearthed so many untold stories and tales of friendships, which I’m delighted to be able to share.”

The dad of two added: “One of K6’s most remote postings was at Loch Ewe in Ross and Cromarty on the west coast. Local Dolly Cameron remembered the Indian soldiers taking their mules down the hill behind her house and bringing her mum sheeps’ heads and chapatis, which they thought were too greasy and fed to their hens.

“Feeding the contingent was a big undertaking as they were not used to British food. Heinz canned 37-and-a-half tons of Halal mutton during their four years in the UK.

“Local Scottish crofters found a ready market for sheep and they even noticed the famous Movick wild goats were disappearing. The Indian soldiers would also trade their rice and sultanas with the children for Camel cigarettes.”

The K6 men made a mark wherever they went. Some of the soldiers stationed near Dunrobin Castle formed the guard of honour at the funeral of Eileen, Duchess of Sutherland, in August 1943.

In Golspie, there is a Royal Indian Army Service Corps sword in the local museum and Urdu graffiti remains on the walls of the old drill hall, where the men slept.

In Lairg, a corrugated tin building previously used as a United Free Church, which the Muslim soldiers converted into a mosque, still stands.

Ghee said: “The soldiers had a great time in Scotland and there are lots of photos of the men socialising with locals. One of my favourites is of an unnamed officer given the seat of honour beside the radio in a Dornoch living room.

“Another is a snap of Channel Islands child evacuees Sheila and Brenda Bideau with a Sergeant Khan in Ballater.

“They spent their leave at a club set up for them at a house in Edinburgh’s

Water of Leith run by the YMCA. The city’s first mosque was created in the conservatory.

“The Indian General Hospital was based at Aviemore for many months and the Kingussie cemetery holds the largest number of K6 graves – nine in total. For many decades, those graves have been cared for by local Isobel Harling, who was awarded a British Empire Medal for her dedication.”

Lecturer Ghee added: “My favourite tale is the love story between Yaqub Mirza and a girl called Isobel, who he met at a ceilidh in Gordonstown, Aberdeenshire, and courted for several months until he was posted to Dornoch.

“After leaving the Army in 1959, Mirza emigrated with his wife and family to the UK and settled in Nottingham but he never forgot Isobel.

In the 60s, with his wife’s blessing, he tracked her down and returned to Knock to see her and reminisce about old times. They stayed in touch for many years after that, until Yaqub passed away in 2018.”

Ghee sees his book as an epitaph for the Muslim soldiers.

MSP Anas Sarwar said: “It’s a fitting recognitioncognition of the contribution of Dunkirk’sunkirk’s forgotten soldiers, including thee British Indian Army.”