The Forgotten Soldiers

SBS

We all have a family history. But how true is it? Journalist Sami Shah sees a photo of a uniformed soldier in his family’s history, having no idea that South Asians fought in World War I. What starts as an ancestry rabbit hole soon becomes a murder investigation amidst the chaos of The Great War, and reveals the forgotten war history of over a million men.

  1. Episode 1

    1: The Soldier in the Background

    A family photo sends journalist Sami Shah on a quest to uncover the fate of his great-granduncle, revealing the forgotten story of more than one million Indian soldiers who fought in World War I. Looking through a family history, a single photo of a smiling ancestor in uniform catches Sami’s eye. The entry says Rifatullah Shah joined the British army and died in a skirmish in the First World War. That’s it, nothing on how or where or when. Living in Australia, Sami knows all about ANZAC Day, the Dawn Service and ‘Lest We Forget’, but he didn’t think it applied to his family. He’s not alone. Over a million men from undivided India fought for the British, but they are now forgotten. Why have so many of these soldiers’ stories faded from view? And how, where and when did Rifatullah die?#sbsaudiopodcast

  2. Episode 2

    2: The Horsemen and the Missing Man

    Armed with WhatsApp voice notes and century-old military records, Sami Shah tracks his missing ancestor across the battlefields of World War I in search of the truth about his death. Sami uncovers a few details to start his search for Rifatullah Shah from that sacred diaspora communication – the WhatsApp voice note. Can they find the regiment Rifatullah joined? Did Rifatullah die at the Salonika front, in what is now Greece? Can Sami and his producer Tom get past hazy geography skills and spelling errors in the imperial war archives and locate one man in a million?#sbsaudiopodcast

  3. Episode 3

    3: The Enemy of My Enemy

    Did Sami's ancestor die fighting for the British Empire, or was he captured by Germany and drawn into a plot to spark rebellion in colonial India during The Great War? Could Rifatullah Shah have been captured and sent to a German prisoner of war camp? The Germans in the First World War, allied to the Muslim Ottoman Empire, wanted Indian Muslim soldiers like Rifatullah. Germany hoped they might answer the call to Jihad if they got special treatment in captivity and kickstart a rebellion in British India. Was Rifatullah persuaded to fight against his colonial masters?#sbsaudiopodcast

  4. Episode 4

    4: The War That Forgot Them

    As the mystery of Rifatullah Shah is finally solved, Sami Shah considers the legacy of the more than one million Indian soldiers who served in World War I. Sami has the details and reveals the truth about the last hours of Rifatullah Shah’s life. War is not just battles, but boredom, ill health and being in the wrong place at the wrong time, which still deserves to be remembered. And in his search, Sami discovers that even with the white Australia policy, the ANZACs had several Indian born soldiers in its ranks, and he meets one of their descendants.#sbsaudiopodcast

  5. Season 1 Trailer

    Coming Soon: The Forgotten Soldiers

    We all have a family history. But how true is it? Journalist Sami Shah sees a photo of a uniformed soldier in his family’s history, having no idea that South Asians fought in World War I. What starts as an ancestry rabbit hole soon becomes a murder investigation amidst the chaos of The Great War and reveals the forgotten war history of over a million men. #sbsaudiopodcast

See All Season 1 (5)

Trailer

About

We all have a family history. But how true is it? Journalist Sami Shah sees a photo of a uniformed soldier in his family’s history, having no idea that South Asians fought in World War I. What starts as an ancestry rabbit hole soon becomes a murder investigation amidst the chaos of The Great War, and reveals the forgotten war history of over a million men.

Information

  • Creator
    SBS
  • Episodes
    5
  • Seasons
    1
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026, Special Broadcasting Services
  • Show Website
    The Forgotten Soldiers

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