Page 54 - History of War - Issue 18-15

THE FORGOTTEN SIKH REGIMENTS OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE

reasonable option open to them. Seeing it as “IMPRESSEDBYTHE PERFORMANCE OF THE SIKH WARRIORS IN
so fighting for the British Raj was the most
Kingdom, the Sikh soldiers used the uprising THETWOWARS,THE BRITISH DECIDED TO TAKE ON THE LOCAL
anattempttoregainlandforarenewedMughal
asanopportunitytostrikebackatthepeople SOLDIERSANDUSETHEIR FIGHTING SKILLS WITHIN THEIR OWN
who had fought against them in the past.
targetaftertheyhadsupportedtheBritishin RANKS;THESIKHPIONEERS WERE BORN”
TheHindustaniPoorbiaswerethemain
theAnglo-SikhWarsandwelcomedthedemise
oftheSikhEmpire.Thisillfeelingwasexploited their combined military forces were behind the
bytheBritish,andmanySikhswereluredby empire. These communities had historically
theideaofacareerinthearmy.Previously,the been opposed to Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the
armyhadsufferedrevolts,sofreshrecruits days of the Sikh Empire, so had always sought
tobolstertherankscouldn’thavecomeata an alliance with the British.
better time. The suppressing of the rebellion on 20 June
For the newcomers, the British Army 1858 was of great benefit to the vast majority
offered generous opportunities and respect of Sikhs, who now reaped the economic and
forreligiouspracticeswithinitsranks.After military benefits that came with an alliance
disrespecting Muslim and Hindu practices in to the British, and had no fear of a Mughal
the past, the British generals had learned that Persianate society returning anytime soon.
embracing and appreciating local culture was
the best way to get potential Sikh soldiers on Wars in the north
their side and utilise them in their forces. With the rebellion over, the British regained
Despite the antagonism towards the control over the country under the new
rebellion, there were actually some who British Raj, which tightened its grip over the
remained against the British. On one occasion, subcontinent. With the Sikh lands in the north
manySikhsgatheredinthecityofRoparin west now secure, the empire was close to
support of the uprising. This was a short-lived clashing with the aspirations of one of its
movement,however,astheleaderswere most formidable rivals, the Russians. The
promptlyputtodeathiftheydecidedtoside British once again employed many Sikhs to
with the rebellion. The most prominent leaders aid their forces, and they marched into the
whosupportedtheBritishcausewerethe Afghan capital, Kabul, as part of several class
Cis-Satluj chiefs of Patiala, Malerkotla, Kalsia, company regiments. The Second Anglo-Afghan The15thSikhCompany
on the march in France
Nabha, Faridkot and Jind, who ensured that War had begun.
in the summer of 1915
THESIKHEMPIREININDIA1799–1849 Sikh officers serving in

the north-west frontier
THESIKHEMPIREREACHEDITSPEAKINTHE1840SBUTWASSEVERELYREDUCED of India in 1933
IN SIZE FOLLOWING TWO ANGLO-SIKH WARS

AFGHANISTAN

CHINA

NEPAL

PAKISTAN

BANGLADESH
BURMA
INDIA

ThelocationoftheSikh
Empire as it would have
looked on a modern day map SIKH EMPIRE

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