Today is Remembrance today, and we recognize the sacrifices made for us to be here today. Sikhs volunteered in great numbers for both World War 1 and 2, despite their small population and 80% died at war.
“In World War I and II, 83,005 Sikhs were killed and 109,045 wounded fighting for the allied forces” Australian Sikh Heritage (1)
World War 1
A BBC documentary states, “More Indians volunteered to fight for Britain in the First World War than all Scots, Welsh and Irish combined” (2). Out of the volunteers in the Indian Army, 22% of those were Sikhs despite the fact that they only formed 2% of India’s population (1). This amounted to 35, 000 Sikhs at the start of the first world war and 100,000 by the end (3). The Sikhs were known as ‘The Lions of the Great War’ and used weapons such as chakras, and talwars (4). There are records of ten Sikh Canadians who voluntarily served in the First World War (5). These were John Baboo (wounded at Vimy Ridge), Sunta Gougersingh (killed in action), Buckam Singh, Hari Singh, Harnom Singh, John Singh, Lashman Singh (killed in action), Ram Singh, Sewa Singh, and Waryam Singh (5).
As Bhai Manveer Singh Ji points out, the Sikhs fought in the British Army because wherever there is oppression, a Sikh goes to fight (3). The Sikh soldiers all kept rehat, they performed Asa Di Vaar, sang kirtan and read Hukamnamas from Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
Australian Sikh Heritage writes, “In the Gallipoli campaign, the 14th Sikh regiment was virtually wiped out, losing 379 officers and men in one day’s fighting on 4 June 1915…During this battle, the 14th Sikhs (as part of the 29th Indian Infantry Brigade), composed entirely of seasoned Sikh soldiers from the Punjab, launched repeated attacks, in the face of murderous machine gun fire, against the Turkish positions astride Gully Ravine. Held up by the barbed wire that was unaffected by the allied artillery bombardment a section of men leapt the barbed wire and charged the Turks with their bayonets. However, human valour w
World War 2
Again, large numbers of Sikhs served in the war. Notable contributions were in the Battle of Malaya, Burma Campaign and Italian Campaign (4). The history of World War 2 must also be remembered for the holocaust and the effect that this had on the entire world.
References
1 http://www.australiansikhheritage.com/world-war-1/
2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCKHENmDMT4&t=1s
3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlqyy98agKI
4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhs_in_the_British_Indian_Army#World_War_One
5 http://asia-canada.ca/meeting-cultures/newcomers/pig-pen/sikh-canadians-first-world-war-0
Other resources to check out: https://www.scoopwhoop.com/inothernews/sikh-regiment-legends/#.e1hn7seva
Picture: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/british-armys-valiant-sikhs-who-12677484
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