Sikhs in the British Indian Army

One of the earliest Sikh regiments of the British Indian Army was the Regiment of Ferozepur, also called the 14th Sikhs, formed in 1846. After annexation of the Punjab in 1849, the British inherited the old Sikh Army, which consisted of 60,000 soldiers who were now out of work. Whilst this provided a possibility of recruiting these unemployed Sikh soldiers into the Bengal Army, the governor-general cautioned against doing-so as he was concerned about the Sikhs rising up in rebellion against the British once again, as had happen earlier in Multan in 1848. Battle of Saragarhi The Battle of Saragarhi is considered one of the great battles in Sikh military history.{{cite web ==World War I==

Known afterwards as the Lions of the Great War, during the war they were often called the Black Lions. Sikhs were allowed to use traditional Sikh weapons such as chakrams and talwar swords, and it was not uncommon to see the Sikh Holy Scriptures; The 11th Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, being carried before a marching Sikh battalion or even on the front lines among the battling Sikh troops. ==World War II==

Battle of Malaya The strength of the army in Malaya was 104,625 troops. Sikhs represented more than 60 percent of the total Indian force that fought against the Japanese invasion of Malaysia and Singapore. Burma Campaign Sikhs served with distinction in repelling the attempted invasion of India by the Japanese, and subsequently in dislodging them from Burma (now Myanmar). Italian Campaign Sikhs served with distinction during the Allied invasion of Italy. North Africa ==In popular culture==

• Diljit Dosanjh stars as the main protagonist in Punjabi-language Sajjan Singh Rangroot, which takes place in the British Raj and follows his journey of serving in the British Indian Army in WWI. • Guspy Aujla and Dev Dhillon released Punjabi song "Sher Soorma" which highlights SIkh bravery in the World Wars • In the 2019 movie 1917, Nabhaan Rizwan plays Sepoy Jondalar, a Sikh soldier in the Indian Army. • In the 1996 movie The English Patient, Naveen Andrews plays Kirpal (Kip) Singh, a Sikh soldier who is a sapper, or bomb disposal expert, and works for the British Army in World War II. Kip is from Punjab, India, and volunteers for the British military under Lord Suffolk. • BBC aired a program highlighting Sikh's contributions to both World Wars, titled "Rememberence - The Sikh Story", featuring Mohinder Singh Pujji. • In the 2019 movie Kesari, Akshay Kumar plays Havildar Ishar Singh, a Sikh soldier who led an army of 21 Sikhs fought against 10,000 Afghans in 1897 at the Battle of Saragarhi. ==Gallery==

Image:Indian_sikh_soldiers_in_Italian_campaign.jpg|Indian Sikh soldiers in Italian campaign. Image:Sikh_soldier_with_captured_Swastika_flag.jpg|Sikh soldier with captured Swastika flag Image:A company of 15th Sikhs (Photo 24-77).jpg|A company of 15th Sikhs at Le Sart, France 1915 Image:Group of British and Indian officers, 15th Sikhs (Photo 24-76).jpg|A company of 15th Sikhs at Le Sart, France 1915 Image:John George Smyth VC drawing.jpg|John George Smyth VC drawing ==See also==