It must not be imagined that I have any illusions as to the part played by the Indians, as will be made clear throughout this book. No one knows better than I do how utterly impossible it would have been for them to do what they did, without the help and example of their illustrious comrades of the Scotch, Irish, and English battalions which formed part of each Brigade, or of the splendid Territorial units which later joined us, and the superb British Artillery which paved the way for all our efforts. But of these History will assuredly furnish a brilliant account. It is not always so of Indian troops; their raconteurs are few and far between; the chief actors in the play, still living, will probably be counted by tens not thousands. The rank and file will furnish no writers to thrill the generations to come; they will just pass with the great masses of India, content that they have done their duty and been faithful to their salt. It has not been possible to record all, or even many, of the deathless deeds performed by both British and Indian officers and men, but I have added an Appendix extracted from the official list of Promotions and Rewards of Officers, N.C.O.’s, and Men of all Arms of the Indian Army who served with the Army Corps or with other Indian troops or with British Corps in France prior to 1916; and there will be found under the heading of Staff, Units of all Arms and Departments, etc., what I presume is a complete roll of rewards. It will be observed that the early fighting prior to the battle of Neuve Chapelle is described in far greater detail than the operations which took place subsequently. For this there are two reasons. First, I was able to keep very full notes of all occurrences as they took place, and for the first three months indeed all ordinary papers went no farther than my own Army Corps. But on the formation of the First and Second Armies the Indian Corps passed under the orders of the First Army, and the same opportunities did not offer as previously; hence it became much more difficult to retain copies of all correspondence. Secondly, I consider it far more interesting to record even the smallest fights, in which the Indians bore a share whilst they were still new to the game and had not become versed and seasoned in the intricacies of trench warfare. I have considered it a sacred duty, and to the best of my ability I have endeavoured to place on record the loyalty, courage, and devotion of the King’s soldiers from Hindustan.