IMPERIAL KHAKI

A carved walnut wood box with the crest of 55th 'Coke's Rifles' Frontier Force, from the estate of Major General Roger Ekin. In 1942 he was commander of the 46th Indian Infantry Brigade, pursued by the Imperial Japanese Army, and part of a desperate, brave, thousand mile retreat across Burma to India. Of all the famous generals of the Second World War, there was arguably none greater than Field Marshal William Slim who led the Indian Army in Burma. When he took command in 194

According to this programme, the naming and commissioning of INS Vikrant began at 11:10am on Saturday, 4th March 1961, and ended with a flypast of 300 Squadron's Seahawks followed by coffee in 'C' Hanger. Fourteen years after independence the Indian Navy was ready to operate one of the most demanding of all ships: an aircraft carrier. HMS Hercules, a British Majestic class carrier, would become INS Vikrant. And it wasn't just for show, because ten years later INS Vikrant and

A porcelain plate issued to commemorate a fight that the 32nd (Cornwall) Regiment of Foot will never forget. While much has been written and debated about the 1857 uprising in India against the British, one simple fact is often missed: The fight was so intense in India that the maximum number of Victoria Crosses in a single day were won on 16 November 1857 in Lucknow. No other day, city or country in military history comes close (the next is 11 Victoria Crosses at Rorke's Dri

A bone-handled kukri from the early twentieth century. The two smaller blades that accompany it are the 'chakmak' a sharpening tool, and the 'karda' a utility knife for more delicate cutting. The kukri has become famous as a fighting knife, thanks to the Gorkhas (or Gurkhas) of the Indian and British armies. But the truth is a lot more interesting because the people from the hills and mountains of the Himalayan range all use the kukri. They include the Garhwalis of the Garhwa