Sikhs to strengthen UK army - British seems to recreate the old camaraderie with brave Sikhs
Monday, 01/06/2015
http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=132202&boxid=59135&uid=&dat=2015-06-01
The United Kingdom is examining a proposal to raise a Sikh regiment in the British Army. It is understood that the proposal is likely to get a nod as the reaction of the British Army as well as the community of Sikhs in Britain are favourable to this move. The Sikhs are a significant minority in the UK and have cut a palpable niche for themselves in the political circles. Another thinking doing the rounds in the Briton is that instead of a regiment, it should be a reserve company. Be that as it may, the head of a major Gurdwara in West London has been quoted by a British newspaper as saying: “Sikhs have a long and distinguished heritage of serving the British Army. I know there are many Sikhs who will join the Army and serve wherever required. But if you want to get them in large numbers, then they need their own regiment; something that they will take pride in.”
Interestingly, the Sikh regiment in our Army is still maintaining venerable ties with the British officers. The Sikh Brigade dinner is held every year in London at which a toast is drunk to the regiment. The Sikh Brigade news letter is also published annually to maintain links with the glorious past. This relationship can be best described in the words of the late Colonel of the Sikh regiment and a former Western Army Commander Lt-Gen Harbaksh Singh, Vir Chakra, Padma Bhushan: “In the Malayan campaign in early 1942, I was serving with 5/11 Sikhs and General Barstow, an ex-British officer of the Sikh Regiment was our Division Commander. During the last stages of the retreat towards Singapore, he ordered our battalion to hold on to a vital point until further orders. Having given this order, he returned to his headquarters. Meanwhile, the battalion was completely surrounded by the enemy and all communications with the Division Headquarters had broken down. At this stage, Gen Barstow decided to order our withdrawal but could not find anyone to deliver the message as the enemy was everywhere. Knowing that the Sikh troops would not withdraw without an order and having special concern for the welfare and safety of the Sikh troops with whom he had served, he decided to deliver the message himself. Jumping on to a railway trolley with his General Staff Officer Grade 1, and his orderly (Sep Deva Singh), he started towards the besieged battalion. But he never reached us as on the way he was ambushed and killed.”
Nothing else brings out the British relationship with the Sikhs so vividly as the speech delivered by Lord Mountbatten in London on the 500th birthday anniversary of Guru Nanak. Some relevant excerpts from which are quoted here: “I thought it would be best if I were to talk about the role of the Sikhs in the Services. During my time as Supreme Allied Commander South East Asia, the Sikhs serving in the Royal Indian Navy increased by 70 per cent, which was the highest percentage of any community in India. A torpedo boat built in 1888 at Cowes for the Royal Indian Marine was christened the ‘Sikh.’ The second ship to be called ‘Sikh’ was a destroyer built by Fairfields 30 years later in 1918. The third warship to be called ‘Sikh’ was a very large destroyer of 2,000 tonnes. This fine destroyer had received seven battle honours in World War II before she was finally sunk off Tobruk in September 1942, after having fought for three years in war. “I should now like to take an opportunity of saying how very pleased I am to see my old friend the Maharaja of Patiala here. It is a great thing that the Government of India have sent him officially to represent the Sikhs at this celebration in London. He is of course a Lt-Gen in the Indian Army.
“The recently retired Chief of the Indian Air Force, Air Chief Marshal (now Marshal of the Air) Arjan Singh won the first Distinguished Flying Cross (DFO) in Burma and I had the privilege of investing him with the ribbon in his Air station. On May 4, 1946, the Sikhs trooped the Colours to celebrate Centenary of their formation at Kuala Lumpur. I went with my elder daughter Patricia to take the salute and I must say I have never seen the Colours trooped better by anybody of men even our own foot Guards in London. “Finally, I would like to say that the last Guard of Honour I received in India in June 1948 was from the Sikh Regiment when I finished my term of office as the first Constitutional Governor
General. So you will see that the Sikhs are closely identified with me in India and Burma and I shall ever be grateful to them for their gallantry and support. I should like to take this opportunity of wishing them all very well.”
Against this background of deep bonding that existed between the British and the Sikhs when the former ruled India, it seems the British want to recreate the camaraderie that once existed between them and the Sikhs by raising a regiment of the British Sikhs in their Army. At present less than 200 Sikh citizens of Briton are serving in UK’s Army. But creating their regiment would not only give them a distinct entity but would also be a matter of great pride and honour for them. The Gorkhas already have a regiment in the British Army but they are not the citizens of Britain as the Sikhs in the British Army would be if the proposal is implemented. There should be no apprehension of this development having any effect on the Indian Army as the Sikhs like several other ethnic groups such as the Jats, Dogras, Rajputs, Maharathas, Garhwalis, etc, have earned their place of pride in the Indian armed forces by their praiseworthy performance both in peace and war and their tally of gallantry awards is almost the highest in the Indian armed forces.
