Punjab's Great War: Recruitment, Remembrance and Recollections

Punjab's Great War is an exhibition exploring the vital roles played by Punjabi soldiers and more widely the Indian Army during the First World War and the lasting legacies of their service across the global Punjabi diaspora. Developed from a collaborative PhD project, the exhibition bridges academic research and public history by combining official archives with family stories, oral traditions, and community memory. At the heart of the exhibition are the newly digitised Punjab Registers, a unique collection of colonial documents recording 320,000 Punjabi servicemen. Through interactive displays, visitors can search these records for familial or regional connections, uncovering rare insights into the individuals and villages shaped by the conflict. Featuring historical artefacts and photographs from partners, the exhibition unfolds across four core themes: Recruitment and the Punjab Registers; Soldiering and Empire; Return, Memory and Silence; and Legacy and Inherited Stories. Designed to resonate with diverse audiences, particularly local and diasporic communities with direct ties to these shared, often overlooked histories, Punjab's Great War offers an immersive space for reflection, discovery, and community connection.