Remembrance

[Freed]

Remembrance

Lest We Forget

In Memory of the Millions of Men, Women and Children of All Nations and All Faiths who died and continue to die in conflicts around the world.

We owe them a debt of honour - and it is our duty to ensure that these people are remembered for eternity.

Here is a short film about the Soldiers of undivided India - Sikhs , Muslims and Hindus who fought in the Second World War.

The Film - "Southall to Cassino" follows veterans, now living in England, as they travel to Cassino, Italy - scene of some of the worst fighting in the War , it is regarded as the toughest battle of the war in W. Europe - to pay their respects to their fallen comrades.

The War Cemetery - Cassino -- a photograph

It is a beautiful, poignant little film , made by the BBC (UK) and it was shown on BBC2 in 1989

.

It includes old footage, the old soldiers, (Indian, German, British,Canadian ,Polish and Italian) telling their stories and recalling their experiences.

Please send this link to all your friends - in this month of remembrance - to ensure their sacrifice is remembered and not forgotton.

Please click on this link to see the film :

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=...22&hl=en-GB

GurFateh,

Ranjit Singh 'Freed'

[Guest s133k_s1kh]

FATEH!!

Nice Documentary. Count the TURBANED GUYS in the Video. Notice the SINGHs inscribed on the war memorials :TH: .

[Freed]

Memorials to the Fallen (Sikh Soldiers and those from Undivided India)

The Chattri , South Downs Brighton UK

Coventry UK

Constitution Hill London UK

Sikh Soldiers in the Trenches of Gallipoli (WW1)

Gurfateh

Ranjit Singh 'Freed'

[S1ngh]

Thank you brother for the pictures :D

I have one question...

Were sikh soldier buried or criminated?? I was reading the book "Passion India".. it's about the Anita, spanish lady who got married with kapurthala prince/king... In that book, she mentioned that one time she was touring the indian soldiers in France and one sikh soldier approached her and told her "I don't want to die here".. Don't think i am afraid of my enemy.. I worry that my body won't be criminated by sikh rites and i am a sikh and i want my ashes to be thrown in water... etc... I will type the full chapter here tomorrow..

So were they all buried??

[Freed]

Gurfateh Bhai Sahib !

In general the Sikhs and Hindus were cremated and then the remains were buried - This is what happened in some of the Memorials in France.

The Chatri memorial in Brighton marks the spot where 53 Sikhs and Hindus (who fought in WW1 and were injured and cared for at Brighton but then died) were cremated - their ashes were scattered in the nearby sea.

Muslims were buried at nearby Woking.

However Many Sikhs and Hindus were buried - I think I remember reading that in the 1960s the Indian graves at the Neuve Chapelle Memorial were exhumed and the remains were cremated.

It must be remembered that cremation was quite alien to the British and most Europeans - the first cremation in British history occurred in around 1880 ( I believe it was illegal before that)

Hope that goes some way to answering your question. (Sorry I don't have any references I'm just quoting from memory! )

Ranjit Singh

[S1ngh]

Thank you for the reply.. it answered my question quite well :D

Another issue about Dalip singh (Son of Mah. Ranjit Singh).. he died in France in very disgrace state and i believe (if im not mistaken) his grave is in some remote part of England? Do you know anything regarding his funeral rites? buried?

[Laadli Fauj]

about Duleep Singh--I thik there are people who are trying to get the British government to allow them to go about doing his funeral rites properly.

check these out--i'll try to dig more out

[Freed]

Gufateh !

With regard to Duleep Singh - He is buried in the church-yard of St Andrew's & St Patrick's Church , Elveden, Suffolk (near Thetford about 50 miles from Cambridge UK). He is buried alongside his wife and son.

While Duleep Singh did take amrit at Aden , it is clear from his will & testament that he wished to be buried with Christian rites.

Here are some pictures

Headstone

Headstone of Duleep Singh , his wife and son

The Duleep Singh memorial Stained glass window gifted by his children to the Church

The plaque on the wall of the Church gifted by UK Sikhs

Duleep Singh's children were all buried with Christian rites - you can see Princess Bamba's grave, at Lahore, in this film I posted on SS

http://www.sikhsangat.com/index.php?showtopic=21690

Back to the topic of Memorials here is the Memorial at Kranji , Singapore

The Grave of 'Ranjit Singh' of the Sikh Regiment - at Kranji - note how it says "Sanskaarey gaye" in Gurmukhi

Ranjit Singh 'Freed'