1) On September 12, 1897, 21 Sikh soldiers defended the Saragarhi signalling post against over 10,000 Pashtun and Orakzai tribesmen in a battle that lasted from 9am until the soldiers were overwhelmed in hand-to-hand combat. 2) Despite being severely outnumbered and having their ammunition depleted, the Sikh soldiers refused offers to surrender and fought bravely until every single soldier was killed. 3) For their extraordinary valor in battle against overwhelming odds, all 21 Sikh soldiers were posthumously awarded the Indian Order of Merit, the highest gallantry award at that time, corresponding to modern awards like the Victoria Cross.

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You would say, So, what’s special about Sep 12? Why should I remember it at all?
This is one day in the history of the world that the maximum number of gallantry
awards was conferred for a single day’s battle – 21!!! Each and every soldier
felicitated with the Indian Order of Merit (equivalent to the Param Vir Chakra of
today). The entire British Parliament gets up and in unison recognize the Valour of
these brave SIKH soldiers.
UNESCO recognizes eight great battles, of which two of them are the greatest last
stand battles. The Battle of Thermopylae captured on celluloid by Gerard Butler as
King Leonidas in the movie ‘300’. And the Battle of Saragarhi. 21 Sikh soldiers and
10,000 tribesmen assaulting them. Such skewed odds stacked against the 21
soldiers and what do they decide to do – stand up and fight!!!! Each one of them.
The year 1897.
The Forts on Samana Range
Saragarhi, is a small village in the border district of Kohat, in the Samana range in
present day Pakistan. After the seize of Malakand, the British had partially
succeeded to control the volatile area. However the tribal Pashtuns attacked the

2. British from time to time. During the Tirah campaign of 1897-1898, it was planned to
occupy a series of forts, originally built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, ruler of the Sikh
empire, to control and dominate the area.
Fort Lockhart on Samana range, Fort Gulistan on the Sulaiman range and as a
heliographic communication post, Fort Saragarhi, was created midway. It was
situated on a rocky edge, with a small block house, loopholes on the ramparts and a
signalling tower. On Apr 20, 1897, 36 SIKH was raised under Col J Cook. In Aug
1897 under Lt Col John Houghton five companies were dispatched to occupy these
forts. A general uprising began in 1897 and between Aug 27 and Sep 11, vigorous
efforts by the Pashtuns to capture these forts, which were thwarted. On 03 & 09 Sep,
the Afridi tribes attacked Fort Gulistan. A relief column from Fort Lockhart, on its
return trip reinforced the signal detachment at Saragarhi. The total strength at
Saragarhi along with this relief column rose to 1 NCO and 20 OR.
Hav Ishar Singh, The Commander
Sep12, 1897, a 10,000 strong Pashtun, Afridi and Orakzai tribes attacked the
signalling post to cut off communication between the forts. The details of the Battle
are considered accurate as Sep Gurmukh Singh signalled the events to Fort
Lockhart. Lt Col John Houghton, watched from Fort Lockhart, with his own eyes, and
counted at least 10 enemy standards (each representing 1,000 tribesmen) facing
Saragarhi.
What happened thereafter is what makes it a folklore. At around 9 am, Gurmukh
signals to Fort Lockhart, “Enemy approaching Main Gate. Need Reinforcements”.
Lt Col Houghton states he cannot send help to Saragarhi “and to hold on”. In the
Saragarhi post the bugle was sounded and in a flash the troops formed up two line
abreast, one row in front, in a squatting firing position and the other standing as per
the bugle’s tone. He speaks to the soldiers and gives them an option to move out

3. and join Fort Lockhart or stay and fight. Each one of them univocally expressed their
choice to stay and fight.
The troops were equipped with Martini Henry breech loading rifle, which at that time
was the standard British infantry rifle. The Sikhs had only recently received these
rifles, replacing the venerable Enfield. The rifle was capable of firing ten .303 calibre
rounds a minute, it proved to be more than a match to the antiquated muzzle loading
rifles possessed by the tribesmen. Each soldier had 400 rounds. But mere
superiority of the rifle was no match for the hordes that confronted Saragarhi. Hav
Ishar Singh, the Commander in location, decides to fight till the last and prevent
enemy from breaching the fort.
The defenders now stood ready to face the advancing enemy. Ten thousand
tribesmen of the enemy against just 21 of the defenders. Artillery pounded their
position. The tribesmen had planned to overrun the Saragarhi post and move onto
Fort Gulistan.
The Bravehearts
Though the rifle had an effective range of 600 yards, Havildar Ishar Singh held his
fire, allowing the enemy to come closer, the better to deal with them. “Fire”, he
yelled, when the enemy was just 250 yards from the post. The massed fire effect
was deadly and the leading lot of the enemy crumpled to the dust. “Reload”, ordered
Ishar and then the next volley was fired. But the enemy was not to be halted and the
following lots of the enemy continued to advance towards the post. “Reload and Fire
at Will”, ordered Ishar Singh and a hail of bullets soon followed the command. The

4. ding dong battle continued till the first wave of attacks was beaten back and the
enemy forced to regroup. The first wave of the enemy had fallen, but there were
countless waves behind them. It would be but a matter of time before the hordes
were at the gate.
In the first assault, Sep Bhagwan Singh and Lal Singh are seriously injured. Firing
from one loophole to another, they beat back the first wave and hold on till noon. Sep
Jiwa and Lal Singh bring in the dead body of Bhagwan Singh to the inner sanctum.
The Pathans now changed their strategy, and approached the post from two
directions., one towards the main gate and the other towards the gap at the fort. To
counter the charging enemy, Havildar Ishar Singh gave his next set of commands.
“Squatting Soldiers to the Left, Standing Soldiers to the Right, QUICKLY, QUICKLY.
The tribals launch a second attack and breached the picket wall. The Afghan leaders
promise the soldiers to entice them to surrender. Another attack fails. There is no
question of surrender. And by early evening the inner wall is breached. By now the
post has run out of all their ammunition. The tribesmen pour into the inner sanctum.
Some of the fiercest hand-to-hand battle takes place. Hav Ishar Singh orders his
men to fall back into the block house, while he continues to fight. The soldiers refuse
and remain fighting alongside their leader. Fighting with their bayonets and kirpans.
Sep Gurmukh Singh, who communicated the battle to Lt Col Haughton, was the last
Sikh defender. He signs off his communication and goes to fight and is claimed to
have killed 20 Afghans. The Pashtuns having to set fire to the post to kill him. As he
was dying he was said to have yelled repeatedly the Sikh battle cry, “Bole so Nihal,
Sat Sri Akal” (shout aloud in ecstasy, True is the Great Timeless one). Akal,
meaning immortal.
Having destroyed Saragarhi, the Afghans turned to Fort Gulistan, but they had been
delayed far too long and reinforcements had arrived. Some 500 bodies are said to
have been seen around the ruined post when the relief party arrived. The planning
figures for any offensive is to the ratio of 1:3. It goes up to 1:9 in the mountains. At
Saragarhi the ratio was 1:500!!!!!!

5. All the 21 soldiers who laid down their lives in the Battle of
Saragarhi were posthumously awarded the Indian Order of Merit, the highest
gallantry award that time; corresponding to the Victoria Cross and the Param Vir
Chakra of today. Till date this is the highest number of gallantry awards given
for a single day battle in the world. When the details of the battle were read in the
British Parliament, the entire house rose in unison and paid homage to the valiant
soldiers. The SIKH Regiment continues to celebrate Sep 12 each year, the day of
the Battle of Saragarhi, as the Regimental Battle Honours Day. The battle is taught
in the Schools of Punjab and in France’s National School curriculum.
A number of you questioned me why would the soldier lay down his life? Why would
they unflinchingly display such acts of valour? What makes them tick? I’ll answer
them in my next communique. Till then ‘Bole so Nihal, Sat Sri Akal’.