“Best of Chums” Sikhs and Anzacs on Gallipoli: a talk by Prof Peter Stanley

‘Best of Chums’: Sikhs and Anzacs on Gallipoli

Australians are familiar with the Anzacs’ part in the Gallipoli campaign of 1915; now part of Australia’s national identity. But Indian soldiers fought alongside the Anzacs, notably the 14th Ferozepore Sikhs. They and Sikhs and other Indian Army troops of mountain artillery batteries and Indian mule trains shared the hazards of Gallipoli, a story long overshadowed but recently uncovered, partly because of Anzacs’ photographs and writings. Among the fascinating aspects of the story is how men from a racist ‘White Australia’ came to respect and admire Indian soldiers, and how they came to see them as the ‘best of chums’. This illustrated talk is based upon research for Prof. Peter Stanley’s book, Die in Battle, Do not Despair: the Indians on Gallipoli, 1915.

Prof. Peter Stanley is one of Australia’s most distinguished military historians. Recently retired as Research Professor at UNSW Canberra, Peter has published over 40 books, most in Australian military history, but also in the military history of British India. His 2011 book, Bad Characters: Sex, Crime, Mutiny Murder and the AIF, jointly won the Prime Minister’s Prize for Australian History.