The annual gathering for a ceremony at Barton-on-Sea’s Indian Memorial is on Sunday 10 July at 2pm.

This will be 105th anniversary of the dedication in 1917.

During the First World War the clifftop Barton Court Hotel was turned into a depot for injured Indian troops to convalesce. The row of shop is all that remains of the hotel.

The memorial is on the road junction opposite.

Depot nursing staff included Queen Victoria’s goddaughter Princess Sophia Duleep Singh who at the time was best known for her active support for the Suffragette movement.

Sepoy Khudadad Khan was patient at Barton when it was announced that he was to be the first Indian recipient of the Victoria Cross.