Friday 14 February 2014

Welcome...

Welcome to our blog - we've given it a face lift as we head into a busy year of research, filmmaking and blogging.

Please do bookmark the page - you can also use the image below as a link button on your website or on social media to direct people to our main site.



* Many thanks to Jag Lall for the fantastic artwork.

Tuesday 11 February 2014

Thanks to Leinster Regiment Association

We love hearing from fellow military and history enthusiasts - so such a surprise to receive an email from Mr David Ball, one of the founders of the Leinster Regiment Association (visit their website here).

He responded to our last message and provided some fantastic cap badges for our research.  Mr Ball also provided some interest background to the Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment - a unit who's 2nd Battalion was formed in India.

Their website has a fantastic insight into the regimental history - which I'd suggest readers do check out.


And many thanks to David Ball!

Monday 10 February 2014

Regimental Cap Badges Needed!

With our research and work on explaining the Order of Battle of Sikh units during the Great War done - we're turning our attention to regimental badges.

We'd like your help in tracking down the cap badges of the following units.  If you have one or can send us a picture, please get in touch via this email.


2nd Lancers (Gardner’s Horse)
3rd Skinners Horse
4th Cavalry
6th King Edwards Own Cavalry
7th Hariana Lancers
9th Hodson’s Horse
12th Cavalry
13th Duke of Connaught’s Lancers (Watsons Horse)
20th Deccan Horse
21st Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry (Frontier Force) (Daly's Horse)
23rd Cavalry (Frontier Force)
25th Cavalry (Frontier Force)
29th Lancers (Deccan Horse)
30th Lancers (Gordon’s Horse)
31st Duke of Connaught’s Own Lancers
32nd Lancers
37th Lancers (Baluch Horse)
38th King Georges Own Central India Horse
Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides (Frontier Force) (Lumsden's Horse)

Saturday 8 February 2014

William Hague on Sikhs during WW1

Foreign Secretary William Hague MP paid tribute to the sacrifice of Sikhs during the Great War during his speech on 1984 in the Commons on 4th February 2014.

Here's the clip:


Monday 3 February 2014

Sikh Order of Battle

One of the key elements of "Sikhs At War" research has been to understand how the Sikh regiments were organised during the Great War.

This is important for a number of reasons.

Firstly, because it acknowledges the number of Sikhs that served.  Not just in the double-company and squadron system each regiment had - but also the overall number that were deployed.

Up to 126,000 Sikhs served from 1914 - 1918 in all 7 major arena's of the war.

Secondly, it enables us to see where the regiments were deployed by virtue of the Brigades and Divisions that were sent.

Sikhs didn't just go to France, but many many more went to Mesopotamia - as well as East Africa, Gallipoli, Palestine, Suez and the North West Frontier to defend India.

I'm pleased therefore that with our recent Kickstarter funding campaign we've been able to put into a short film format our research into the Order of Battle of Sikh Units in 1914.

We'll be releasing the full video shortly - but here's a teaser.

Many thanks to our designer Richard Stott for his valiant efforts creating this video map.


Sunday 2 February 2014

Sikh Regimental Badges required!


We've begun work on our next series of short films about Sikhs during the Great.

As we sift through our archives and research to tell the story of the contribution of the Sikhs - we'd like your help in researching the regiments and stories of those who fought.

Do you have an ancestor who was in the Great War?

Have you got photos, medals or stories of their service?

We'd like to hear from you!

Currently we're putting together research about Sikhs who fought - including a film about the medals they won and a compilation of regimental badges of all the Sikh units that fought across all 7 arena's of the Great War.

If you have any regimental badges (such as the one above, showing the Sikh Pioneers) please do get in touch with us.

You can email us via this email address.

* For any we do use there'll be a small fee paid upon delivery of high quality images.