2014

The 2014 Sikhpoint Calendar, Legacy of Valour, marks the 100th anniversary of World War I by looking at Sikh involvement in both World Wars. Images come from the Singh Twins' Twin Studio Sikh Image Archive.

Although Sikhs were about 2% of India's population, they made up around 20% of the British Indian Army volunteer force. About 100,000 Sikhs served in the Great War alone. Across both wars more than 80,000 turbaned Sikhs were killed and over 100,000 wounded. General Sir Frank Messervy put the figures at 83,005 killed and 109,045 wounded, often with no head protection but the turban.

The year also includes Canadian Sikh soldiers of WWI, researched by David R. Gray: ten Sikhs among twelve men of Indian descent who enlisted, including Sunta Gouger Singh, killed near Kemmel in 1915, and Buckam Singh, wounded at Vimy Ridge. Whether fighting with the Allied armies or in the Indian National Army, Sikhs in this year's account fight for justice, equality, and freedom.