Memorial For Sikh Soldiers Set To Be Unveiled In Staffordshire

[singhbj singh]

Memorial for Sikh soldiers set to be unveiled in Staffordshire

http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2015/10/14/memorial-for-sikh-soldiers-set-to-be-unveiled-in-staffordshire/

[dallysingh101]

I just hope some of our people don't swallow the implied 'guard dogs of the British empire' thing.

Whilst our people were busy running around fighting white-man's battles in Europe, we totally lost the plot regarding our own homeland - and lost more than half of it as a consequence. Not to mention the destruction of Sikh sovereignty by the British.

I'm sure those of you who descend from members of the Anglo imperial army will be chuffed at this; for some of us others, we don't really view being colonised as something positive, in fact some of us feel that a helluva lot of our communities problems (which negatively impact us even today) have their genesis in this period.

[Ranjeet01]

Even though we are recognised for our contribution in the war effort, from my own family history my Great Grandfather fought in WW1. He ended up throwing his medals in the river.I reckon a lot of our veterans of that era probably felt the same.

[dallysingh101]

Even though we are recognised for our contribution in the war effort, from my own family history my Great Grandfather fought in WW1. He ended up throwing his medals in the river.I reckon a lot of our veterans of that era probably felt the same.

That's interesting.

I feel a lot of the British lionising of Sikh contributions to their wars is a continuation of the ego massaging that they used to get people to fight their causes in the past. Right now so much of British Sikh identity revolves around this condescending loyal British sepoy construct.

We'd have come a long way in the right direction, when we've shaken this off in my opinion. Without that, there are subtle but strong implications of being subordinate to Europeans.

Maybe your great grandpa eventually clocked this, hence his actions?

[Ranjeet01]

That's interesting.

I feel a lot of the British lionising of Sikh contributions to their wars is a continuation of the ego massaging that they used to get people to fight their causes in the past. Right now so much of British Sikh identity revolves around this condescending loyal British sepoy construct.

We'd have come a long way in the right direction, when we've shaken this off in my opinion. Without that, there are subtle but strong implications of being subordinate to Europeans.

Maybe your great grandpa eventually clocked this, hence his actions?

I think that a lot of Indians had this great view of the British until they fought in the trenches. The British used to push the Indian troops over the trenches first as cannon fodder before they would go over themselves.

A lot of Sikh troops injured were sent to England hospitals (the Brighton Pavilions in particular because of the Dome Architecture, it was thought they would feel at home).

Once in England they saw how the British lived, it changed a lot of perceptions because they realised that they weren't the Gods or masters they were made out to be, they were just normal people.

Of course the British sent these troops back to France instead of India because they did not want the ordinary Indian to figure out what Mother England was really like.

My family was also in Singapore during the Japanese invasion, there are so many stories that I could tell you.

[dallysingh101]

I think that a lot of Indians had this great view of the British until they fought in the trenches. The British used to push the Indian troops over the trenches first as cannon fodder before they would go over themselves.

A lot of Sikh troops injured were sent to England hospitals (the Brighton Pavilions in particular because of the Dome Architecture, it was thought they would feel at home).

Once in England they saw how the British lived, it changed a lot of perceptions because they realised that they weren't the Gods or masters they were made out to be, they were just normal people.

Of course the British sent these troops back to France instead of India because they did not want the ordinary Indian to figure out what Mother England was really like.

Yep, in many of their letters they are shocked (as well as happy about - cough-cough) how gorian are behaving - especially in France. They used to send coded letters home saying 'the black pepper is stronger than the red pepper' meaning that the brown soldiers were better fighters than the goray.

David Omissi's work on this is REALLY eye-opening:

http://www.sikhsangat.com/index.php?/topic/60167-letters-of-indian-soldiers-of-world-war-1/

My family was also in Singapore during the Japanese invasion, there are so many stories that I could tell you.

I'd love to hear them. I'm sure I'm not alone in this!

[JagsawSingh]

My family was also in Singapore during the Japanese invasion, there are so many stories that I could tell you.

My nanke's side are all former soldiers from the far east (mostly Malaysia and Singapore but also a sprinkling of Fiji).

Dad's side also were one of the lucky one's that left the army from Singapore and settled in what was at that time the western world's largest Sikh community; the Imperial Valley of California. Its really interesting how nothing much remains of that original Californian Sikh settlement now except a few Mexican-Punjabi families as my family, along with the other Sikhs, soon left that valley and started farming in the Yuba City area of northern California. One thing they all had in common though was that the original pioneers were all ex-soldiers. Same with the New Zealand and Australia settlers in the late 1800's. All former soldiers, as are their banana plantation descendants today in Woolgoolga. In fact I do wish more research would be done into the Australia history because anyone thats been into the pends of Doaba will testify how so many of the really old large houses in the pend have the word 'TELIA" engraved on them along with a date around the late 1800s (colloquial Punjabi for 'Australia'). And then closer to home here in what have always been our 2 main Sikh towns: Southall and Gravesend. Both are as a result of Wolf's rubber factory in Southall and the paper factory in Gravesend who's owners were rich industrialists who served with Sikhs in the army and as a result went out of their way to recruit Sikhs.

My point is then, that one should never forget the one sole reason that Sikhs find themselves all over the world, and that reason is the brave service our forefathers gave in the British Army. The fact that many of you have come after these pioneers already laid the foundation so had a ready made community to easily settle yourselves into is no reason for you to forget those ex-soldier pioneers. Without our brave association with the British Army none of you would be sitting here today. All of you would be suffering the in the cesspit of Badal's Punjab.

[Ranjeet01]

My nanke's side are all former soldiers from the far east (mostly Malaysia and Singapore but also a sprinkling of Fiji).

Dad's side also were one of the lucky one's that left the army from Singapore and settled in what was at that time the western world's largest Sikh community; the Imperial Valley of California. Its really interesting how nothing much remains of that original Californian Sikh settlement now except a few Mexican-Punjabi families as my family, along with the other Sikhs, soon left that valley and started farming in the Yuba City area of northern California. One thing they all had in common though was that the original pioneers were all ex-soldiers. Same with the New Zealand and Australia settlers in the late 1800's. All former soldiers, as are their banana plantation descendants today in Woolgoolga. In fact I do wish more research would be done into the Australia history because anyone thats been into the pends of Doaba will testify how so many of the really old large houses in the pend have the word 'TELIA" engraved on them along with a date around the late 1800s (colloquial Punjabi for 'Australia'). And then closer to home here in what have always been our 2 main Sikh towns: Southall and Gravesend. Both are as a result of Wolf's rubber factory in Southall and the paper factory in Gravesend who's owners were rich industrialists who served with Sikhs in the army and as a result went out of their way to recruit Sikhs.

My point is then, that one should never forget the one sole reason that Sikhs find themselves all over the world, and that reason is the brave service our forefathers gave in the British Army. The fact that many of you have come after these pioneers already laid the foundation so had a ready made community to easily settle yourselves into is no reason for you to forget those ex-soldier pioneers. Without our brave association with the British Army none of you would be sitting here today. All of you would be suffering the in the cesspit of Badal's Punjab.

You are not wrong there. Pioneers are what we are.

Our forefathers were the canaries of the coal mine, doing all the hard work building the foundations for the rest of the Johnny come latelys.

I am sure if Mars is ever colonised, Sikhs will be at the forefront in that too.

[dallysingh101]

My point is then, that one should never forget the one sole reason that Sikhs find themselves all over the world, and that reason is the brave service our forefathers gave in the British Army. The fact that many of you have come after these pioneers already laid the foundation so had a ready made community to easily settle yourselves into is no reason for you to forget those ex-soldier pioneers. Without our brave association with the British Army none of you would be sitting here today. All of you would be suffering the in the cesspit of Badal's Punjab.

Bollox mate.

You're just a natural groveler with low self-esteem towards goray.

Panjab is the cesspit it is today because of the effects of British interference in the region and the rise and proliferation of jat greed in the shape of Badal and co. Plus, I don't see any other people from former colonies overplaying the grateful card like you. In all your grovelling you seem to forget just how much loot they took from Panjab. How many mind games they played. Their divide and rule policies. The way they systematically ostracized Sikhs not playing their game. Being left to fend for ourselves at partition. Because you seem to have a long standing mentality of sycophancy in your blood.

And I've said this before on this site: just because your forefathers were unskilled, don't go making the mistake that other people were in the same boat. Your family might have had to work in unskilled factory jobs, cleaning Heathrow toilets, minicab driving and whatnot but other people had skills that were infinitely more transportable.

A lot of your people should be eternally grateful for skilled Sikhs who taught you trades and skills so you could live with honour without being a white man's pet.

Plain and simple instead of gallivanting abroad in foreign wars Sikh soldiers should've been keeping a closer eye on home. That'll go down in history as a major donkey move - being so busy fighting outsider's battles that you got caught with your pants down at what was going on at home.

Where I'm at, it wasn't any Sikh sepoys who established themselves, it was hardworking, skilled Sikh men.

[mrggg123]

i always wonder what woulda happened if we defeated the british empire... would most of india be under khalistan? Would we be more close to our faith. British have changed our whole religion...