You will recall the glories of your race, you will have the honour of showing in Europe that the sons of India have lost none of their ancient martial instincts…History will record the doings of India's sons and your children will proudly tell of the deed of their fathers," King George V of Great Britain wrote in a letter sent to the first batch of Indian soldiers sailing to Marseilles, France, during World War I.

Following the outbreak in August 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne. Soon, Indian soldiers were called in, arriving "in the nick of time".