LONDON: A nine-foot-tall bronze statue of Havildar Ishar Singh, who led 20 Sikh soldiers valiantly fighting to their last breath while defending their signal post during the Battle of Saragarhi against more than 10,000 Afghan tribesmen in September 1897, is set to become the first monument in Britain specifically honoring the fallen heroes. 21 soldiers from the 36th (Sikh) Regiment of Bengal Infantry made a valiant last stand fighting for more than six hours to the bitter end leaving around 180 to 200 Pathan tribesmen dead.
The memorial to the battle, the subject of 2019 Bollywood blockbuster ‘Kesari’ starring Akshay Kumar, will be unveiled next to the Guru Nanak Gurdwara in September 2021. The gurdwara congregation has so far raised £50,000 (Rs 48 lakh) of the £100,000 (Rs 97 lakh) total costs. Councillors at Wolverhampton City Council are expected to approve proposals at a meeting on November 11 to lease land to the gurdwara for installing the statue. The only other memorial to the battle in the UK is a plaque at Uppingham School honoring Colonel John Haughton, the Commandant of the 36th Sikhs who was killed in action in 1898. “This is a very proud moment for the Sikh community as once it is erected it will be there for generations to come. These 21 Sikhs could have run away but they didn’t and fought to the very last man. The British Empire recognised their sacrifice,” Gakhal said.
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