Sikhs and Gallipoli

ANZAC Day Wellington 25 April 2004

(Blue and saffron wreath laid by New Zealand Sikh Society (Wellington) Inc.)

New Zealand Sikh Society (Wellington) Inc. participates in the ANZAC Day Parade (25 April) to commemorate New Zealanders killed in war and to honour returned servicemen and women.

The landing of troops at Gallipoli is equally important from a Sikh perspective.

During the First World War 1914, there were six Sikh battalions that were a part of the British Army.
These battalions were 14th Sikhs, 15th Sikhs, 35th Sikhs, 36th Sikhs, 45th Sikhs and 47th Sikhs.
14th Sikhs was despatched to Gallipoli to help 2nd Royal Fusiliers who faced a tough resistance from the Turks.
14th Sikhs wrote a glorious chapter in this battle when they captured two Turkish Trench lines named as J-11 and J-13. (Two photographs of Sikh troops with captured Turkish troops are available at Alexander Turnbull Library. ref: F 77922-1/2 and F 140147-1/2)

A wreath was laid at Cenotaph Wellington on behalf of New Zealand Sikh Society (Wellington) Inc by Paramjit Singh, Anoop Singh and Gurtej Singh on 25 April 2004.