The 10th anniversary of the WW1 Sikh Memorial has been marked at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire by members of the Sikh community and supporters.
A special gathering takes place at the memorial on the first Sunday of November ahead of Armistice Day. The event, on Sunday 3rd November 2024, heard eulogies about the bravery and valour of Sikhs who served during the wars, around 124,245 Sikhs fought during the Great War.
This year, special guest Cllr Sardul Marwa (Solihull Borough Council) read the Exhortation whilst representatives of the Sikh Motorcycle Club read the Kohima Epitaph. A special tribute was also made to the memorials sculptor Mark Bibby who sadly died last year.
The ceremony was overseen by the memorial’s creator and Chairman Capt. Jay Singh-Sohal VR, who said:
“When we set out to create the memorial, we underestimated just how significant this would be for the Sikh community at large. Since our creation a decade ago, we’re inspired more memorials to be created up and down the country as our community seeks to educate others about the bravery and valour of Sikhs in the past and the continued contribution of our vibrant community today. Sikhs are distinct because of our turban-identity, and so memorials commemorating Sikh service also help create awareness of our faith-based principles. I hope, as we mark our 10th anniversary, that we continue to inspire others to be selfless and serve our country, in uniform or otherwise.”
The memorial was the first of its kind – a statue commemorating the bravery and sacrifice of Sikh soldiers during the conflict. The Sikh contribution is remarkable, as despite being only 1% of the Indian population at the time, they constituted 20% of the Indian Army under the British and were represented in over a third of the regiments at the time. For their heroism, Sikhs received 29% of all Indian Orders of Merit awarded during the war and 24% of all Indian Distinguished Service Medals.
The memorial was uniquely funded through a grassroots campaign by the “WW1 Sikh Memorial Fund” on the Kickstarter website. More than 200 people from across different faiths and backgrounds contributed from £1 to £1,000 to fund the memorial that was installed at the Arboretum, the Nation’s year-round place to remember.
The WW1 Sikh Memorial, at the 150-acre free-to-enter garden and woodland site, sits alongside more than 420 other tributes to the service and sacrifice of members of the Armed Forces, Emergency Services and civilian services.
“Since its installation and dedication, the WW1 Sikh Memorial has proved incredibly valuable, increasing awareness of the contributions of Sikh Armed Forces personnel and helping us pass the baton of Remembrance to the next generation,” said Mark Ellis, National Memorial Arboretum Lead. “Our inspirational living landscape, home to a diverse collection of more than 420 memorials, is a dedicated Remembrance space, freely open to all, where everyone can remember in their own way.”
The “WW1 Sikh Memorial” was dedicated in 2015 by Major General Patrick Sanders CBE DSO and Bhai Sahib Dr Mohinder Singh Ahluwalia at a ceremony which fused religious traditions from the Sikh faith with British military pomp and custom.
Media coverage:
Lichfield Live news coverage of the event.
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Jay Singh-Sohal 
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