The Raising Day of the Sikh Regiment, Indian Army

Following is my tribute to the Sikh Regiment to commemorate its raising day: August 1, 1846.

The Indian Army is pride of our nation, its soldiers have served the country with distinction and have sacrificed their lives for our safety and sovereignty. Being a Sikh, I am proud of the Sikh Regiment, its glorious history, valour, contribution of the soldiers and officers to the service of the nation. Following is succinct information and history of the Regiment.

Punjab was conquered by the British in 1849 after 2 major wars which started in 1846 and concluded with the defeat of the Sikh Empire at the battle of Gujrat. During these battles, Sikhs fought bravely and at the battle of Firozshah and Challianwala gave a crushing defeat to the British; however, East India Company’s star was on the rise and the Sikh Empire was at its sunset. Seeing the Sikhs fight with courage, determination and indefatigable spirit, the British recognized their martial sprit and eventually started recruiting them into the British Indian Army. The British encouraged Sikh religious customs and made it mandatory for Sikhs to keep unshorn hair, and follow the Sikh tenants in order to be eligible for recruitment into the Sikh Regiments.

In the beginning, the Sikh Regiments were raised as single battalion regiments and the oldest Sikh regiment was 14th King George’s Own Ferozepore Sikhs. This regiment was raised in 1846 and during the 1st World War, saw action at Gallipoli Campaign and Mesopotamia Campaign. This regiment later on became 1st battalion of Sikh Regiment and is currently 4th Battalion of Mechanized Infantry of the Indian Army.

The 15th Ludhiana Sikhs was also raised around 1846. During the 1st World War they were part of the 8th (Jullundur) Brigade, 3rd (Lahore) Division that served at the Western Front in France. They were one of the first Indian army regiments to arrive in Europe and played a major part in saving Europe from falling into German hands. Later on they were shifted to Middle East. This regiment is now 2nd Battalion of the Sikh Regiment, Indian Army.

The 45th Rattray Sikh Regiment was raised at Lahore in January 1856 by Captain Thomas Rattray, under the orders of the Government of Bengal as Bengal Military Police Battalion. Many of the Sikhs enlisted in this regiment had served under Maharaja Ranjeet Singh and were thus seasoned soldiers. The 45th Rattray’s Sikh Regiment took active part in the First World War and provided drafts to 14th and 15th Sikh Regiments that fought with distinction in the Western Front. The 45th played a major role along with other Indian Army regiments in Mesopotamia. This regiment is now 3rd Battalion of Sikh Regiment, Indian Army.

The 36th Sikh Regiment was raised in 1887 and since then has distinguished itself by having taken part in all major campaigns and the solders have been awarded numerous gallantry awards and the regiment has been awarded several battle honours. This regiment is also called the ‘Saragarhi Battalion’ for having taken part in the famous Saragarhi battle, where 21 brave soldiers faced 10,000 tribesmen. This regiment has taken the most number of casualties and has risen stronger from the ashes each time, like the mythological bird Pheonix. The regiment is currently 4th Battalion of the Sikh Regiment, Indian Army.

47th Sikhs was raised in 1901 and were known as “Madra Paltan” (consisting of Sikh soldiers of medium/short height). The other 4 Sikh regiments recruited Sikhs with a minimum height of 5’ 9”, The Sikhs that didn’t meet the minimum height requirements of the other battalions, raised objections and demanded that height must not be a consideration for recruitment into the Sikh regiments, they were equally brave, if not better and could prove their mettle when situation demanded. It was decided by the army to include these medium-short height Sikhs (between 5' 4" & 5' 7") in a new battalion called the 47th Sikhs. This battalion distinguished itself at Neuve Chapple in norther France during the First World War against German and Bavarian Regiments (in one of which reportedly served Corporal Adolf Hitler).

The 35th Sikh Regiment became the Training Battalion and provided recruit training unit and reservist centre, coordinating authority and clearing house for the active battalions. It is currently 10th Battalion of the Indian Army.

These individual Sikh regiments were merged to form a single, multi-battalion regiment: 11th Sikh Regiment in 1922 after the First World War. During the 2nd World War additional infantry battalions were formed: the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 14th, 25th and a machine gun battalion. When India attained Independence in 1947, Muslim soldiers from these battalions were transferred to Pakistan Army and the regiment was re-organized as Sikh Regiment (the number 11 was removed from the name) and other battalions were added. The Sikh regiment is one of the most decorated regiments of the Indian Army and has the distinction of fighting in all major wars: pre and post-Independence.

There are numerous brave soldiers from the Sikh Regiment that have left a mark. Subedar Manta Singh of the 15th Ludhiana Sikhs was fatally injured and gave his life at Neuve Chapelle, World War I while rescuing his officer Capt. George Henderson. It was his deep sense of Honour that probably led Manta Singh to rescue the life of Henderson. This selfless sacrifice led to three generations of friendship between the two families.

Subedar Thakur Singh of the 47th Sikhs, who was awarded the Military Cross during First World War for leading his company against the heavy onslaught of machine gun fire from German lines. He fought with gallantry and determination until he was wounded.

Honorary Captain, Subedar-Major Jiwand Singh, M.V.O, Sardar Bahadur, O.B.I. He served with the 45th Rattray’s Sikh Regiment, Indian Army for almost 30 years. Captain Jiwand Singh became Subedar-Major of the 45th Rattray’s Sikh Regiment (the highest position an Indian could attain in the Indian Army at the time) from 15 March 1901 to 1 August 1904. He was made an Honorary Captain (two others were given the rank of Captain in this regiment till 1915). In 1903, Captain Jiwand Singh was made A.D.C (one of the First Orderlies) to H.M. King Edward VII and awarded the Royal Victorian Order (M.V.O).

Post-Independence, the Sikh Regiment served the country with distinction and have fought in all major wars: 1947, 1962, 1965, 1971, and Kargil. There are numerous instances of bravery, following is a brief narrative of a couple of them: The 1st Sikh Battalion was stationed in Gurgaon, Delhi in Oct 1947. When tribals backed by Pakistani Army attacked Kashmir, the 1st Sikh battalion, was flown to Kashmir and were instrumental in saving Srinagar from falling into Pakistan’s hands. The commanding officer of the battalion, Lt. Col. Dewan Ranjit Rai, was awarded Maha Vir Chakra posthumously.

Sepoy Kewal Singh, MVC was recruited into the 4 Battalion of the Sikh Regiment and had only 1.5 years of service. He created history by earning for himself and the 4th Sikhs, its first award of Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) at Battle of Walong, War with China 1962. The 4th Sikhs fought bravely at the battle, heavily outnumbered and fighting under extreme conditions, the 4th Sikhs lived up to the fame of Saragarhi. During this battle, in some instances complete platoons were wiped out without a single survivor. There have been numerous instances of bravery displayed by the solders of the battalion. Sepoy Kewal Singh, MVC earned a unique place by his utmost gallantry, indomitable spirit and disregard for his personal safety.

It is with pride, I salute the brave soldiers of the Sikh Regiment. These soldiers have served the country with honour, dedication and distinction. I am sure that their service and sacrifice to the nation will be remembered perpetually by future generations.

Written By: Gurmeet Singh Sandhu

Reference:

Regimental History of the 45th Rattray’s Sikhs by Lt. Col. R.H. Anderson

Saragarhi Battalion – Ashes to Glory by Col. Kanwaljit Singh and Major H S Ahluwalia

‘Honour and Fidelity’ by Capt. Amarinder Singh

Sepoys in Trenches

For King and Another Country

A Matter of Honour