Garhwalis on the battlefields of France in World War One

A 1916 portrait of Garhwali soldiers by the German military artist Thomas Baumgartner, pubished in 'Deutschlands Gegner im Weltkriege' – a compendium of portraits of Germany's opponents in World War One.

The 1st and 2nd Battalions of The Garhwal Rifles fought with exemplary courage in the Battle of Neuve Chapelle and the Battle of Festubert. They took such heavy casualties that the two battalions were merged into one. But not before winning two Victoria Crosses – one of which was the first by an Indian on the Western Front.