The Sikh volunteers dressed in First World War uniform parade with the Waterloo Band of The Rifles in front of RMAS’s Old College. Photographer: Corporal Richard Cave; Crown Copyright. In 1897 at the Battle of Saragarhi 21 Sikh soldiers defended a British Army post against 10,000 Afghan Tribesman. They fought to the death defending the post in Tirah, now in modern day Pakistan. There is a long and cherished history of Sikhs serving in the British Army with some 135 among the ranks today. The values and standards demanded of our men and women in the Armed Forces are mirrored in the proud and noble Sikh warrior society. Selfless devotion to duty, being a cornerstone to both, having been spectacularly displayed on the 12th September 1897 at Saragarhi – the battle cry of the Sepoys being: Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal (He who cries God is Truth, is ever victorious). The mutual respect and admiration between the British military and Sikhs was formally cemented at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst with the launch of the British Armed Forces Sikh Association in the presence of Lord Singh and Major General Robert Nitsch. To conclude the day 36 Sikh volunteers from the Birmingham area, who have spent this year training in military drill, accompanied the Waterloo Band of The Rifles parading in front of RMAS’s Old College in First World War uniform and wearing khaki and black turbans inspected by Lord Singh and Major General Nitsch. The parade paid homage to the 1 million plus Dominion and monwealth soldiers who fought between 1914-1918 on the Western Front.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 22:07:08 +0000
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