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The British and the Sikhs


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2 hours ago, dallysingh101 said:

Come on man. I mean even the cover looks like old time colonial propaganda. 

Plus it confirms what many have always suspected: That Germans would have probably won the war if it wasn't for Panjabi canon fodder. 

It's a shame apnay never fought as hard for their own sovereignty. 

That cover is replete with symbolism.  

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https://www.mylondon.news/news/west-london-news/remembrance-sunday-feltham-doctors-7-22147807

Remembrance Sunday: Feltham doctor’s 7-year search to unearth great-grandfather’s forgotten WWI history 

The records of 320,000 Punjab soldiers from the First World War have been made available to the public for the first time

By
Neha GohilReporter
  • 08:00, 14 NOV 2021

 

Dr Tejpal Singh Ralmill (right) embarked on a 7-year long search to discover the military career of his great-grandfather, Subadar Major Bawa Singh (left)

Dr Tejpal Singh Ralmill (right) embarked on a 7-year long search to discover the military career of his great-grandfather, Subadar Major Bawa Singh (left) (Image: Dr Tejpal Singh Ralmill/ The National Archives, ref. CN4/8 / UKPHA)

A doctor from Feltham has embarked on a 7-year long search to unearth his great-grandfather’s military history before, during and after WWI.

Dr Tejpal Singh Ralmill, 42, discovered the military history of his great-grandfather, Subadar Major Bawa Singh, during a 7-year-long search which saw him examining lists at the British Library and reading war diaries at the National Archives.

Tejpal’s paternal great-grand-father, Subadar Major Bawa Singh, was a Subadar Major in the 23rd Sikh Pioneers regiment. He was born into the family of Saran Singh, a practitioner of herbal medicine, in a village called Panjaura in the Hoshiarpur district of Punjab, India.

Up until 2014, Tejpal's only knowledge of his great-grandfather was his role as a Subadar Major in the 23rd Sikh Pioneers regiment. The doctor was aware of this due to a painting of his great-grandfather that hung in his Uncle’s house in Wolverhampton.

Tejpal told My London: “I knew he was in the army but I did not know which campaigns and which theatres of war he fought in. I took it upon myself to try to find out as much as I could about my great-grandfather.”

READ MORE: Remembrance Day: 'As a Muslim student I’d like people to realise that our great-grandfathers served alongside theirs in WW2'The family painting of Subadar Major Bawa Singh

The family painting of Subadar Major Bawa Singh (Image: Dr Tejpal Singh Ralmill)

Tejpal’s journey to discovering his great-grandfather’s military history began in 2014 when he was advised by Amandeep Singh Madra OBE and Harbakhsh S Grewal, members of the UK Punjab Heritage Association (UKPHA), to research Bawa Singh’s war service history.

Through his research, Tejpal was able to discover that Bawa Singh was just 17 when he enlisted in 1901.

he doctor uncovered his great-grandfather’s war service history from the 1924 Indian Army List (IAL) which revealed Bawa Singh had fought in the Sinai and Palestine campaigns in WWI with General Allenby, who led the Egyptian Expeditionary Force to victory in Palestine and Syria in 1917 and 1918.

Tejpal also learnt how Bawa Singh, along with the 23rd Sikh Pioneers, were mobilised as Indian Expeditionary Force E, in October 1914. The regiment was tasked to defend the line of sea communication through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea.

During his research, the doctor also discovered via a Facebook forum that photos of his great-grandfather were in the National Archives.Three Viceroy's Commissioned Officers of the 23rd Sikh Pioneers who saw action in the First World War (c.1921-24) including Subadar Major Bawa Singh (centre)

Three Viceroy's Commissioned Officers of the 23rd Sikh Pioneers who saw action in the First World War (c.1921-24) including Subadar Major Bawa Singh (centre) (Image: The National Archives, ref. CN4/8)

He said: “It was unbelievable. Somebody had uploaded the photo [of my great-grandfather] online on a Facebook forum and I asked where they had gotten it from?

“When I went to the National Archives, I knew what I was going to find but finding the original [photo] and opening up that folder - it was breathtaking. This was the original photo.

“Ironically I live about five miles from Kew and we’ve been here all our lives and we did not know about this.

“I bought the digital copy and the rights for it... I’m still overwhelmed now even though it's been three years.”

In a bid to commemorate his great-grandfather, Tejpal has created a digital memorial at the Imperial War Museum and was selected to lay a wreath on behalf of the pre-1947 Indian Army at the annual Remembrance Day held at Hampton Court Palace in 2018.

For Tejpal, the journey to discovering his great-grandfather’s history is one that is still ongoing.

Just this week, Tejpal travelled to India to attend a three-day reunion and conference at the headquarters of his great-grandfather’s regiment. The doctor hopes to discover even more information about his great-grandfather.

During the Great War 1914-1920, British imperialists recruited up to 1.4 million Indian soldiers.

At its peak, after decades of racist imperialism and territorial expansion , the British Empire was the largest to have ever existed covering around 25% of the world’s land surface.

One sixth of all of the British Empire’s overseas forces hailed from Punjab with Punjabis of all faiths - Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs - making up around a third of the Indian Army.

Despite this, Tejpal recalls how little he knew about the contribution of soldiers from South Asia growing up.

“I was not taught about this at school,” he said, “I was not really aware of the Indian contribution at all. And even when I was, I was not made aware of the sheer seismic and epic nature of the contribution. If it was mentioned, it was a footnote.”

Tejpal added: “It frustrates me that there is so little knowledge about our contribution… That level playing field has never really been there in any aspects of this discussion.

“Whether it's commemoration, some people are remembered more than others, and when it comes to being awarded medals, some people were eligible for certain medals and others weren’t, for the same action.”

The chair of the UKPHA, Amandeep Madra, also spoke about the ‘largely forgotten’ history of South Asia’s role in WWI.

He said: “South Asia’s role in the First World War and the disproportionately large contribution from Punjab have largely been forgotten and their sacrifices omitted from mainstream narratives, or left as somewhat forlorn footnotes of history.”

 

Indian cavalrymen take part in the Bastille Day parade in Paris on 14 July 1916 led by three Punjabi officers of the 2nd Lancers
Indian cavalrymen take part in the Bastille Day parade in Paris on 14 July 1916 led by three Punjabi officers of the 2nd Lancers (Image: Toor Collection / UKPHA)

To commemorate this history, records of hundreds of thousands of Indian Army troops from Punjab - a region now divided between India and Pakistan - have been made public for the first time this year.

Tejpal is one of many volunteers that has worked with the UK Punjab Heritage Association to help digitise the Punjab register.

The Punjab Government compiled a series of registers in 1919 listing the names of every man that had served in the Army. Such records have remained un-researched for almost a century, until now.

According to the UKPHA, the registers offer a detailed breakdown of the recruiting practices of the Indian Army a century ago and into the individual soldiers, revealing insights into their occupational, social, political and faith backgrounds.

In some cases the registers also detail the awards they received and the far flung theatres of war that they served in, and from which at least 15,000 did not return.A single page from the 26,000 pages of the Punjab Registers

A single page from the 26,000 pages of the Punjab Registers (Image: UKPHA Archive)

The UKPHA, in collaboration with the University of Greenwich, have worked to track down and digitise the registers on a new website that can be accessed here.

UKPHA were able to secure access to the records of 320,000 wartime service personnel after years of correspondence and relationship-building with the Lahore Museum in Pakistan.

The initial project will make records available from three districts, Jalandhar and Ludhiana both now in independent India, and Sialkot now in Pakistan. A future project aims to make the entire database available.

According to Tejpal, the registers will empower people to research their ancestors' history.

He said: “It astonishes me that my next door neighbour can find out who his great-grandfather voted for, if they fought in the war, what medals they received.

“We struggle and we have to go from pillar to post. With this register, that will change things dramatically. This will empower citizen historians to research their ancestors in a similar way to how other communities can.”Victory Parade, London, 1919

Victory Parade, London, 1919 (Image: Toor Collection / UKPHA)

The digitised registers have already allowed high-profile Punjabis to piece together details of the roles of their ancestors or others from their native villages in the Great War.

Politicians, including former Conservative Party Chair Baroness Sayeeda Warsi and Labour shadow minister Tanmanjit Dhesi, learned that their family villages provided soldiers who served in various theatres of war from the Western Front, the Middle East and even East Africa.

Amandeep Madra added: “In digitising these records we're allowing the global Punjabi diaspora, as well as researchers and academics worldwide, access to a rich seam of data which helps tell the stories of men of all backgrounds who fought alongside one another and other British and allied troops in the trenches of the Western Front, at Gallipoli and in the deserts and heat of Africa and the Middle East...

"Together we can do justice to the collective service of the fighting men of Punjab in what we hope is just the first stage in creating a proper archive of Punjab and World War One."

Dr Gavin Rand, from the University of Greenwich, said: “Whereas the ancestors of British and Irish soldiers can easily search public databases of service records, no such facility exists for the descendants of colonial soldiers.

“By making some of the unique data recorded in the registers widely available for the first time, the project will provide the basis for extensive engagement with the Punjabi community in and beyond the UK by allowing them to access records of their ancestors’ wartime service, as well as providing unique insights into the villages of pre-partition Punjab."

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Queen Victoria’s closest friend in her final years… was actually a young servant from India. In 1887, the newly-minted Empress of India celebrated her Golden Jubilee. As a “gift from India”, she received two waiters. One of them was Abdul Karim, a 24-year-old clerk from Agra. He’s had a crash course in English language and manners shortly before arriving in Britain. He served the Queen and helped her interact with Indian dignitaries at the banquet. Victoria was fascinated by her new attendant from the very start. She described him as dutiful, “tall, and with a fine serious countenance”. One day Karim treated her to chicken curry with dal and pilau. The Queen loved the dish so much that it was added to her regular menu.

The communication between them was stiff, and she asked him to teach her Urdu. Karim’s English lessons were also doubled. Soon they were able to correspond without any intermediaries. Though the Queen treated him well, Karim was not used to menial work. Far from home, he felt like “a sojourner in a strange land and among a strange people”. He wanted to return to India, so Victoria had to come up with something to keep him. Just a year after his arrival, he was promoted to “Munshi”, the Queen’s personal teacher. The court was angry and terrified by such a rapid career advancement. Not only Karim was of the lower class, but he was also of a different race. He traveled with Victoria and was allowed to leave for India a couple of times. His father got a pension and his former employer a promotion upon his request. The Munshi was given residences at the main royal estates in the UK and back in Agra. His wife joined him in Britain and regularly had tea with the Queen herself.

He enjoyed the best opera seats and was even moved to John Brown’s bedchamber. Brown was the Queen’s previous servant and favorite who died in 1883. In 1895, Karim was decorated as a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire. Victoria commissioned numerous portraits of her confidant. She signed her letters to him with kisses and as “your closest friend” and “your loving mother”. Though they did spend a night alone at a Scottish cottage, they were never lovers. When the Queen died in 1901, he was the last to see her body before her casket was closed. After that, Karim was expelled from the court and returned to India. Victoria’s letters to him were burnt in front of him by the new king’s order. Her heirs made sure no trace of the Munshi could be found. But his diary survived. His story became widely known nearly a century after his death in 1909.

 

 

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On 10/30/2021 at 12:57 PM, Premi5 said:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/polar-preet-embarks-on-700-mile-trek-to-the-south-pole

 

‘Polar Preet’ embarks on 700-mile trek to the South Pole

Captain Harpreet Chandi, an Army physiotherapist with 3 Medical Regiment is aiming to complete the 700-mile trek for a solo expedition to the South Pole this year.

From:
Ministry of Defence
Published
22 October 2021
 
Army Captain Harpreet Chandi stands at a podium talking to guests

Polar Preet speaking about her training preparations at the launch event

Self-titled ‘Polar Preet’, Captain Chandi is in the final phase of her rigorous training ahead of the 45-day challenge, where she will endure temperatures of up to -50 degrees Celsius and wind speeds of up to 60mph.

The British-born Indian Sikh’s preparation has been underway for two years and included various extensive training exercises such as dragging tyres to simulate pulling a 90kg sled. Earlier this year, Preet headed to Greenland for a 27-day ‘warm up’ expedition encountering gruelling weather conditions. She will head to Antarctica in November and, if she completes the unsupported trek, will pull and carry all her equipment without resupply.

Defence Minister Leo Docherty said:

People are Defence’s best asset and Preet’s determination and drive to complete this momentous challenge is a true testament to that. The physical and mental resilience shown during her preparations is something we can all learn from. Preet shows that people from all backgrounds can achieve incredible things through a career in the Armed Forces.

We all wish Preet the very best of luck and will be eagerly following her progress.

At a launch event held at The Shard on 21 October, Preet spoke to guests about the physical and mental training she endured ahead of the trek. Equipment she will be carrying with her such as a pulk (a Nordic small sled), cooker, freeze-dried food and specialist clothing were also on display highlighting the extensive preparation she has undergone and the enormity of the challenge ahead.

Brigadier Lizzie Faithfull-Davies CBE, Commander 102 Logistics Brigade said:

It is genuinely inspiring to watch Captain Harpreet Chandi’s polar ambition turn into reality and every aspect of her preparation demonstrates the values and standards that are so important to the British Army.

We are delighted to have such a talented and determined officer in 102 Logistic Brigade who can set such a great example to all our people about how to turn a dream into reality. We will all be avidly watching and supporting her endeavours from afar and, from the whole brigade, we wish Polar Preet the very best for her expedition.

Preet joined the Army in 2008 and has served for 13 years, including supporting the Covid-19 vaccination efforts in recent months. She had never camped or hiked prior to joining, it was participation in Adventurous Training which sparked her passion and drive to complete this incredible feat. Preet has already set her sights higher and plans to also complete a solo and unsupported full crossing of the continent from coast to coast.

Captain Harpreet Chandi said:

There is so much to prepare for an expedition like this and I’m really proud to be representing the Army. As I started to train for it, I learned more about it and it just shows the more you do, the more you realise you’re capable of.

So, wherever you’re from, whatever experience you’ve got, if you want to go out and do something different, take that first step and go for it.

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https://inews.co.uk/news/world/preet-chandi-british-sikh-army-officer-first-woman-colour-solo-trek-antarctica-1381463

The army officer and physiotherapist, who adopted the nickname “Polar Preet” for her blog, spent two and a half years preparing for the grueling expedition.

It included crevasse training in the French Alps, trekking Iceland’s Langjökull Glacier and 27 days on the ice cap in Greenland.

 

Ms Chandi named her sled after her nine-year-old niece, Simran, and her skis after her baby nephew, Karanveer, to inspire them.

She said: “When I decided I wanted to go to Antarctica, I didn’t know I would be the first woman of colour to do a solo expedition on the continent and people have said to me ‘You don’t look like a polar explorer’.”

Congratulating her on the expedition, the Chief of the General Staff of the British Army said she was an “inspirational example of the grit and determination”.

Ms Chandi admitted that she “didn’t know much about the continent” when the idea first came about, but was determined to prove that she could achieve anything.

“The expedition was always about so much more than me,” she wrote upon completion.

“I want to encourage people to push their boundaries and to believe in themselves, and I want you to be able to do it without being labeled a rebel.”

Half of the funds raised from the extraordinary feat will go towards an adventure grant for women attempting unique challenges, which she plans to launch next year.

 

The rest will go to Khalsa Aid, “who’s message is to recognise the whole human race as one,” she said.

“Hopefully doing something that pushes me so far out of my comfort zone will inspire others to believe in themselves and push their boundaries,” she said.

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