Worth a watch – Tuesday 9th November BBC1 11.20pm
Across the country during November, Remembrance Services will honour the sacrifices made by the British Armed Forces on the battlefields of Europe in two world wars. But Britain’s victories in those wars may never have been achieved without the heroism of the soldiers of a small religious faith from the far-flung corners of the Empire – the Sikhs of northern India.
One of the less well-known facts about the First World War is that more Indians volunteered to fight for Britain than all the Scots, Welsh and Irish combined, and up to a third of those Indian troops were Sikh, with 100,000 witnessing action in the European trenches by the end of the war. In the Second World War, 2.5 million Indians fought in the British Indian Army, with the Sikhs again hugely over-represented in the medals for valour, including Victoria Crosses.
Remembrance – The Sikh Story examines why soldiers from a minority Indian faith played such a hugely disproportionate role in the fight for a country they’d never visited, and a King they’d never seen, and also explores how the Sikhs’ valiant fighting abilities drew the admiration of their fellow Tommies in the trenches.
This film features contributions from eminent Sikh historians, British military experts and Second World War veterans, and reveals the unveiling of a new memorial for Indian First World War soldiers in the Sussex Downs. It also features the last-ever interview with legendary Squadron Leader Mahinder [Singh omitted from the article].
http://www.bobpiper.co.uk/2010/11/r...ium=rss&utm_campaign=rembrance-the-sikh-story
Across the country during November, Remembrance Services will honour the sacrifices made by the British Armed Forces on the battlefields of Europe in two world wars. But Britain’s victories in those wars may never have been achieved without the heroism of the soldiers of a small religious faith from the far-flung corners of the Empire – the Sikhs of northern India.
One of the less well-known facts about the First World War is that more Indians volunteered to fight for Britain than all the Scots, Welsh and Irish combined, and up to a third of those Indian troops were Sikh, with 100,000 witnessing action in the European trenches by the end of the war. In the Second World War, 2.5 million Indians fought in the British Indian Army, with the Sikhs again hugely over-represented in the medals for valour, including Victoria Crosses.
Remembrance – The Sikh Story examines why soldiers from a minority Indian faith played such a hugely disproportionate role in the fight for a country they’d never visited, and a King they’d never seen, and also explores how the Sikhs’ valiant fighting abilities drew the admiration of their fellow Tommies in the trenches.
This film features contributions from eminent Sikh historians, British military experts and Second World War veterans, and reveals the unveiling of a new memorial for Indian First World War soldiers in the Sussex Downs. It also features the last-ever interview with legendary Squadron Leader Mahinder [Singh omitted from the article].
http://www.bobpiper.co.uk/2010/11/r...ium=rss&utm_campaign=rembrance-the-sikh-story