DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49382#0245
THE EMPLOYMENT OF INDIAN TROOPS. 147
our Indian Army being employed to check hostile movements and
put down rebellion, it is in France. India, if not denuded, has at
any rate been deprived of a great many of its best troops for the
service of the Empire.
“ Now, last week we all of us read of the landing of the first part
of the Indian contingent at Marseilles. It was a dramatic moment
in the history of the Indian Army and of the Empire; it was a
landmark in the history of our connection with India. And I
suppose the German Emperor, who found Sir John French’s force of
a hundred or a hundred and twenty thousand was a contemptible
army, could find no adjective effective enough to apply to the still
smaller forces that are coming from India (laughter), and he will
have an opportunity a little later on of finding whether they are
contemptible or not. (Applause.) But this, I think, we may with
confidence predict of them. They will behave on the battlefield
with as much fortitude as any in Europe. (Loud applause.) They
will also, I equally confidently predict, be as humane. (Hear,
hear.) I doubt if we will hear of the Indian troops destroying
churches, murdering innocent women and children, bayonetting
old men, taking part in the numberless horrors which have
characterised the war of the Apostle of German modern culture.
They will, I say, be as humane as any force serving on the continent.
Another thing I venture to predict of them, and it is this : they will
give as creditable an exhibition of loyal and friendly understanding
.d co-operation between officers and men as any European force
serving in the field. (Hear, hear, and applause.) We sometimes read
in the papers of the German Infantry advancing with amazing
heroism to the charge, and the German officers—in the rear (laughter)
—urging them on to attack, sometimes using means more forcible
than pleasant to carry out that intention. But, in the case of Indian
troops, we may be sure that their officers will be in front of them not
behind them (applause), and side by side with them will be the
officers, commissioned and non-commissioned, whose connection with
their English comrades, as everyone who knows the Indian army can
our Indian Army being employed to check hostile movements and
put down rebellion, it is in France. India, if not denuded, has at
any rate been deprived of a great many of its best troops for the
service of the Empire.
“ Now, last week we all of us read of the landing of the first part
of the Indian contingent at Marseilles. It was a dramatic moment
in the history of the Indian Army and of the Empire; it was a
landmark in the history of our connection with India. And I
suppose the German Emperor, who found Sir John French’s force of
a hundred or a hundred and twenty thousand was a contemptible
army, could find no adjective effective enough to apply to the still
smaller forces that are coming from India (laughter), and he will
have an opportunity a little later on of finding whether they are
contemptible or not. (Applause.) But this, I think, we may with
confidence predict of them. They will behave on the battlefield
with as much fortitude as any in Europe. (Loud applause.) They
will also, I equally confidently predict, be as humane. (Hear,
hear.) I doubt if we will hear of the Indian troops destroying
churches, murdering innocent women and children, bayonetting
old men, taking part in the numberless horrors which have
characterised the war of the Apostle of German modern culture.
They will, I say, be as humane as any force serving on the continent.
Another thing I venture to predict of them, and it is this : they will
give as creditable an exhibition of loyal and friendly understanding
.d co-operation between officers and men as any European force
serving in the field. (Hear, hear, and applause.) We sometimes read
in the papers of the German Infantry advancing with amazing
heroism to the charge, and the German officers—in the rear (laughter)
—urging them on to attack, sometimes using means more forcible
than pleasant to carry out that intention. But, in the case of Indian
troops, we may be sure that their officers will be in front of them not
behind them (applause), and side by side with them will be the
officers, commissioned and non-commissioned, whose connection with
their English comrades, as everyone who knows the Indian army can