A hundred years ago, Great Britain had outsourced her Great War to India. India recruited 14,40,437 men and sent 13,81,050 of them overseas to fight for the British Empire between 1914 and 1918, saving Britain and her Allies from an ignominious defeat. Yet how much does the world and India herself remember her role in the First World War ? A British Council survey has revealed some startling facts.The online survey released in February this year polled 7,488 respondents from India, UK, Egypt , France, Germany Russia and Turkey. The survey shows low-level of awareness among respondents in all countries about the Great War. India, in particular, seems to be really struggling to remember anything. About 27% of Indians in the survey believed their country fought against Britain in the war, while 51% knew their country fought for Britain. In comparison, 63% of UK respondents knew India fought by Britain's.Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) Anil Bhatt , the former spokesperson of the ministry of defence and Indian Army, blames the government of India and a "warped" education system for this lack of awareness. "India didn't just play a role in the two world wars, it played a decisive role. Yet our government has behaved like an ostrich all these decades. What national history is this that completely buries under the carpet the glorious role of our people in some of the major world events?" Bhat says.Ironically, Indians taking the survey showed greater awareness about the war itself than India's role in it. Only 4% of UK respondents knew the war had Latin American involvement (Brazil was the only South American country to be directly involved in the war) but 11% Indians were aware of the fact. The percentage of respondents from France, Russia, and Germany clicking the right option are in single digits.When Great Britain declared war on Germany on August 4, 1914, it had only about 1,50,000 combat-ready troops. It could commit only a little over 80,000 troops to the Western Front in the initial days of the war. In comparison, France had an army of 12,90,000 while Germany had an even bigger army of 19,00,000. The only professional standing army that Britain could bank upon in that crisis was the Indian Army. Britain would use this imperial reserve to the fullest throughout the war, and Indian troops would become the first fighting non-white colonial soldiers in Europe ever.According to the survey, 45% Indians believed Britain's conduct in the war positively affected their view of that country; 29% thought WWI continues to impact India and dictates her foreign policy; while 24% were of the view that India's contribution was misinterpreted. In fact, 22% believed that WWI strongly contributes to Indian national identity even today.Interestingly, 78% of respondents in France believed India stayed neutral in the conflict and didn't send any troops; in reality, over 1,40,000 Indian soldiers fought to defend French soil and thousands died while doing so. Incidentally, one of the largest Indian memorials in Europe is at Neuve Chappelle, France where nearly 5,000 Indian soldiers died during one of the bloodiest battles of the Great War in March 1915.