A REMARKABLE biography by the daughter of a man who served with the British Indian Army before coming to live in Bradford documents some of the most significant events of the 20th century.

In A Voyage from Kashmir, Aamnah Rahman explores her father Abdul Rehman Khan’s journey from Pakistan-administered Kashmir. She writes of his service with the British Indian Army during the Second World War, his experiences as a prisoner-of-war, and the Partition of India.

Aamnah, a Research Fellow at Bradford Institute for Health Research at Bradford Royal Infirmary, where she helps to deliver the Born in Bradford programme, wrote the book to pay tribute to her father, and to previous generations who forged new lives here.

She said: “Dad passed away in 2011, aged 86, but I had previously sat down with him to talk about his life. The book starts with his later years then goes back to the village of Panjeri, where he was born in 1925, and his early years before his experiences with the British Army and Partition.”

During the war Abdul served in the Middle and Far East. In 1944 he was taken prisoner in Italy and was later released.

The violence following the Indian Partition saw Abdul’s family move to newly-formed Pakistan. Abdul moved to then capital Karachi and came to Bradford in 1962.

Said Aamnah: "I also wanted to highlight the 425,000 men from the Indian sub-continent who served in the British Army during World War II and the equal number who served in World War I, and shed more light on their story. I don’t think many people are aware of the contribution they made, and people from my dad’s generation were modest about speaking about themselves.

"Dad really was a global citizen. His first posting after completing military training with the British Indian Army was Basra in Iraq. But his unit then moved around the Middle and Far East, serving in places such as Palestine, Egypt, Libya, Burma and Malaysia. I think it’s important that young people from our communities know about the contribution they made and that their forefathers served during the wars, too."

She added: "But the book is just as much a reminiscence resource for the older generation who struggled to make ends meet when they first came over. We were very poor as children but, because older generations sent money back to family members and made those sacrifices, their lives improved quite a lot.

“Some people have said parts of the book made them cry, and others have said parts have made them laugh. There is a lot about hardship and struggle in the book, but also a lot of courage, determination and humour too.

“Dad first came to the UK with my mother’s younger brother. They got the train from King’s Cross to Bradford and it was heated. They hadn't been on a heated train before and at first thought the train was on fire!”

Aamnah also reflects on the contrasts her father and others faced when first arriving here: "Some of the book is about how his life changed so much over the years, but I’ve tried to write a reflection on how life has changed for Asian communities in the UK and Kashmir too.

"Bradford was very industrial at the time and there was soot everywhere. It was a huge contrast and life was difficult for them.

“The racism and the prejudice they faced at the time was significant too, but they also received help and support from people. It was a mixture.

“And although we can get everything we need now, they had to do everything from scratch. They had to make their own clothes and cook their own food, and they couldn’t afford to go back and forth. A lot of things we take for granted, they didn’t have.

“In 1968 my Dad bought a house off White Abbey Road and it was the only house in the neighbourhood with a bathroom inside, which proved popular!

“I wanted to show my appreciation for what that generation did. They made a lot of sacrifices.”

Although the book follows the journey made by her father, Aamnah also pays tribute to her mum, Saeeda, and other strong women.

“I am very proud of what my dad did, but my mum, too. Behind the men were all these strong women who have not been acknowledged as much as they should have been either. Being stuck inside in the UK without friends and family was difficult. For a lot of them it was quite isolating and lonely - there were no mobile phones or computers back then!”

Although publishing a book in a pandemic hasn't been easy, it has been well received. “Hopefully when things get back to normal I’d like to speak about it," said Aamnah. "I hope by reading the book, other people will benefit. In Asian culture we keep a lot of family things hidden, which I can understand, but sometimes good can come from speaking out.”

* A Voyage from Kashmir (Meri Zindagi Ka Safar Nama) is available from Amazon UK.