Introducing Digital Name Panels for The Basra Memorial

As we continue our work to ensure everyone is commemorated equally by name, we’re honoured to introduce new digital name panels for all names commemorated on the Basra Memorial in Iraq, ensuring this important site of commemoration can be better understood and explored. 

For over 100 years, the names of 33,000 Indian Army soldiers who died in the First World War have been missing from the Basra Memorial in Iraq.  

Through these digital memorial panels, you can now see the names of Indian soldiers brought together for the first time and explore the names and stories of more than 46,000 Commonwealth service personnel commemorated by this memorial.

Dr George Hay, CWGC Official Historian, said: "The launch of these panels marks an important moment for the Commission and the commemoration of the Indian Army’s dead of the Mesopotamia Campaign. For the first time, the names of these men will be displayed as they should have been nearly a century ago, restoring to them the honour they deserve.

"This takes us a step closer to fully reversing this historical inequality while also helping people around the world engage with these casualties and their stories."

Global Advisory Panel member, Shrabani Basu said: "The Mesopotamia Campaign was one of the toughest campaigns in the First World War with Indian soldiers dying in the tens of thousands. Yet their names were never added on the Basra memorial. It is wonderful to see the new digital panels and to finally see the 33,000 Indian names displayed as they always should have been complete with ranks and regiments. A historical wrong is being righted. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten."
 
Shrabani Basu is a journalist and Sunday Times best-selling author, founder and chair of the Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust and has written several books on Indian involvement in the two world wars. A frequent commentator on radio and television, she also sat on the original Special Committee.

Explore the Basra Memorial Digital Name Panelst

Why are digital name panels needed?

Many Indian casualties of the First World War were historically commemorated numerically or through memorial registers, rather than by name. This is one of the several known inequalities in commemoration that CWGC is working hard to address. 

The Basra Memorial is a key example of this unequal commemoration, a past omission that is now importantly reversed. 

Iraq is not considered safe for travel and operational work. As a result, such a significant physical update to the memorial has not been possible.  

A digital portrayal ensures that, until the site can be properly assessed, all names are properly commemorated. 

Will CWGC start using digital memorials more often?

Digital memorials will never replace our physical sites. They are designed to complement them and allow us to raise awareness of our cemeteries and memorials worldwide. 

Digital tools such as this help more people discover and share the stories of over 1.7 million Commonwealth service personnel who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars. 

They also provide a connection when people cannot visit in person. 

We remain entirely committed to the long-term restoration, conservation, and care of all our physical sites, including those in Iraq.