Events

Forgotten Army Roadshow, Leicester

Local community members young and old came together at the Highfield Centre in Leicester on Saturday 16 May to explore the often-overlooked history of South Asian service in the World Wars.

Visitors were welcomed into a space enriched by a display of real wartime memorabilia – artefacts and items that carried the weight of lived history. For many attendees, encountering these objects up close made the history tangible in a way that no textbook could replicate. The room drew people in across generations, and the display became a natural gathering point throughout the day, sparking quiet conversations between older visitors and younger ones.

Younger visitors were engaged in crafting and decorating their own model WW2 Spitfire aircraft while learning about the role South Asian pilots played in the skies over Europe and beyond. The Spitfire is among the most iconic images of the Second World War, and the revelation that South Asian pilots flew these very same aircraft clearly fired imaginations. Far from being a distraction from the serious history of the day, the creative activities drew children into it, many of them leaving with both a model plane and a new question to ask a parent or grandparent.

An informative presentation on the role of South Asian soldiers in the World Wars gave all attendees, young and old, a grounding in a history that remains far less well known than it deserves to be. Spanning the contributions of Muslim, Sikh, Hindu and other communities who served across multiple theatres of the war, the talk offered context to many attendees encountering this history for the first time.

The afternoon also included a dance performance inspired by the life of Noor Inayat Khan – the Indian-British Special Operations Executive agent who became the first female wireless operator to be dropped into Nazi-occupied France, and who was executed at Dachau in 1944. The performance, choreographed and delivered by Sonali Pall, a Leicester-born artist, brought a stillness to the room, honouring a story of extraordinary courage that too few people know.

Feedback from respondents reflected the strength of the day. All rated the event either Excellent or Very Good, and all said it had increased their knowledge of the South Asian war effort, with 80% saying it had done so quite a lot or a great deal. 70% said the event had made remembrance of World War service more relevant to them personally, with half of those selecting the highest possible rating. Attendees praised the interactive format and the artefacts display, with one describing it as “a great experience” and calling for more events of this kind. The most common way people heard about the event was through staff, the library next door, and word of mouth from the local community – a sign that the Roadshow is genuinely reaching people who would not otherwise have encountered this history.

The event coincided with the Forgotten Army Touring Exhibition’s visit to Leicester Museum and Art Gallery, running from 8 May to 16 June 2026. At its heart is a striking 120kg bronze sculpture by artist Mahtab Hussain, depicting five soldiers in uniform depicting five soldiers in uniform representing the South Asian men and women from different faith backgrounds who served together in the pre-partition Indian Army during the Second World War. Commissioned in partnership with the Royal British Legion and British Future, the sculpture has toured nationally, and its presence in Leicester offered a powerful backdrop to a city with deep South Asian roots engaging with this long-overlooked history. See here for more information.

British Future and the Royal British Legion are encouraging South Asian families in the UK to share their own family stories of service in the world wars at www.myfamilylegacy.org.uk — where you can also read many stories already submitted, bringing to life this remarkable history of service and sacrifice.