Monument the culmination of dream for councillor

Wednesfield South Councillor Bhupinder Singh Gakhal has been working to get a monument put up in memory of the 36th Sikh Regiment and the Battle of Saragarhi in 1897.

He today spoke of his pride after Wolverhampton Council last week gave the go-ahead for land to be leased ready for the monument.

Councillor Gakhal said he was first inspired by the story of the 36th Sikh Regiment, who fought to the last man to defend their position at Saragarhi, when he was on holiday in India aged 14.

He said: "I popped into the State Nank of India with my mum and saw a calendar behind the bank manager with all these Sikh soldiers stood around these ruins.

"I was fascinated by it and asked him what the story was, to which he said this was an integral part of my history and told me to go and research this.

"I went and did that and it's been a passion of mine since, particularly when you know about Rourkes Drift and you watch Zulu, but not many people know about this battle."

Councillor Gakhal said he approached the Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Wednesfield with the idea for the monument, describing it as his burning desire to see the 21 soldiers remembered.

The Gurdwara committee agreed to fund the memorial, which will cost £100,000 and be located on the grounds adjacent to the Gurdwara and the Wednesfield Community Hub.

Councillor Ghakal said he felt the monument would be a suitable tribute to the soldiers of the 36th Sikh Regiment.

"I think it will be an absolutely fitting tribute to those brave soldiers who faced, according to historians, as many as 15,000 tribesman in that battle," he said.

"It will also be suitable for this area, which has the second largest population of Sikhs outside London, and a tremendous educational tool for people across the city.

"It is also the culmination of a lifetime ambition for me and will mean so much to see the monument here."

Having had the lease of the land approved by a Wolverhampton Cabinet (Resources) Panel meeting, the monument is scheduled to be officially unveiled on September 12 – the 124th anniversary of the battle.

The memorial is being created by Sandwell-based sculptor Luke Perry, who was asked to create the sculpture, having previously created the Lions of the Great War memorial, which stands out the Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Smethwick.