Anglo-Sikh Relations & The World Wars When this mortal life reaches its limits May I die fighting with limitless courage (Tenth Guru, Gobind Singh (1666 – 1708) Gurmukh Singh (Principal, UK Civil Service ret’d) A word by Dya Singh (Australia) Gurmukh Singh This study may be published with prior approval by the author. Contact: Gurmukh Singh
[email protected] “There are 500,000 Sikhs in the United Kingdom. In the past, hundreds of thousands of Sikhs voluntarily fought with the British Army in the two World wars and many of them died in the cause of freedom. They were among the most highly decorated soldiers in history. Today, British Sikhs contribute a huge amount to the economy and to public life in the UK.” Prime Minister Tony Blair’s message of 1st November 2001, to the Maharajah Duleep Singh Centenary Trust. The need for this publication This compact study is for the busy reader and looks at the history of the Sikhs over the last two hundred years in the context of Anglo-Sikh relations. It is work in progress, as the author’s intention is to periodically add new material as it becomes available. Much has been written about the internal politics of India over the last 150 years. Historians have been mostly pre-occupied with the reformation movements in the second half of the 19th Century, with India’s struggle for independence in the first half of the 20th Century, and with India’s internal divisions and problems during the post-independence period. Too often, the sacrifices of thousands of jawans, who rose gallantly above short-term political considerations and gave their lives for the longer-term freedom of mankind, have been ignored.