Over two hundred and fifty people from different backgrounds and faiths gathered at the University of Leicester, to hear about the contribution of Sikh and Commonwealth soldiers in World War One.
The purpose of the lecture was to commemorate the 100th anniversary and raise awareness of the invisible heroes.
Many esteemed guests were welcomed to the WW1 lecture by Chairman of Sikh Welfare and Cultural Society, Resham Singh Sandhu, MBE, DL, FRSA on behalf of the Sikh Welfare and Cultural Society (SWCS) and the University of Leicester, who shared: “It is information for the younger generation, because the younger generation, when they are in the school, I think hardly they learn about contribution of the Commonwealth and the Sikh soldiers in the First World War”.
The auditorium included members of all ages, who proudly waved their ‘Proud to be British’ flags in unison and listened to the invited speakers, who shared their knowledge and the history about the sacrifices the Sikhs made during the WW1.
Retired Royal Air Force Flight Sergeant, Balbir Singh Flora explained: “India provided the greatest military participation from the colonies in the form of one million, four hundred and forty thousand men. The conditions during the World War 1 in France were appalling, especially for the Sikh soldiers, who were used to warmer climates and were plunged into the freezing logged trenches in France”.
The lecture highlighted to the community, those great sacrifices and good deeds made by Sikhs and Commonwealth soldiers, who served to protect for the freedom of all humanity.
Brigadier Richard Stanford from the British Army shared: “We think history is very important and we do study it, some would say, so we don’t make the same mistakes again and also to learn from what our forefathers have done, it underpins our culture, heritage and puts the current situation for the British army into context”.
