Bongosamaj Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 Saragarhi....our very own Thermopylae, strange that we don't know much about it ourselves but is one of the focus topics in the French schooling system for a case study in valor. Date : September 12, 1897 Location : Tirah, NWFP ( currently in Pakistan, in 1897, part of british empire). Synopsis: Saragarhi is/was a communication post located on the bleak Samarna range, consisting of a small block house with loop-holed ramparts(dunno WTF that means btw) and a communication tower. Saragarhi was/is situated between Fort Lockhart and Fort Gulistan and at 9:00 am Sept 12th, 1897, 10,000 Afghan soldiers launched a surprise attack on Saragarhi, which was defended by Havaldar Ishar Singh, with 20 soldiers from the 36th Sikh Regiment. Ishar Singh signalled for help to Fort Lockhart but Col. Haughten, situated at Ft. Lockhart, could not send immediate releif because of total encirclement of Saragarhi and the road leading to it by the Afghan soldiers. Ishar Singh ordered his soldiers to prevent the fall of Saragarhi at any cost, since the fall of Saragarhi would make Ft. Lockhard unteneble and jeopardize significant portion of NWFP to the Afghan control. After hours of intense fighting & repelling the repeated failed charges of the Afghan military to force the Saragarhi main gate, Afghans finally managed to break through & capture the post. But in meantime, the British forces has attacked the rear of the Afghan forces, trying to open a path to Sargarhi & come to its rescue. When the British arrived, the Afghans fled, since they had no time to consolidate their position in Saragarhi due to the extreme bravery of Ishar Singh and his 20 men. The Afghans won the battle but it was a Pyrrhic victory for them, for the Afghans lost 4800 soldiers to the 21 Sikhs in Saragarhi, who ultimately were forced to fight hand-to-hand in close quarters due to completely expending all their ammunition. Ultimately, Havaldar Ishar Singh and his 20 men all died in the defence of Saragarhi. the courage of the soldiers of the 36th Sikh Regiment was recognized in the House of Lords and House of commons, when both stood to a standing ovation for the dead soldiers. Each and every soldier was awarded the Indian Order of Merit, the memorial equivalent of the Victoria Cross of its day (highest recognition to a soldier given by UK) and the Param Vir Chakra of India today. The recipients were : 1. Havaldar Ishar Singh 2. Nayak Lal Singh 3. Lance Nayak Chandra Singh 4. Sepoy Sundar Singh 5. " Ram Singh 6. " Uttar Singh 7. " Sahib Singh 8. " Hira Singh 9. " Daya Singh 10. " Jivan Singh 11. " Bhola Singh 12. " Narayan Singh 13. " Gurmukh Singh 14. " Jivan Singh 15" Gurmukh Singh 16 " Bhagwan Singh 17 " Bhagwan Singh 18 " Bhuta Singh 19. " Nand Singh 20 " Jivan Singh ---------------- The 300 ? Sparta ? f*ck sparta - we have the 36th Sikh Regiment- our very own Spartan invincibles. I tip my hat to them :hatsoff: For more details, here is the link : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Saragarhi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theguyinallblue Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 so roughly 1 Khalsa killed 220 Muslims and Pathans... :haha:.. so called warrior tribe...:hysterical:.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apocalypse Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 Also We cant forget the Battle of Longewala Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gs Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 so roughly 1 Khalsa killed 220 Muslims and Pathans... :haha:.. so called warrior tribe...:hysterical:.. Jeez man!! What a strike rate?!?!!! :two_thumbs_up: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bongosamaj Posted November 7, 2007 Author Share Posted November 7, 2007 so roughly 1 Khalsa killed 220 Muslims and Pathans... :haha:.. so called warrior tribe...:hysterical:.. HA! close but its actually higher. Sepoy Gurmukh Singh ( dunno which Gurmukh- there were 2 in that defence) was the radio officer, who was busy communicating with Ft. Lockhard till 3pm in the afternoon ( six hours after the battle had started) and he requested permission to close down the signal post and use his rifle at 15:00 hrs, saying all his comrades are dead- he was granted permission and according to the Afghan commander Gul Badshah, Gurmukh Singh killed 20 Afghan soldiers before being burnt alive in the signal post by the Afghans, who lit bushes on fire and shoved them inside. So, one man takes out 20, 20 other men take out 4780 So roughly, it works out to 240 Afghans per Sikh in that fight. :two_thumbs_up: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dhondy Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 As I never tire of saying- don't mess with the Sikhs. A single rebellion in the 1980s nearly brought India to its knees, and it took another Sikh to quell the unrest. India's enemies are mortally afraid of these guys- they give a toss for their own lives- remember Guru Gobind singh and his sons? You can't "become" brave. It's something in your genes, the valour and lack of fear, anxiety and pettyness in your parents' eyes growing up that inculcates intrepidity. Not for nothing do the Sikhs give the impression of enjoying life to iits fullest, with a "kiss-my-ass" attitude that makes for equal measures of envy, admiration and fury. Clone them, I say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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