The first thing they heard was the screaming.  Not men. Not bullets. Aircraft.

Dunkirk. 1940. Major Akbar Khan leads his exhausted troops through the beaches of Northern France and onto one of the last boats back to Britain.

These soaking, hungry soldiers are Force K6 Muslim men of the Royal Indian Army Service Corps that provided animal transport, particularly mules. After fighting alongside the Allies in France for months, they arrived in Cornwall and are eventually sent north to Scotland.

In Highland villages the troops trained in mountain warfare while building unexpected friendships with local people. Ceilidhs were shared alongside curries, chapatis, songs and stories from Punjab and Kashmir.

14 members of Force K6 sadly died in Scotland and 13 were buried across four cemeteries in the Highlands, far from home. For seven decades Isobel Harling tended to the 9 graves in Kingussie cemetery and ensured that "her boys" would never be forgotten. 

The Story of Force K6 tells of the quiet meeting of two cultures, sacrifice and humanity in the shadow of war.

Based on a true story shared by Dr Saqib Razzaq of Colourful Heritage

A National Theatre of Scotland production 

The Story of Force K6 was selected as part of TRUE STORY, a nationwide call-out for real-life stories that deserve to be told on Scotland's stages.

[Image Credit: Force K6 in King George V park in Golspie being inspected by Duke of Sutherland in Nov 1942. Golspie Heritage Society]