
Moving images show the formidable Gurkhas who were decorated on the fields of Europe, masked Indian soldiers awaiting gas attacks and Sikhs performing their chants as they fought for the British Empire in the Great War.

Staggeringly, nearly 1.5 million Indian soldiers fought in the First World War, risking their lives to protect the British Empire.

But the sacrifices of those brave men is rarely remembered today.

These remarkable photos were captured on the orders of the India Office in London to produce a war record of the Indians on the Western Front in 1915.

Indian infantry line the trenches holding their British made bolt action rifles prepare for a gas attack with their masks on. An officer can be seen in the foreground wearing a white mask and holding a revolver. In total more than 74,000 Indian soldiers gave their lives during the First World War, fighting against the German Empire on the Western Front and in German East Africa

The Indian Expeditionary Force on the march with horses decorated with bridles in the Indian style, the troops wearing turbans and their British officers wearing peaked caps. Nearly 1.5 million Indians fought for the British Empire during the Great War. At the Battle of Ypres, Khudadad Khan became the first Indian to be awarded the Victoria Cross. His official citation stated: 'The British Officer in charge of the detachment having been wounded, and the other gun put out of action by a shell, Sepoy Khudadad, though himself wounded, remained working his gun until all the other five men of the gun detachment had been killed.'

Gurkhas immaculately turned out during a kit inspection, the highly disciplined fighting force. During the Anglo-Nepalese War of the early 19th century the bravery of the men made such an impact on the British they were quickly recruited and were considered the toughest of the Indian troops. During the Gallipoli campaign in 1915, they were some of the first to arrive and the last to leave

Approximately 10 percent of the soldiers, involved in an alien conflict in a faraway and unfamiliar land, were casualties of the war, with around 75,000 men never returning home to their homeland and their families.

In the early years of the war, Muslim, Sikh and Hindu men from regions such as the Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Bihar volunteered in the Indian Expeditionary Force, which saw fighting on the Western Front, in East Africa, Mesopotamia, Egypt and Gallipoli.

In particular, the experienced soldiers who fought in France in the war's early years were crucial - holding back waves of German attacks whilst the British were still recruiting and training their own forces.

The Indian force fought bravely and twelve Victoria Crosses were awarded to Indians after the War - six were for those who had fought on the Western Front.

A Punjab regiment with their rifles slung over their shoulders and water canteens hanging from their waists on the march through the muddy, shelled-out fields of Flanders in Belgium. The Indian force fought bravely and twelve Victoria Crosses were awarded to Indians after the War - six were for those who had fought on the Western Front.

Sikhs singing religious chants in a ramshackle French barn, while away from the front-lines. Men of the Islamic, Hindu and Sikh faiths all fought for the British Empire in its war against the Kaiser.

Indian infantry prepare their bayonets for a charge as they take cover behind a bank of mud and stones on the European battlefield. Resentment grew towards the British Empire as a result of the war and Gandhi launched his first India-wide campaign of civil disobedience against British authority in February 1919.

Gurkhas take on a Signal Company in a friendly game of football as part of rest and relaxation away from the front-lines. The striking photos involving the Indian forces were captured in 1915 by Charles Hilton DeWitt Girdwood who was commissioned by the India Office in London to produce an official record of Indian and British troops on the Western Front in France and Belgium

But history has mostly forgotten these sacrifices, which were rewarded with broken promises of Indian independence from the British government.

For India, the First World War meant that many of their countrymen were sent to die on a battlefield thousands of miles away from them, and taxes were ramped up to pay for the British war effort.

The unrest the Great War caused in India was key to forming the independence movement which came some thirty years later (1947).

Bal Bahadur (Bhaz Gul) was a hero of the 59th Scinde Rifles who was promoted in the field for gallantry at the Battle of Neuve Chapelle. With an officer and two other men, he was in a captured German trench when volunteers were called for to rescue some wounded men. Bahadur volunteered and, though exposed to heavy fire, succeeded in rescuing one man, and went back again to rescue a second, when he was hit by a German bullet and was severely wounded

Gurkas hold fast in the trenches as bombs go off and smoke sweeps across the landscape. During the war more than 200,000 Gurkhas served, with some 20,000 casualties and 2,000 gallantry awards

Despite being far from home in the cold, bitter climes of Europe - the Indian soldiers had their chefs to serve up chapatis. They left their homeland with promises of independence from the British Empire as their reward, but the government failed to deliver sparking protest

Jodhpur Lancers lie prone on the grass as they hold their ground in France (left) and Gurkhas charging a trench in the early years of the war (right)

The grim realities of the aftermath of a valiant Gurkha charge on a German trench shows men who were cut down by German bullets. One lies face down in the dirt, his shaven head bereft of their iconic hats, while another appears to fight on in the trench below.

Having made huge sacrifices and demonstrated military valour equal to that of European soldiers, Indians widely expected a transition to self-government.

These expectations were shared by nationalist leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi but were dashed by the extension of martial law at the end of the conflict by the British Government.

Following the war, Gandhi launched his first India-wide campaign of civil disobedience against British authority in February 1919.

Garhwalis line the trenches, preparing for an assault. Mainly made up of the Garwali ethnic group, their regiment - the Garhwal Rifles were one of the most decorated Indian regiments of the British Army. They distinguished themselves with two Victoria Crosses, fighting ferociously at Flanders

His last photo: The officer seen directing men in the foreground, Lt Bullard, was killed the next morning by a shell. The Indians who fought in the early years of the war were crucial in holding back the advancing German army

A musical party of 6th Jats unit in France, they were men of the Bengal Army (left) and a kilted Scottish soldier is seen sitting next to his Indian comrades in the trenches (right)

Indian troops ritually sacrifice a goat as officers watch on. Also visible are the white barriers indicating the areas for Mussalmans (Muslims) and Hindus

Manning the trenches and rifles at the ready, the Indian troops scan the horizon as they await orders from their officers within a trench on the Western Front. At the start of the war, the Indian Army was one of the two largest volunteer forces in action, with 240,000 - bettered only by the British with 247,000

The striking photos involving the Indian forces were captured in 1915 by the Canadian-born photographer Charles Hilton DeWitt Girdwood.

In April 1915, Girdwood was commissioned by the India Office in London to produce the official war record of Indian and British troops on the Western Front in France and Belgium.

He also took photos of Indians who were sent to England's south coast to recover from serious injury.