Battle of Saragarhi

01The post between two forts

In 1897 the frontier tribes rose against British rule along the Afghan border. On the Samana ridge stood two old forts of Ranjit Singh’s time, Fort Lockhart and Fort Gulistan, and between them the small stone post of Saragarhi, kept to pass heliograph signals from one to the other. It was held by 21 men of the 36th Sikhs, today the 4th Battalion of the Sikh Regiment, under Havildar Ishar Singh.

02The last stand

On the morning of 12 September 1897 a great tribal force, which British accounts put in the thousands, surrounded Saragarhi to cut the line between the forts. The 21 refused to surrender. They held the walls for hours as the attackers tried again and again, until the tribesmen broke through a corner of the wall. Sepoy Gurmukh Singh, the signaller, flashed the course of the fight to Fort Lockhart until the end, then asked leave to take up his rifle. Fort Lockhart could see the post but could not reach it. Every defender was killed.

03Saragarhi Day

The stand held up the tribesmen long enough for Fort Gulistan to hold out until a relief column arrived two days later. All 21 men were awarded the Indian Order of Merit, then the highest gallantry award an Indian soldier could receive. Memorial gurdwaras were built at Ferozepur and Amritsar. The Sikh Regiment marks 12 September every year as Saragarhi Day.