CALLS have been made for a plaque at the former Bournemouth town hall to mark the service of the building during the Great War.

Roger West said troops from the Indian sub-continent used the building, then a hotel, as a hospital from 1914.

Said Mr West during the public section of this week’s full BCP council meeting: “It is not recognised the great debt that we owe to the Indian Army, their great courage, particularly in Europe, at the beginning of the Great War was of the utmost importance.

“In Bournemouth you have an opportunity to right this wrong. In November 1914 the Mont Dore Hotel, now the town hall, was taken over by the Government and became a hospital for Indian soldiers. Would you agree that this fact should be recognised by having a plaque fitted near the entrance?”

Cllr David Kelsey said although the building was first used for soldiers who served with the Indian Army Corps from 1914, it was later put to use by British soldiers from 1915 and in 1916 accepted Australian and New Zealand troops before, in 1917, becoming a convalescent home for British officers.

He said he believed there was a plaque inside the entrance to mark its war record but would check to see if a plaque could also be added to the outside.

The building was converted into a town hall in 1921 with its council chamber added around 1930.