First World War: Then and Now
Led by the theatre group Tara Arts, working in partnership with the UK Punjab Heritage Association (UKPHA), the project focused on trench warfare on the Western Front during the first year of the First World War. By November 1914, one third of the British Army serving on the Western Front had been recruited from India.
Twelve volunteers examined how Indian troops adapted to the hardships of life in the trenches. They also looked at how the young soldiers from the Indian and British armies learned to work together.
The first part of the project involved research led by UKPHA, who arranged visits to the Imperial War Museum, the National Archives and other heritage organisations. The volunteers became history detectives, working with specialists to delve into and transcribe the letters, diaries and official records they found.
At workshops volunteers considered the emotional and psychological impact that life in the trenches had on the Indian soldiers and these ideas inspired the creation of a radio play and education pack. Excerpts of the radio play were used within the BBC documentary ‘Forgotten Heroes’.