Basra War Memorial Decay Casts Shadow Over Haifa Liberation Day Observances

The reported deterioration of the Basra War Memorial in Iraq has drawn fresh attention to the fate of a site built to honour 40,500 Commonwealth service personnel who died during the Mesopotamian Campaign of World War I, fought between 1914 and 1921. A significant number of those commemorated were Indian soldiers, among them men of the Mysore Imperial Lancers, whose wartime record — particularly in the liberation of Haifa — remains part of the region's military history.

The condition of the memorial has become a matter of concern for families of the fallen and for those who document the campaign. Recent disclosures in the United Kingdom have pointed to the destruction of at least 3,000 tombstones at Basra, and campaigns led by relatives of deceased soldiers are now appealing for public help in gathering further evidence of the damage.

"Recent information shows destruction of at least 3,000 tombstones in Basra. Campaigns by families of deceased soldiers are now seeking public help in collecting further evidences of destruction," said journalist Anil Raje Urs, who recently released a book, 'Mysore Lancers - Valour in the World War I', tracing the unit's journey and its role in the battlefields of West Asia.

The Mysore Lancers, the armed force of the erstwhile Mysore princely State, formed part of the Indian Expeditionary Force, which also included troops from other princely States. First deployed to guard the Suez Canal between 1915 and 1917, the Lancers later took part in engagements against Ottoman and German forces in Mesopotamia, Jerusalem, Gaza and Haifa.

Their action in the liberation of Haifa on September 23, 1918 is remembered for the manner in which the Lancers overcame Ottoman and German positions. "The troops from Mysore were without any modern weapons. They were sent to attack the Turks who were perched in Mt. Carmel with their machine guns and naval guns. With their raw courage, they braved the heavy machine gun fire to silence the Turks," Mr. Urs said. He is related to the late Col. J. Desraj Urs, who commanded the Mysore Lancers during World War I. Indian forces, including the Lancers, were also involved in the rescue of Abdu'l-Baha, the eldest son of Baha'u'llah, the founder of the Baha'i faith, at Haifa.

Mr. Urs's book, written in Kannada, draws on palace records to document the preparations made before the Mysore Lancers left for West Asia. "With available records, I was able to trace about 15 families whose members had taken part in WWI. Many more are yet to be traced," he said.

Haifa Liberation Day is observed worldwide, including at the Haifa Memorial in Bengaluru. Despite growing public acknowledgement of the Mysore Lancers' contribution, the Basra memorial did not carry accurate details for a large number of Indian soldiers — a gap the Commonwealth War Graves Commission also acknowledges. The Commission's website notes that the names of most of the Indian Army personnel it commemorates were not accurate because war records at the time had not been properly compiled. An accurate list of names has since been compiled in the Commission's Iraq Roll of Honour in the United Kingdom, awaiting conditions on the ground that would allow a more permanent solution.