Battle of Saragarhi

Background. In August 1897, five companies of the 36th Sikhs under Lieutenant Colonel John Haughton were deployed to the northwest frontier of British India. The Saragarhi post, situated on a rocky ridge, consisted of a small block house with loop-holed ramparts and a signalling tower. A general uprising by the Afghans began there in 1897, and between 27 August and 11 September, many vigorous efforts by Pashtuns to capture the forts were thwarted by the 36th Sikhs. On 3 and 9 September, Afridi tribesmen allied with the Afghans attacked Fort Gulistan; both attacks were repulsed, and a relief column from Fort Lockhart reinforced the Saragarhi signalling detachment.

The Engagement. On 12 September 1897, an estimated 12,000–24,000 Orakzai and Afridi tribesmen were seen near Gogra, Samana Suk, and Saragarhi, cutting off Fort Gulistan from Fort Lockhart. Around 09:00, approximately 6,000–10,000 Afghans reached the signalling post. Havildar Ishar Singh ordered his men to fall back into the inner layer while he remained to cover their retreat. The 21 soldiers, all Sikhs, refused to surrender and were wiped out in a last stand. Sepoy Gurmukh Singh, the last surviving defender, communicated the battle to Haughton as a signalman.

Aftermath. The Pashtuns later admitted that they had lost about 180 killed and many more wounded during the engagement against the 21 Sikh soldiers. The 21 Sikh non-commissioned officers and soldiers who died were from the Majha region of Punjab and were posthumously awarded the Indian Order of Merit, the highest gallantry award for an Indian soldier at that time. A tablet was erected to the memory of the twenty-one men, recording their heroism and loyalty.