Hutted Histories: Watershed - Mahatma Gandhi and the First World War

In 1914, Mahatma Gandhi considered himself to be a patriotic British Subject, one who would form the Indian Volunteer Ambulance Corps that year in support of those fighting on the Western Front. As late as the summer of 1918, Gandhi supported the largest recruitment of Indian soldiers of the war, to fight on behalf of the Empire.

Yet by the summer of the following year, he had become an implacable foe of the Raj, aiming to undermine its endeavours at every turn. Why was that?

This talk looks not only to understand Gandhi’s transformation, but also make sense of India’s role in the Great War and its legacy. Fully illustrated and lasting about 50 minutes. Suitable for a general audience.

Stephen delivers over sixty presentations and battlefield tours annually.  As a Heritage Advisor, he has worked at Banbury Museum, the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum and for Oxfordshire Museums Services, amongst over 30 institutions altogether, including Birmingham, Nottingham and Oxford Universities. 

He delivers presentations and tours related to the First World War and British Civil Wars. He works on behalf of the ‘Museum Memories’ project in India and the ‘Little History of the Sikhs’ project in the UK. He is the author of two books, the latest being: 'The Flying Sikh: Hardit Singh Malik in the First World War'.

To find out more about Stephen Barker, visit: https://www.stephen-barker.co.uk/