Guwahati: A Meghalaya delegation visiting Malta has identified three previously undocumented graves of Garo men who served with the 69th Garo Labour Company during the First World War.
The delegation, led by Meghalaya Assembly Speaker Thomas A. Sangma, visited the Commonwealth-maintained Pieta Military Cemetery and paid tribute to Garo personnel buried there.
Until the visit, the grave of Khew Marak, who died on June 15, 1918, was believed to be the only identified grave at the cemetery belonging to a member of the 69th Garo Labour Company.
During the visit, the delegation located the graves of Ading Marak and Join Marak, both of whom died on June 10, 1918, as well as Sangjim Sangma, who died on June 19, 1918.
The identification sheds new light on the overseas service of Garo men during the First World War and adds to the documented history of Meghalaya’s contribution to the Allied war effort.
The 69th Garo Labour Company was formed from recruits from the Garo Hills. Like other wartime labour units, its personnel performed support duties for Allied forces, including road construction, transportation and the movement of essential supplies.
Sangma said the discovery was significant for Meghalaya as it brought greater recognition to Garo men whose wartime service and sacrifice had received limited documentation.
The delegation comprised Deputy Speaker Limison D. Sangma, Deputy Chief Whip Ronnie V. Lyngdoh and Meghalaya Tourism Development Corporation chairman Marthon J. Sangma. Meghalaya Legislative Assembly Secretary Malthus S. Sangma and Deputy Secretary Raja Kharpuri were also part of the delegation.
The Malta visit came after the delegation attended the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, and was undertaken as part of a post-conference study tour.
The High Commission of India in Malta facilitated the cemetery visit, helping the delegation locate and document the graves of the Garo personnel who served overseas.
The newly identified graves could provide additional archival leads for researchers seeking to document the involvement of the Garo Hills in the First World War and preserve the wartime history of Meghalaya.