LONDON: The UK government has agreed to support and fund a national memorial to honor the sacrifices and contribution of Sikh soldiers who fought for Britain and its allies during the two World Wars.
More than 83,000 turbaned Sikh soldiers gave their lives and more than 100,000 were injured during the wars.
“We are indebted to all those servicemen who volunteered to serve and fought to defend the freedoms we enjoy today,” said UK communities secretary Sajid Javid yesterday as he announced government backing for the new memorial in London.
“A Sikh war memorial in our nation’s capital will honor their sacrifice and ensure that this part of our shared history is never forgotten. So, I’m delighted to get behind this campaign and ensure its success,” he said.
The campaign for a new Sikh war memorial was led by Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Britain’s first turbaned Sikh MP, who now has the support of the UK’s Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to help set up a Working Group to find a suitable location.
Once an appropriate site has been identified and detailed plans agreed, the ministry has agreed to provide funding towards the project.-PTI
