MY FAMILY LEGACY:

Honouring South Asian service in the world wars

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Images © IWM

A new project to honour the millions of men and women who served from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

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Sepoy Amar Singh
Sepoy Amar Singh
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Dost Mohammad
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Kadir Muhammad
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Abdul Rahim Khan
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Lance Naik Marudhiah

We’re asking South Asian families in the UK to share your stories and pictures of family members who served.

The stories will be displayed on this dedicated new website, on social media and as part of the Royal British Legion’s ‘Forgotten Armies’ exhibition that is touring the country.

My Family Legacy is coordinated by the charity British Future and Eastern Eye, Britain’s biggest Asian newspaper, and supported by the Royal British Legion.

Our aim is to raise awareness of the huge contribution made by South Asians in the world wars – and to highlight the shared history that has shaped our society today.

To take part, click the link here or email us at stories@myfamilylegacy.org.uk and share a picture of your relative, their name and as much information about their service as you want to provide.

Image © IWM

  • “Commonwealth and ethnic minority soldiers, like my grandfather, were left out of mainstream history. I find that even the disparity and awareness between VE and VJ Day remains shockingly significant. Baba Ji had always hoped that future generations would never have to see the devastation that they [war veterans] had to endure.”

    Amrit Kaur Dhatt

    Granddaughter of Havildar Major Rajindar Singh Dhatt MBE

  • “The shared history as a united people fighting for one common cause in spite of their differences, serves as the ultimate metaphor for future generations on how we must remain united as a country. Only then can we overcome any, and all challenges in an uncertain world.”

    Ejaz Hussain

    Granddaughter of Sergeant Mohammad Hussain

  • “I’m so proud that this is finally being marked and acknowledged. These stories deserve to be seen and remembered, not only to honour those who came before us but to ensure future generations understand the sacrifices made. It’s about preserving our history and making sure our voices are part of the national narrative.”

    Amber Sandhu

    Broadcaster

  • “This is the greatest war story that’s never been told. Millions of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs from India, today’s Pakistan and Bangladesh fought two world wars, fighting for our freedom."

    Adil Ray OBE, actor and presenter.

FAQs

  • Simply fill in the ‘share your story’ form on this website, completing the essential fields and whatever other information you want to share. If possible, do include one or more pictures of your ancestor. 

    Or you can just email us the information and pictures to stories@myfamilylegacy.org.uk

  • We think it’s important that these stories are seen and heard.

    Our team will write up your story and, once you’ve confirmed you are happy, it will be featured on this website.

    We will also share stories and pictures on our Facebook and Instagram feeds to raise more awareness.

    And we may share stories with the media too, to bring this history to wider attention. You won’t be contacted by any journalists unless you’ve given us permission.

    This website will stay live for two years, until September 2027.

    We also want these stories to be preserved for future generations. So later next year we will write to you and ask if you are happy for the story and pictures to be shared with the Imperial War Museum, so they can be archived and preserved in perpetuity.

  • This is your family’s story. If you change your mind and want to withdraw it, just contact us at stories@myfamilylegacy.org.uk and we will take it down from the website and delete it from our records.

    If the story has been published in the media, we won’t be able to take down articles from third party websites.cription

  • My Family Legacy is supported  by the Royal British Legion, as part of its Forgotten Army project to raise awareness of the South Asian contribution in the world wars. 

    Throughout 2025 and 2026, the Royal British Legion is working with artist Mahtab Hussain to take his bronze artwork, depicting Indian Army soldiers of WW2,to towns and cities around the country.

    Starting in Liverpool, in each location the RBL will be inviting people from all communities to visit the artwork and find out more about the service of South Asians in the world wars. British Future is supporting this programme with the My Family Legacy campaign, events and community outreach. 

    Visit www.britishlegion.org.uk for more details.

  • My Family Legacy is coordinated by the charity British Future and the Eastern Eye, Britain’s biggest Asian newspaper. It is supported by the Royal British Legion, as part of its Forgotten Army project to raise awareness of the South Asian contribution in the world wars. We are grateful to the Royal British Legion for funding the My Family Legacy project.

  • My Family Legacy is coordinated by the charity British Future. All data collected is securely stored by British Future. You can read more about British Future’s privacy and data protection policies here.

  • There are various resources available to help you find out more about your ancestor's service. 

    The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has published this useful guide. The British Library also holds records for soldiers of the British Indian Army; the Families in British India Society has a searchable database; the UK National Archives hold India Office records; and you can also search the National Archives of India or use Find My Past.

    This blog by the late historian Ghee Bowman also contains extensive links to further resources.

    As the My Family Legacy project develops we will add more information to this website to help you uncover your relative's story.