Dulmial: The Village of World War Heroes

A small Pakistani village located about 150 kilometers south of Islamabad is home to a proud monument—a 19th century cannon gifted by the British government in recognition of the village's contribution to the First World War. Nestled in the stony hills of Punjab’s salt ranges, Dulmial is a village steeped in military history. Since its foundation some eight centuries ago, the village has provided the largest number of army men to the state. During the Great War, Dulmial sent 460 of its men out of a population of 879 to fight in the British Army, making it the single largest participation of any village in South Asia. Nine gave their lives. In the Second World War, the village sent 732 more. 36 laid down their lives. The gun of Dulmial. Photo: Malik1968/Wikimedia Commons “This was a massive contribution and almost every male in the village who was able to, joined the army,” said Dr. Irfan Malik. “They wouldn’t have understood where or why they were going but they would have been loyal to their rulers.” Dulmial’s military history goes back by several centuries. At the time of the outbreak of the First World War, there were already 21 pensioned Indian officers and 90 serving sergeants. After the partition of India, Dulmial had five Lt Generals (in both Army and Navy) and 23 brigadiers to the Pakistan Army, along with many other junior officers. The military traditions of the village are “a great honour and privilege” for its residents, says historian Riaz Malik. “There is hardly any house in the village that did not produce an army officer,” claims Malik. According to Riaz Malik, the reason behind the martial traditions of this village is due to the early education in the area. “Dulmial got its first primary school in 1857 and a missionary high school in 1900,” he said. A 1914 Christmas gift box for the Dulmial soldiers by British Army. Photo: Sana Jamal Both Dr.