British Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Sajid Javid, took part in a commemoration service for the martyrs of the First World War and laid a wreath at the 'Cross of Sacrifice' in Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery at Bhowanipore here on Tuesday.
Expressing his gratitude to the Indian army and Commonwealth War Graves Commission for organizing the event, Sajid Javid said, "Whenever we speak of First World War, we should speak of one and a half million men of the Indian army who travelled thousands of miles to bravely fight for a country that was not their own. Thousands of them did not return home. The sacrifice of the Indian army deserves to be properly honoured and the British government is determined to make sure that it happens."
He said that a plaque bearing the names of those Indian soldiers who were awarded Victoria Cross will be unveiled soon.
"Later this month a special plaque will be unveiled bearing the names of the six Indian soldiers who were awarded the Victoria Cross during the First World War. They served with honour, they served with pride, they served without question and we shall remember them," Javid said.
The Bhowanipore war cemetery in Calcutta contains 617 Commonwealth war graves of the Second World War and 95 war graves of the First World War.