FREE EXHIBITION GUIDE
When the Snow Melts The Great War, Empire and Muslim Soldiers 27 September — 31 December 2019 1
INTRODUCTION Millions of soldiers and civilians were recruited to the British Army from Asia and Africa during the two World Wars. These wars were global events, and although the role of black and Asian soldiers was widely reported, after the wars ended their presence disappeared from the public gaze. This is perhaps a reason why society at large assumes that black and Asian people arrived in the UK after war ended, rather than when the Empire began. The Empire was multicultural, and the battlefields reflected this reality. During wartime, soldiers from different parts of India, Africa, and the Caribbean met for the first time. Black and Asian colonial subjects sat alongside young white working class men from Europe, and they talked as equals. The Senegalese film maker Sembene Ousmane, who served in the French colonial army during 1944-46 once wrote, ‘In the army we saw those who considered themselves our masters, naked, in tears, some cowardly or ignorant…When a white soldier asked me to write a letter for him, it was a revelation – I thought all Europeans knew how to write. The war demystified the coloniser; the veil fell.’ (Fighting for Britain: African Soldiers in the Second World War, Killingrey and Plaut 2012) In this exhibition, we examine the period of the two Great Wars, and attempt to contextualise the Eurocentric war narrative within a broader black and Asian history. The process of public remembrance, through memorials, books, films and paintings, has created a national narrative without the presence of black and Asian soldiers, not only in this country, but also in many of the former colonies. A better sense of a shared global history is imperative if we want to understand each other. At the end of the Second World War, Germany, India, Palestine and West Africa, would be partitioned and most political boundaries across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East would be altered. In this process, millions of people died or were forcibly displaced. 2
Now decades on, their children and grandchildren live with the legacies from this period. In 1926 the writer Siegfried Kracauer commented “In a photograph, a person’s history is buried as if under a layer of snow.” The exhibition is also an attempt to consider this interconnections between history, images, and our sense of ourselves. Artist Farida Makki and myself have been working with local families to explore the connections between Nottingham’s Muslim community and the wider war narrative. In this exhibition we use personal memory, maps, photographs, and archival material to pose questions about the process of war memorialisation, empire, and its interconnections to our present-day identities. Jagdish Patel
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THE GREAT WARS IN 54 FRAMES During the inter-war period, Antonio Gramsci wrote: ‘The starting-point of critical elaboration is the consciousness of what one really is, and is “knowing thyself” as a product of the historical processes to date, which has deposited in you an infinity of traces, without leaving an inventory.’ Antonio Gramsci, Prison Notebooks (1929–1935). Here, in this section of the exhibition we have compiled a global history of the Great War in 54 frames. (1) 1900, Newport, USA. Black women officers of the Women’s League, Newport (4) 1903, Delhi, India. Durbar held in 1903, on the succession of Edward VII
These two images reflect different ways in which the medium of photography is used politically. In 1900, the American writer, W. E. B. Du Bois came to London to speak at the first African Conference. He bought with him a series of photographs for the “American Negro” exhibit at the 1900 Paris Exposition, designed to present a positive representation of black Americans to world leaders. In (2) we see an image of the ‘Raj’ from the 1903 Durbar. (2) 1916, Somme, France, The 20th Deccan Horse, Indian Army, in Carnoy Valley, 7th Divisional Area, 14th July 1916 © IWM (3) 1915, Gallipoli, Men of the 14th Sikhs, 29th Indian Infantry Brigade burying one of their comrades, killed by a bomb. Anzac Cove, December 1915 ©IWM (5) 1915, Muhammed Ida Khan (6) 1918, France, Indian troops resting on the road from Villers-Cotterets to Soissons on the way to relieve French and American units, 21 July 1918 © IWM (7) 1914, France (9) 1919, Bombay, India (10) 1917, Palestine
Over one million soldiers fought in the British Army during the First World War, with another 500,000 logistical units, mostly labourers. Over two million men were recruited from Africa, with France recruiting more than 450,000 troops from West and North Africa. Many of the Africans also took their wives and children into the war with them, though without precise numbers, it is difficult to ascertain 4
the deaths of these ‘non-combatants’. These troops fought in all the main fronts of the war across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. (8) 1914, The Guardian, London 29/4/14 (11) 1914, Surrey, Woking mosque
The involvement of black and Asian soldiers in the First World War led to issues of racism and equality being referred to by British government for the first time. The presence of black and Asian men on the battlefields in Europe resulted in the lifting of a ‘colour bar’, which, prior to 1914, had prevented black and Asian soldiers legally shooting white soldiers in battle. Woking mosque, one of the oldest mosques in the country, would later become the official burial grounds for Muslim soldiers. It was here at Woking Mosque where they first protested the negative reporting of Muslim soldiers in the British press. (13) 1916, POW Wunsdorf, Germany (16) 1916, POW Wunsdorf, Germany
The first mosque in Germany was in a prisoner of war camp at Halbmondlager and housed between 4,000 and 5,000 Muslim prisoners of war who had fought for the Allied side. (14) 1919, Liverpool, portrait of Charles Wooton (17) 1919, Liverpool, letter from Mayor of Liverpool
The demobilization of men after the end of the war came at a time of recession, resulting in race riots across the country. In Liverpool, a young seaman, called Charles Wooton, was murdered after a crowd of up to 5,000 chased and then stoned him in the river. (12) 1919, USA, articles about the protests regarding the Rowlett Act (15) 1919, London, Guardian 13/12/1919 (18) 1919, India, Tagore’s letter distributed as a leaflet
Fear of the post war rebellions was present in the colonies, and in this climate, British soldiers fired into a crowd in Amritsar killing at least 400, and 5
injuring over 1,000 people. In protest Rabindranath Tagore (the first Asian Nobel laureate) sent back his knighthood, stating that “such mass murderers aren’t worthy of giving any title to anyone”. (19) 1920, New York, Sun and New York Herald 1/2/1920 (20) 1929, Nigeria, Guardian 24/12/1929 (21) 1930, Gujarat, India (24) 1 935, Trinidad, The Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin) 24/2/1935 (29) 1 938, Jamaica, The Gazette (Quebec, Canada) 26/5/1935
The inter-war years were difficult across the globe. Many of the revolts centered on basic access to food. In Nigeria, thousands of women from rural areas began a women’s revolt against increases in tax on food. Over 50 women were killed during the protests. (20) In India there were protests against the ‘Salt tax’ (21), in Trinidad sugar workers campaigned (24), and post war recession and poverty led to revolts in Jamaica (29). (22) 1924, London, Zulus at the Empire Exhibition 1924 (23) 1931, Nottingham, advert from Nottingham Post for the ‘Real Indian Village’ held at Pearson Brothers departmental store, Long Row, Nottingham
In 1924 the British Empire Exhibition was held at Wembley stadium and was opened by King George V. At the time, it was the largest exhibition ever staged anywhere in the world attracting 27 million visitors. The popularity of the exhibition led to a trend by retailers whereby they brought people and animals from the colonies to sit on shop floors as decoration. (25) 1926, London, The Evening News 28/1/1926 (26) 1 935, London, Guardian 26/8/1935 (28) 1938, London Guardian 29/1/1934
The period also saw the relationship between progressive activists from the Caribbean, Africa, India, Europe and the UK working in collaboration. For example, both the Meerut Defence Committee and the Friends of Abyssinia campaign in Britain included a whole list of people reflecting all corners of the globe. This included CLR James, Amy 6
Ashwood Garvey, Jomo Kenyatta, Mohammed Said, George Padmore, Chris Braithwaite, and Sylvia Pankhurst. (31) 1940, Gambia, African War recruitment hut (32) 1940, East Africa, Reg Major Lianyier Dagarti receives MBE (33) 1941, Gambia, Gambian solider says goodbye to his family (34) 1940, Gambia, Ebrima Ndure (35) 1940, India, Indian recruits (43) 1940, India, Muhammed Khan
The Indian Army during the Second World War was one of the largest Allied forces contingents which took part in European as well North and East African campaigns. At the height of the World War, more than 2.5 million Indian troops were fighting Axis forces around the globe. Muslim soldiers accounted for up to 40% of the British Indian Army during the war. Additionally over a million African soldiers were recruited to the war. (27) 1940, India, unit of mounted Indian Infantry men on patrol along the frontier (30) 1941, Singapore, Indian solider arrive in Singapore on ship (36) 1942, Malay, Indian soldiers in the Malayan jungle (37) 1940, London, Indian troops in London, January 1940 (39) 1944, Italy, Indian Troops in Rome (42) 1 941, Eritrea, Indian Sappers at work defusing an Italian booby trap on the Eritrean Front (47) 1941, Abadan, Iran, Indian rifleman guarding the pipeline across Persia (49) 1 944, Burma, troops entering Burma (50) 1943, Tunis, Tunisia, troops from all over Africa took part in the parade after the fall of Tunis
The British Indian Army and West African force were the key British Empire fighting presence in the Burma Campaign. Indian forces played a role in liberating Italy from Nazi control. Indian troops were also sent to fight in northern Africa against the German forces. (40) 1940, Sarajevo, the Hardaga family from Sarajevo (44) 1 943, Germany, African POW at Sandbostel, Stalag XG POW
It is often forgotten that many from the Muslim community across Europe helped Jews flee the Nazi death camps. This photo shows the Hardaga family from Sarajevo, who hid a Jewish family in their house, 7
despite the fact that the Gestapo headquarters were nearby. The people of Bulgaria, a Muslim country at the time of the war, helped many Jewish families. Muslim soldiers were also present in many prisonerof-war camps. (41) 1942, India, Indian Express suspends publication amid chaos (45) 1942, Indian, Bengal famine, including notes from the diary of Indian Viceroy Wavell (46) 1 942, London, Police report on Indian Workers’ Union, 17 December 1942
During the war, there was a major clampdown on political activists across Asia, resulting in nearly 100,000 people being arrested. In the UK, the police also began surveillance of the British Indian community. During this period global resources were being prioritised to meet the demands of the war effort and Britain’s needs. This, combined with ‘scorched earth’ policy (the practice of burning resources and infrastructure ahead of enemy occupation), along with economic inflation and natural disasters, resulted in mass starvation in certain parts of the world. Over four million people died in northern Indian alone. (48) 1945, London, VE Day announcement, Guardian front page, 8 May 1945 (51) 1945, London, Report on Bengal Famine Inquiry in the Guardian, 8 May 1945 (52) 1946, India, Aruna Ali (53) 1946, India, Indian Express, 4 January 1946
The report on the Bengal famine was released to coincide with Victory of Europe Day 1945, resulting in virtually no news coverage. In India, discussions around Independence began, and as some restrictions were lifted, civil rights campaigners who had been in hiding, returned to the public eye. During the war, some British Army soldiers had absconded to the Indian National Army (INA), fighting against the British. After the war, mass showcase trials were held, though the public often supported the accused.
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In 1946, after a lengthy trial, three former soldiers: Colonel Prem Sahgal, Colonel Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon, and Major General Shah Nawaz Khan, who had been jailed for transferring allegiance to the Japanese and fighting against the British, were released from jail. The release of the three – a Hindu, a Muslim, and a Sikh – was widely celebrated across India. After the war ended, the role of black and Asian soldiers would be sidelined. Caught between the climate of Independence celebrations in India, and, at the end of the war, Britain underplaying the role of colonial armies, their part in the Second World War did not neatly fit into either countries’ narrative for building a post war nation, and so would be largely forgotten. (54) 1961, USA
In 1961 President JF Kennedy quoted from Tagore’s famous poem, Gitanjali, saying that Tagore’s words “might serve as today’s universal prayer.”
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ABOUT THE NOTTINGHAM BASED WAR VETERANS Muhammed Khan
Mohammed Khan, grandson of Muhammed Khan
Khan came from the Punjabi plains in India. As many did, he joined the army when he was just a teenager. In the army, he was sent to Burma, Malaysia, and Singapore. In Singapore news spread that one of the British Generals was being tortured by the Japanese, and he was part of a unit which led a successful mission to free the general. East Asia was mostly dangerous jungle with few roads, and Khan was a good truck driver, with many commendations for his actions. In the war, he made friends with a Hindu solider who taught him to read and write English. The soldiers would recite Punjabi poems to each other, and this love of poetry continued into his old age. When he left his village, the place was surrounded by thick jungle, but when he returned the jungle had been cleared of wood for wartime supplies. Today you can only see the mountains in the distance – the landscape still hasn’t recovered from the war damage. In Burma, he learnt how to grow rice, and when he returned to his home, he developed the first rice fields in the village. It was successful, and rice, okra, and sugar cane is still grown in the area. After the war he went to work in another town as a mechanical engineer in different factories. His relatives in Kashmir helped him come to Britain in 1962. He continued to help develop his village, and built school, roads, and housing for the poor. His son told us, ‘it was because of men like my father than I was born a free man in Pakistan. Their sacrifices were enormous’. His grandson is now training in the army in Nottingham.
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Mohmeed Amin
Mazhar Butt, son-in-law of Mohmeed Amin
Amin’s family comes from Rawalpindi, in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It was the region with the largest number of men recruited into the British Army and would later become the headquarters of the Pakistani Army. He was recruited in his teens and worked his way up the army ranks to become a captain. He would later serve in Burma, though around 1943 he was captured by the Japanese and spent nearly two years in a prisoner-of-war camp. He described how life in the camp was really brutal, and how the Indians were treated much worse than the British prisoners. The biggest issues were the beatings and shortages of food. He survived the camp on small portions of rice. He managed to survive the period through his faith and through his love of poetry. The men would spend time reciting the Koran and poems. Most men in the Indian Army were able to recite poems, especially the Punjabi speakers. Overall, the families sent seven brothers to the Second World War, mainly due to poverty, given the policy that if one sent seven family members, they received compensation through land. Some served in Burma, some in Italy. It was a very difficult time for the families, as they received very little communication, and never really knew if their sons were alive or not. After the war the trauma continued as the road to Partition was beginning, and the country was in a state of civil war, so there was little time for celebration. Many habits developed from serving in the war continued, and remain in the family. Amin’s son in law, Mazhar Butt, runs one of the oldest restaurants in the city, Royal Sweets on Gregory Boulevard. It was established so that people from all faiths – Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims – could eat together and cheaply. During the 70s and 80s it became a centre for Asian poets to hang out after their poetry events in the city.
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Inayet Ali
Inayet Ali
Inayet Ali was born in Mirapur, Kashmir in January, 1920, to a family of farmers. He attended a meeting when the Maharaja Hari Singh spoke asking young men to help the war effort. Shortly afterwards he joined the British Indian Army. A lot of young men joined the army at this time, around 10,000 to 25,000, and the army authorities struggled to train them all quickly. He spent nearly a year travelling the country from one training camp to another, it was the first time he had got to see the whole of India. He also spent months training in the jungle regions across India. He was enlisted to the Indian Army Corp of Engineers. His role was part of a unit who performed a variety of military engineering duties such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, preparing field defenses, as well as working on road and airfield construction and repairs. In this role he travelled all over India, including spending time in Burma. Much was hidden from the army men. He knew bombs had fallen in India, but were told these were German bombs. He also knew food was in short supply, as he had to live off just peanuts on some days, but he didn’t know that there was a famine in the country. His hardest role came during the Partition. They built extra bridges to help people relocate. His main role was to be part of the units which looked after the infrastructures, to ensure that the roads, railways and factories were not damaged during Partition. He will never forget the events of the Partition. After the war he came to Britain and settled in Nottingham, working on the railways.
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Motha Ali Motha Ali was born in Kashmir in 1893. There was a plague in Kashmir at the beginning of the last century, and the fear of children dying meant many left the area. Ali later moved to Karachi, then he moved to Bombay and worked before joining the Merchant Navy at the outbreak of war. There were over 200,000 merchant seamen during the war, and many died from attacks from German submarine attacks. He served in the Merchant Navy, helping with ships sailing across India, Middle East, Africa and England. Mohammed Ayub Khan, his great uncle served in the Merchant Navy
There was an established Indian merchant seamen community across Britain, and he moved to Nottingham around 1943 and lived in Heskey Street. In July 1944 he went out to buy some food and he later died in a trolley bus accident. His brother buried him in Birmingham. He left a wife and son behind in Kashmir.
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Ebrima Ndure Ebrima Ndure was born in Banjun, Gambia in 1908. His father was a trader, and ensured his children had a good education. Since his father was close to the British establishment, it was expected that he would serve in the British Army. He was around 19 when he joined the British Army.
Ebrima Jawo, grandson of Ebrima Ndure
During the war he served in Burma, and drove trucks to move items around the country. During the war he received two medals for outstanding service. Many Africans died in Burma, though he never spoke to his family about this. It was a difficult place to be and food rations were short. He often spent days without food. After the war he continued to eat as if he was in the war, and had a very basic diet. He was also asthmatic and prone to chest infections, partly because he was a heavy smoker, a habit he picked up during the war. His friends often talked about the tough times, and how they were ‘real men’ compared to modern younger men. After the war he worked for the Public Utilities department of the British Government. Every year on Commonwealth Day he would dress up in his army uniform and take part in celebratory marches with other former soliders. His grandson, Ebrima Jawo, is a local magistrate and involved in community work with the local Gambian and Senegalese communities.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS When The Snow Melts is part of Himmah’s Heritage Lottery funded, Muslim Memory Project. This charts the stories of Nottingham’s Muslim communities involved in the Second World War and will lead to the production of a substantial publication in 2020. The artists and Himmah are still seeking contributions from veterans and their families – see www.himmah. org to get in touch. New Art Exchange, Patel, and Makki thank the families of Mohammed Khan, Inayat Ali, Muhammad Ida Khan, Ebrima Ndure, Ebrima Jawo, Mazhar Butt, Mohmeed Amin, Mohammed Ayub Khan, Motha Ali, Javed Khan, and Ismail Khan for their assistance with the project.
Text: Jagdish Patel
Published in 2019 by New Art Exchange on the
Images on pages 10—14:
occasion of the exhibition.
Jagdish Patel New Art Exchange Cover image: Indian
39—41 Gregory Boulevard
Soldiers in France, 1914.
Hyson Green
Image sourced from the
Nottingham
Library of Congress Prints
NG7 6BE
and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.
www.nae.org.uk info@nae.org.uk
Design: Saria Digregorio
0115 9248630 15
ISBN: 978-1-9993651-4-1
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