A national memorial to honour the sacrifices and contribution of Sikh soldiers who fought for Britain and its allies during the two World Wars is one step closer to reality.
The campaign, led by UK parliamentarian Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi received government and cross party support, witnessed at an event in British Parliament in London yesterday (30 Jan 2018). They have secured £375,000 in community funding commitments for the project.
“Great launch today in Parliament of a Sikh war memorial in central London remembering sacrifices of Sikh soldiers in world war 1 and 2. Thanks to @TanDhesi for leading on this and the @SikhWarMemorial trust. Great cross party support thankyou to @jeremycorbyn and @MayorofLondon,” tweeted fellow Sikh UK parliamentarian Preet Kaur Gill.
More than 83,000 turbaned Sikh soldiers gave their lives and more than 100,000 were injured during the wars.
“We are indebted to all those servicemen who volunteered to serve and fought to defend the freedoms we enjoy today,” said UK communities secretary Sajid Javid yesterday as he announced government backing for the new memorial in London.
“A Sikh war memorial in our nation’s capital will honour their sacrifice and ensure that this part of our shared history is never forgotten. So, I’m delighted to get behind this campaign and ensure its success,” he said.
In a tweet, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he ‘looked forward to supporting the work’ of the new trust in ‘lobbying for proper recognition of these courageous individuals’.
Tanmanjeet is Britain’s first turbaned Sikh MP while Preet made history as the first Sikh female. They were both elected in the 2017 snap general elections.
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