Muslim Soldiers of Dunkirk

Muslim Soldiers of Dunkirk

May 28, 1940: Major Akbar Khan of the Royal Indian Army Service Corps marches at the head of 299 soldiers along the beach at Dunkirk - the only Indians in the BEF in France and the only ones at Dunkirk. These men of the Indian Army, carrying their disabled imam, find their way to the East Mole and embark for England in the dead of night. On reaching Dover, they borrowed brass trays and started playing Punjabi folk music, upon which even "many British spectators joined in the dance." Where had they come from and why were they in France? And what happened to them after that? Ghee Bowman reveals in full, for the first time, the story of these soldiers, from their arrival in France on December 26, 1939 to their return at war's end to an India on the verge of partition. It is one of the war's hidden stories that casts fresh light on Britain and its empire.


Subscribe to History Hit and you'll get access to hundreds of history documentaries, as well as every single episode of this podcast from the beginning (400 extra episodes). We're running live podcasts on Zoom, we've got weekly quizzes where you can win prizes, and exclusive subscriber only articles. It's the ultimate history package. Just go to historyhit.tv to subscribe. Use code 'pod1' at checkout for your first month free and the following month for just £/€/$1.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Avsnitt(1496)

The Germans Who Rebelled Against the Nazis

The Germans Who Rebelled Against the Nazis

Today, we journey back to Berlin in the summer of 1943, where a clandestine gathering of Germany’s elite quietly plots to resist Hitler’s regime. But there is a traitor in their midst...We're joined b...

14 Okt 202538min

The Battle of Jutland

The Battle of Jutland

On 31st May, 1916, 250 warships and nearly 100,000 sailors converged in the North Sea for the world's first full-scale clash of dreadnought fleets. Admiral Jellicoe’s Grand Fleet was pitted against Ad...

12 Okt 202546min

Medieval Sex

Medieval Sex

Warning: this episode contains explicit language.Medieval people weren’t prudish—far from it. Dan is joined by medieval historian Dr Eleanor Janega to explore sex, marriage, and desire in the Middle A...

9 Okt 202542min

Alexandria

Alexandria

This is the story of a city that laid the foundations for our modern world. Sitting at the intersection of East and West, Alexandria has been home to many of humanity's greatest architectural and cult...

7 Okt 202531min

The Spanish Civil War

The Spanish Civil War

Why did Spain spiral into civil war in 1936? Today, we delve into the grinding class conflicts and ferocious political divisions that split Spain in two, from the dictatorship of the 1920s to the ambi...

5 Okt 202558min

The Battle of Agincourt

The Battle of Agincourt

In this episode, Dan explains the dramatic story of the Battle of Agincourt when, against overwhelming odds, Henry V’s underdog English army emerged victorious over their mighty French opponents. We e...

2 Okt 202535min

Magna Carta

Magna Carta

Dan and leading medieval historians explain everything you need to know about Magna Carta...and the story is more dramatic than you might think. Magna Carta sprang from an England on the brink of civi...

30 Sep 202543min

The First Trains

The First Trains

On 27 September 1825, a steam-powered marvel known as Locomotion No.1 made history, pulling passengers and coal from Shildon to Stockton-on-Tees in the North of England. This 25 mile journey, changed ...

28 Sep 202535min

Populärt inom Historia

kod-katastrof
massmordarpodden
motiv
historiska-brott
p3-historia
olosta-mord
rss-historien-om
historiepodden-se
rss-seriemordarpodden
historianu-med-urban-lindstedt
rss-brottsligt
rss-massmordarpodden
krigshistoriepodden
rss-historiska-brottslingar
militarhistoriepodden
palmemordet
rss-arkiv-stieg
harrisons-dramatiska-historia
nu-blir-det-historia
oppet-fall