Page 62 - History of War - Issue 18-15

THE FORGOTTEN SIKH REGIMENTS OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE
FROMSIKHEMPIRE SOLDIERS

TOBRITISHREGIMENTS

WRITERANDBROADCASTERJAYSINGHSOHALONTHEHISTORYANDMAKEUP OF BRITISHARMYSIKHREGIMENTS
WASITEASYFORTHESIKHSTOCHANGE which includes uncut hair and a dagger. Observing “THE DISCIPLINE OF A SIKH
Singh and maintaining the Five Ks on his person,
THEIR ALLEGIANCE AFTER BEING PART OF A
LONG-STANDING EMPIRE? meat and intoxicants and thinking of women other COMES FROM HIS ADHERENCE
daily prayers and living a simple lifestyle, shunning
ThePunjabwasalwaysalandofconflict,dueto
than his spouse as mothers or sisters are also
subjugation of non-Muslims during Mughal rule, expected.TheBritishgavetheSikhsanopportunity TO HIS FAITH”
the persecution of Sikhs and Hindus, and the
Pathan invasions. But Maharaja Ranjit Singh had toliveamartiallifestyle;somewouldhavewanted
brought a period of stability that enabled people to relive the heroics of their forebears while others 1914,theyweresenttoeverytheatretheBritish
from all backgrounds to prosper. The Sikh kingdom sawanincomeawayfromfarming.AsmoreSikh were engaged in, not just on the Western Front but in
wasasecularone,andwhileundivided,Punjab mencameforwardtoserveinBritishunits,so Mesopotamia, Gallipoli, Suez, and Tsingtao in China.
(now split between Pakistan and India) was the British officers saw the merit of organising them
home of the Sikh people where the Sikh Gurus had inmoreformalways.ButitwasnotuntiltheIndia HOW WERE THE SIKH REGIMENTS LOOKED
established the faith and community. It was a land Mutiny of 1857 when some class-based regiments UPON BY THE REST OF THE BRITISH ARMY?
whereallfaithslivedpeacefullysidebyside.The revolted against Britain that the loyalty and valour With respect. These regiments had gained a name
decayoftheSikhEmpireafterthedeathofRanjit oftheSikhswasbestdemonstrated. for themselves fi ghting against the British, and
broughtaboutmuchturmoil,whichthreateneda From irregular forces to military police battalions shown their loyalty and valour on the frontier. They
return to sectarian divisions. and Sikh regiments of the Bengal Infantry, they were seen by the rest of the British Army (and
SoitwasmucheasierfortheBritishtopromote evolved with their own uniforms and customs, indeed foreign armies) as the envy of an empire in
themselves as being crucial for continued peace which empowered and emboldened the men which the British could call to service those gallant
andsecurityinthePunjab,aslongastheywere serving in them. They were unique in that Sikhs warriors that live within its territories. A sign of this
fairandrespectedthedistinctcustomsand wishingtojoinwouldhavetobebaptisedintothe immense respect and gratitude is the inspiration
traditionsofthethreefaithsanddidnotcause Khalsa and swear an oath of loyalty, not just to the to name a warship after this martial race: the HMS
offence to these sentiments. crownbuttotheregiment.Itwastakenasagiven Sikh. The fi rst of its name was a torpedo boat
thataSikhwouldputdownhislifeifrequiredfor launched in 1889 while the second was an S-class
HOWWERESIKHREGIMENTSCREATED both,becaus hehadgivenhisword. DestroyerlaunchedattheendofWorldWarIin
ANDMADEUPINTHEBRITISHARMY?WAS 1918. The third HMS Sikh came into service in Evans, Getty, National Archives
THERE ANYTHING UNIQUE ABOUT THEM? HOW DID T 1938, and during World War II was involved in the
The recruitment of Sikhs into the frontier force THE BRITI the Bismarck.
enabledtheBritishtokeepthoseoffightingage TIRAH CA
and stock away from Punjab, but it also enabled The Sikhs
themtogetacloserlookatwhatmadetheSikhs the conflic
so good on the battlefield. global, th
ThedisciplineofaSikhcomesfromhis a
adherence to his faith – taking bapt
as instructed by the tenth Guru Gob

Sikh regiments still exist in armies
today. Pictured here are soldiers of
the Indian army’s Sikh Light Infantry

62