British historian Ghee Bowman brought renewed attention to Force K6, a contingent of Muslim soldiers of the British Indian Army whose story was largely absent from popular accounts of Dunkirk. His book, The Indian Contingent: The Forgotten Muslim Soldiers of the Battle of Dunkirk, drew on archives, family histories, photographs and oral interviews to trace the soldiers’ experiences beyond the evacuation itself.
Who was Ghee Bowman?
Ghee Bowman (1961–2025) was a British historian whose work focused on the experiences of Indian soldiers in Europe during the Second World War. His research brought the men of Force K6 to wider public attention, connecting their presence at Dunkirk with their longer wartime experience in Britain and Europe.
Bowman’s work is significant not because no one had previously written about the soldiers, but because he assembled archival and family evidence into an accessible account that challenged their omission from many popular narratives of the evacuation.
Who were the Indian soldiers at Dunkirk?
Force K6 was a contingent of Muslim soldiers serving in the British Indian Army. The National Army Museum describes roughly 300 of them as being at Dunkirk in May 1940; The History Press gives a more exact figure of 299 in its account of Major Akbar Khan leading the contingent on 28 May.
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The contingent’s story is distinct from that of the British Indian Army as a whole. Gautam Hazarika’s 2025 tribute to Bowman cites a figure of 2.5 million men and women for the wider army’s contribution during the Second World War. That figure does not refer to the soldiers of Force K6 at Dunkirk.
How did Bowman uncover their story?
A discovery in Devon
Bowman’s research began with photographs. While working on a multicultural-history project in Exeter, he came across a book containing three photographs of Indian soldiers in Devon. In Gautam Hazarika’s 2025 tribute, Bowman recalled: “I thought I knew about the Second World War, but I’d never imagined that there were Indian soldiers with turbans and mules in Devon.” The discovery led him to investigate the men and their wartime experiences.
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Archives and oral histories
Bowman pursued the subject through archives in Europe and South Asia, family collections and photographs. The National Army Museum says he interviewed more than 100 relatives of veterans and people who remembered them. The History Press likewise credits him with locating family archives and speaking with descendants.
That combination helped recover details that an account focused only on military movements could miss: the individuals behind the contingent, what their families preserved, and how the soldiers’ lives continued after Dunkirk.
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What happened to Force K6 after Dunkirk?
Dunkirk was one episode in a longer story. The History Press describes Bowman’s book as following the contingent from its arrival in France on 26 December 1939 through its return to India near the time of partition. The National Army Museum says the men remained in Britain for much of the war and describes them as the only units of the Indian Army ever posted to the UK.
The museum characterises their history as largely forgotten in Britain and South Asia. That is its framing of the contingent’s public memory, rather than proof that no earlier accounts existed.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Bowman’s book on the soldiers at Dunkirk
The Indian Contingent: The Forgotten Muslim Soldiers of the Battle of Dunkirk is Bowman’s book most directly concerned with Force K6. The History Press presents it as an account extending from the contingent’s arrival in France to its return to India. Pan Macmillan India lists an India edition published on 1 September 2021, at 334 pages, ISBN 9789390742103; publication details apply to that edition.
For a related account from Bowman, Hazarika’s tribute also discusses his later research on Indian prisoners of war at Épinal. That is a different subject from Force K6 and Dunkirk.
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Further sources on Bowman and Force K6
- Gautam Hazarika’s Scroll.in tribute recounts Bowman’s discovery of the Devon photographs and his research origins.
- The History Press page for The Indian Contingent outlines the book’s scope and Bowman’s use of family archives and interviews.
- The National Army Museum’s event page records its 29 May 2020 conversation with Bowman and describes Force K6’s service and later stay in Britain.
- Pan Macmillan India’s edition page provides bibliographic details for its edition of the book.
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