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Indian Service Personnel

Indian Service Personnel

Photograph of Jagt Singh, taken for his Certificate of Registration under the Immigration Restriction Amendment Act. 1920. 5th May 1921.

Photograph of Jagt Singh, taken for his Certificate of Registration under the Immigration Restriction Amendment Act. 1920. 5th May 1921.

Archives NZ: R7817714. No known copyright restrictions.
We have idenitified 17 New Zealand personnel of Indian descent on Online Cenotaph serving in both the New Zealand Army and Air Force in both the First and Second World Wars.

Service personnel include Jagt Singh also known as Soldier Singh who served with the New Zealand Mounted Rifles during the First World War. Though they were often willing to serve, the Indian community in New Zealand were excluded from service in the First World War for the most part. As British subjects, Indian immigrants living in New Zealand were balloted for service, however, when they tried to enlist they were usually turned away. They could be rejected on grounds of being medically unfit, and later ‘commissariat difficulties’ were used as a reason to put them on early discharge or indefinite leave.

If you know of any other personnel who have Indian whakapapa please get in contact.

 

 

Further Resources:

  • Roche, M., & Venkateswar, S. (2016). Neither natural-born British subjects nor aliens. In J. Crawford, D. Littlewood, & J. Watson (Eds.), Experience of a lifetime: People, Personalties and Leaders in the First World War (138-152). Auckland: Massey University Press.
  • Leckie, Jacqueline (2021). Invisible: New Zealand’s History of Excluding Kiwi-Indians. Auckland, New Zealand: Massey University Press.

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Results

Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 records
PhotoFamily nameFirst namesForceWarsService # 
97182GrantAnthony VincentArmyWorld War I, 1914-191819457 
113255HariBhima JackArmyJayforce, 1945-1948644185 
C7294HughesErnest HerbertArmyWorld War I, 1914-191826/1000 
113507JaramNorman NarsayArmyJayforce, 1945-1948, Korean War, 1950-1953811896, 203671 
113506JaramSamuelArmyJayforce, 1945-1948443752 
113508JaramWitchell NarsayArmyJayforce, 1945-1948828007 
97181KhanJamalArmyWorld War I, 1914-191819482 
C10587MayRichard S.ArmyWorld War I, 1914-19189/1336 
C10631MehraRatan ChandArmyWorld War I, 1914-191826/123 
C29722MewaAlickAir ForceWorld War II, 1939-1945NZ414320, 414320 
121075PereiraHarold RichardArmyWorld War II, 1939-194537572 
97180RashidJoe AbdulArmyWorld War I, 1914-191819481 
201133SinghDula GurditArmyKorean War, 1950-195335405 
224666SinghEsiveAir ForceWorld War II, 1939-1945  
C55327SinghJagtArmyWorld War I, 1914-191811/1011, 13/1011a 
97177SinghShamArmyWorld War I, 1914-191816/1553 
201132SinghSonnyArmyKorean War, 1950-1953204610 
97178SinghWeerArmyWorld War I, 1914-1918N/N 
C81872SomanRobert RamchurnArmyWorld War I, 1914-191834742 

The development of the Online Cenotaph is an ongoing process; updates, new images and records are added weekly. In some cases, records have yet to be confirmed by Museum staff, and there could be mistakes or omissions in the information provided.