My Tribute to our Veterans on this Remembrance Day
By: Gurmeet Singh Sandhu
Tags: Sikh, World War I, Indian Army, World War II, Army

I remember growing up in England during the late seventies, when we used to wear a Poppy during the month of November and we used to pay homage to the soldiers who fought and sacrificed their lives during the World Wars. I used to read the phrase ‘Lest We Forget’ to commemorate the contribution made by millions of valiant armed service personnel for our better future. My headmaster was a retired officer from the Indian Army who had served in India during the Second World War and during this month he used to share his experience while he was in India and Burma along with narrating stories of campaigns from various battles.

As a child, I used to watch war movies and loved seeing the soldiers fight at various campaigns; however, I felt disconnected and disheartened at not seeing anyone from my part of the world in Hollywood movies or any other illustrations. While living in India, we used to visit ‘India Gate’ in Delhi and I vividly remember seeing thousands of names etched into the stone blocks of the imposing structure. I casually used to read the names; however, I didn’t realize the importance of the memorial as far as our history was concerned and how it may have been related to India’s contribution towards the Great War. I vividly remember reading countless names with the last name ‘Singh’ and wondered, if the Army was composed of members from a single community (many communities in India share ‘Singh’ as their last name, including Sikhs).

When I came to Canada in my youth and till about a decade ago, ‘Remembrance’ Day seemed to be another day, when we paid tribute to Caucasian soldiers and I seldom felt any personal connection to this event as we were commemorating individuals belonging to a foreign culture and from distant lands, with whom we had no intimate connection. This indifference in my attitude changed after I inadvertently started reading about the history of the Indian Army and their contribution to the Great War and numerous international military campaigns across the globe.

My interest in learning about the Indian Army started when I read short articles on the Internet. This further culminated my desire to learn more and I began reading books on Indian military history written by assorted authors. I started gaining knowledge of our Army’s obfuscated history, which is rarely taught at schools. I was able to gain extensive insight of the Indian Army and over the years and have augmented my learning and still continue to expand my knowledge on a daily basis.

Succinctly, when the First World War broke out in August 1914, India was the only commonwealth nation that could provide combat ready forces to assist the British and its allies in the Western Front. King George V made an appeal to his Indian citizens to contribute and defend the Empire against hostile German invasion. India answered the call of its King and considered her foremost duty to help Britain in the time of need, regardless of the injustices, whether they were racial or oppressive policies towards its subjugated citizens.

The Indian Army ultimately raised 1,440,037 Volunteers and sent seven Expeditionary Forces to all theaters of the First World War. The Indians were the first to arrive in France two months after the deployment of the British Expeditionary Force. In the four years, India lost 74,000 men killed in action and 67,000 wounded: many were to die later of wounds. The Indian Army was the only army that served in Europe, Asia, and Africa. While in Africa, the Indians faced dangers from wildlife along with a well prepared enemy. They endured the heat of Mesopotamia and Middle East, where the temperature would go up to 50 C and fought bravely against the Turkish Empire. Many of them perished due to starvation early on in Mesopotamia after they were under a siege or were captured as prisoners of war; however, their determination and indomitable spirit allowed them to endure the horrendous conditions and they ultimately succeeded in defeating a superior enemy. In Europe, the Indians held the lines during the initial phase of the war, were able to hold off the Germans until forces arrived next year from other commonwealth countries such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand, after which Indians were transferred to other theatres of the war.

The Indian Corps in France fought with exemplary courage during the First and second battles of Yepres, Festubert and Neuve Chapelle. They saw action against the Germans at key positions such as: Neuve Chapelle, Ypres, Flanders, La Basse, Givenchy (1914), Aubers, Bazentin, Morval, Messienes (1914), Gheluvelt, Loos, Delville, Wood, Armentiers, Festubert. St Julian, Somme (1916), and Cambrai (1917). The Indians won their first Victoria Cross within a month after their arrival, with a total of 11 Victoria Cross. In the Western Front 4,742 Indians lost their lives. The larger Indian commitment was to the Middle East, the Suez, Mesopotamia, Palestine against the Turks, where 588,717 men battled for the duration of the war, of which 93,003 were killed or wounded.

Lord French, the 1st Earl of Ypres, Field Marshal paid tribute to the services of India’s fighting men at the Western Front during the years 1914/15 in his letter to Princess Sophia, daughter of Maharaja Duleep Singh: “When the Indian troops first arrived in October 1914, the situation was of so drastic nature that it was necessary to call upon them at once to reinforce the fighting front and help to stem the great German thrust. Their fine fighting qualities, tenacity, and endurance were well maintained during the first Battle of Ypres before they had been able completely reorganize after their voyage from India…The Commander-in-Chief was on many occasions deeply indebted to them for valuable help, and I have no hesitation in saying that they splendidly upheld the glorious fighting traditions of the Indian Army. This record is all the more honourable when it is remembered that they were suddenly dispatched from a hot climate at almost the worst season of the year to face the rigours of a Western winter. It will always be a source of pride and happiness to me that I have been associated in the field with these gallant troops.” (The Times, 14 September 1918)

Major Gordon Corrigan, author of the book, ‘Sepoys in the Trenches’ has the following to say about the Indian Soldiers, ‘First Ypres was the critical battle of October 1914. Had the German assaults down the Menin Road succeeded, or had they been able to break through Neuve Chapelle, then the whole of the British Expeditionary Forces position might have been rendered untenable, with the Germans being able to reach the Channel Ports and force British withdrawal- if not from the war at least from the continent. The Lahore Divisions’ contribution was perhaps peripheral, in that they had not faced the main German onslaught, but it was vital in bolstering up the Cavalry Corps and in closing the gap at Neuve Chapelle. While it was perhaps hyperbole to say that they had “Saved the Empire”, it was certainly true that they had saved the British Expeditionary Force.’

Personally I would like to pay my tribute to my friend’s Grandfather, Sowar Arjan Singh of the 2nd Lancers, Indian Army who volunteered to take part in the First World War. Sowar Arjan Singh was the son of Prem Singh from village Agner, Distt. Ludhiana. The 2nd Lancers (Gardner’s Horse) is one of the oldest and highly decorated armoured regiments of the Indian Army. It was originally raised in 1809. The regiment arrived in France in November 1914 and the soldiers were armed with swords and lances. When they arrive in the cold weather of Europe, they were dressed in their cotton uniforms, fought in freezing temperatures while in trenches and faced the enemy under the most trying conditions.

Sowar Arjan Singh stayed and was part of the Indian army contingent in Europe for the next 3 years. He saw action in the Battle of the Somme, Battle of Bazentin, Battle of Flers–Courcelette, the advance to Hindenburg Line and the Battle of Cambrai. This battle saw the use of tanks for the first time in significant numbers. Also, due to the infancy of this technology and mechanical issues, the cavalry played an important role in supporting the new mechanized units. Both the Canadian and Indian cavalry took part in this battle. Both armies fought bravely and with distinction. During this battle, soldiers from both Canadian and Indian cavalry each won a Victoria Cross.

In 1917, Sowar Arjan Singh along with his regiment left France for Egypt and Palestine, where under General Allenby they helped in defeating the Turkish Army in one of the greatest cavalry advances in history. After conclusion of the War, the regiment stayed in Palestine along with Syria and returned to India in 1920, after spending six years in field service. Sowar Arjan Singh continued to serve with the regiment and retired soon after India attained Independence in 1947.

The descendants of Sowar Arjan Singh shared the war stories of their ancestor and narrated his military experience to me over the course of our discussions. I have been fortunate to have heard these war stories, seen his pictures from the period along with post cards and now I feel that I have a personal, tangible connection to this Remembrance Day event. It is an honour for me to pay my tributes to the brave soldiers like Sowar Arjan Singh along with countless others from all nations, who sacrificed their youth for the service of their country with honour and integrity. ‘Lest We Forget’.

Written By: Gurmeet Singh Sandhu

Date: November 10, 2020