On Friday 6th November, it was reported that a nine-foot-tall bronze statue of a 19th century Sikh will be created and placed at a Wolverhampton temple.
The memorial statue aims to commemorate the valiant efforts of of Havildar Ishar Singh who led 20 Sikh troopers against the 10,000 Afghan tribesmen in September 1897 in the forgotten Battle of Saragarhi. It is likely to be sculpted by Black Country artist Luke Perry of Industrial Heritage Stronghold.
Members of the City of Wolverhampton Council cabinet resources panel are expected to agree to transfer authority owned land to the Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Well Lane, Wednesfield, Birmingham Mail reported. The Sikh temple is looking to unveil the Saragarhi Monument in September 2021. And councillors at Wolverhampton Metropolis Council are anticipated to approve proposals at a gathering on November 11 to lease land to the gurdwara for putting in the statue.
A report to committee noted, "We were approached by representatives of the Gurdwara for the proposed siting of a memorial statue and plaque which represented a tribute to the 36th Sikh Regiment and the 21 soldiers who lost their lives in the Battle of Saragarhi. Following a consultation, a suitable location was identified for the siting of the statue. The proposed site will be sympathetically landscaped in part and subsequently maintained by the Gurdwara for the duration of the lease which is currently subject to grounds maintenance as undertaken by the council.
"The asset could alternatively remain as is, but this would be at the detriment of losing an excellent opportunity to utilise the land for the siting of a memorial monument that represents an important part of history which has significant importance to not only residents of Wednesfield, but throughout the city."
The 21 troopers from the 36th (Sikh) Regiment of Bengal Infantry made a valiant final stand combating for over six hours with 180 to 200 Pathan tribesmen dead. The gurdwara congregation has up to now raised £50,000 of the £100,000 for the statue. This initiative is led by Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, originally from Jalandhar.
Speaking to The Print, he said, “This can be a very proud second for the Sikh neighborhood as as soon as it’s erected will probably be there for generations to come back. These 21 Sikhs may have run away however they didn’t and fought to the final man. The British Empire recognised their sacrifice. There is a gentleman in New York who seemed one of the surviving family of the 21 troopers and did portrait photos of them based mostly on that.”
