Indian seamen: a roll of honour for the Second World War
Indian seamen, or lascars, remain forgotten heroes of the world wars, partly because information about them is very scarce. The blog I posted earlier today details the death toll, the numbers of men taken prisoner and acts of bravery and selflessness in circumstances of extreme danger. We thought it appropriate to remember the Indian seamen commended for their bravery and devotion to duty by publishing their names recorded in an India Office Records file (IOR/L/E/8/2909).
Image of Head Lascar
Photo 472/25 (110)
Documents from the India Office Records file, below
In the file, details of the individual reasons for their award are detailed down the right hand side of the pages above. Unfortunately, these flimsy papers with their slightly smudgy text are too wide to be photographed in their entirety and remain legible in this blog. The original file may be consulted in the Asian and African reading room at the British Library once you have obtained a reader's pass.
Penny Brook
Head of India Office Records
Further reading
Rozina Visram Asians in Britain: 400 Years of History (Pluto, 2002)
IOR/L/E/8/2909 E&O 5216/45 - Preparation of a Brochure on the War Effort of Indian Seamen, 1945
Asians in Britain learning resource
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