In April 2026, the UK digitally remembered some 33,000 Indian soldiers of the First World War who were not commemorated by name on the Basra Memorial in Iraq, rectifying a 100‑year‑old oversight in wartime memorialisation.
The project, spearheaded by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), adds new digital name panels to the Basra Memorial, ensuring these Indian soldiers' sacrifice is now collectively, and individually, recorded alongside more than 46,000 Commonwealth soldiers already honoured at the memorial.
What's new at the Basra Memorial?
The memorial in southern Iraq honours those who died in the Mesopotamia campaign (now modern‑day Iraq), one of the largest British‑Empire campaigns outside Europe during the First World War.
To date, only some ranks and officers have been fully named, and thousands of Indian non‑commissioned soldiers were usually only listed in aggregate in their regimental groups.
In April 2026, the CWGC installed digital name panels at the memorial which show the names, ranks and regiments of approximately 33,000 Indian soldiers who were previously only commemorated by their regimental numbers on the stone memorial.
The move is being heralded as "righting a wrong" in elevating the status of Indian casualties to that of other
Historian Shrabani Basu, a member of the CWGC Global Advisory Panel, observes that the Mesopotamia campaign was "one of the toughest campaigns in the First World War" and that Indian soldiers were killed "in the tens of thousands" but were not included on the Basra Memorial. She has claimed that the new digital panels represent a long-awaited realization that “their sacrifice will not be forgotten,” and that the decision has "right[ed] a historical wrong" in the commemoration of Empire‑era soldiers.
Role of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is a UK‑based intergovernmental organisation that commemorates the 1.7 million Commonwealth service personnel who died in the two World Wars in more than 150 nations. The CWGC claims the Basra Memorial is one of a number of examples where early 20th-century practices of commemoration have been reviewed and revised to include all commonwealth service personnel, regardless of race or rank.
The CWGC claims that the addition of digital panels at Basra has been a "major milestone" in recognising the contribution of the Indian Army in the Mesopotamia campaign, according to Dr George Hay.
The commission stresses that the digital alternative is temporary, justified by the security situation in Iraq, and that the ultimate intention is to replace the physical memorial when it is safe to analyse and renovate the site.
Digital Panels as an interim solution
The constant threat of violence in Iraq has prevented physical refurbishment or extension of the Basra Memorial, and the CWGC has chosen to use digital name panels.
These panels can display the 33,000 Indian soldiers' names alongside the names of other Commonwealth personnel and can be accessed in situ and online, thus providing a more global opportunity to connect with their stories.
The CWGC notes that digital memorials can never fully replicate the emotional and symbolic significance of gravestones or inscriptions but can play an important role, particularly when visiting remote or hazardous war‑grave sites remains difficult.
The commission also highlights this project as part of a broader initiative to digitise and verify records to ensure all Commonwealth war deaths are "recorded equally, by name and by honour."
