Thursday 15 May 2014

Comrades of WW1

We get a lot of questions and messages on Twitter via @SikhsAtWar

One such person is Marika Pirie from Canada, who shared with us this rare postcard showing a British and Indian soldier.

The individual on the right is a Sikh, the beard and turban certainly show this to be the case.  But the chakkar on the turban seems more crescent shaped that circular - highly likely a mistake on the part of the artist.

If you have any images you'd like to share with us on this blog - please do so via dothyphen1 @gmail.com


2 comments:

  1. The turban and beard was sported not just by the Sikhs but also by the Punjabi Muslims, Jats, Pathans. The crescent pagri badge has been used by regiments such as the 26th Punjabis and the 33rd Punjabis at different stages in their history. It would be incorrect to conclusively say that the artist made a mistake and that the man in the postcard is most definitely a Sikh.

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  2. The man in the photo is most definitely a Sikh depiction - the turban style and unshorn beard are reflective of that and not in any likening to that showing a PM, Jat or Pathan of which there are many other examples.

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