WATCH: Tribute paid to Kingussie 'Indian graves' heroine at SNP conference

A Kingussie woman who for nearly seven decades tended the graves of Indian soldiers who died while training in the Highlands to serve the Allies in the Second World War has been recognised by the SNP during their annual party conference.

Moving a motion yesterday to recognise the contributions of the British Indian Army in both world wars, entrepreneur and broadcaster Amjid Bashir also referenced the selfless work of Mrs Isobel Harling BEM.

"I want to introduce a lady who's 100 years old," he told delegates in Aberdeen, "Isobel Harling.

"She is an amazing woman because she spent 60 years of her life tending to nine graves of British Indian Army soldiers who are buried at Kingussie Cemetery.

"These soldiers belonged to the Force K6 regiment and when people ask Isobel 'Why have you spent so much time looking after these graves?' the answer's very simple.

"Her brother (John, aged 20) got killed in the second world war in Belgium and she said 'Other people are looking after my brother and it's quite right that I look after my boys' – that's how she described them. 'My boys'..."

After rousing applause from the floor, Mr Bashir (55) confessed: "For most of my life I did not know about the British Indian Army and their contributions on world wars one and two.

"They were soldiers that came from pre-partition India and they consisted of Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims, Gurkhas, Christians, people of other faiths and no faith. They fought along with the Allied troops in world wars one and two.

"Four million British Indian soldiers served alongside the British and allied forces; 160,000 made the biggest sacrifice, their lives; 250,000 were injured; 39 of these soldiers were awarded the highest bravery award, the Victoria Cross, and in Scotland we have a unique, deep connection with these soldiers because 1700 of them were stationed here in the Highlands."

Mr Bashir spoke up for the Highlands' place in culinary history, too:

"So Glasgow's claim that they were the first to have curry...? I dispute that, because curry was in the Highlands well before that!"

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With that important point happily noted by the delegates, he continued: "And they had full lives here – 14 of their soldiers passed away here in Scotland.

"And out of these 1700 soldiers, half of them were evacuated from Dunkirk, so they took part in every front, from the Western Front to the east to the African, so they made a huge contribution.

"Military historians will say, clearly had it not been for the contribution of these soldiers the outcome of the war would probably have been very different."

The motion for the vital contribution made by pre-Partition Indian soldiers in the two world wars to be told as part of the Scottish schools curriculum was carried unanimously.

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