Sikh soldiers pivotal in world war victories

Oct 28, 2016 | 5:28 PM

KAMLOOPS — It is two weeks from Remembrance Day, a time when people reflect on the contributions of Canadian soldiers, many of them white men. 

But victories in both the First and Second World Wars came from the efforts of many other countries around the world, including India, which sent more than two million soldiers to fight for the British Army during World War Two. 89,000 were killed.

Harmandir Multani and Pyara Singh Lotay know they’re here today because of the contributions of the thousands of soldiers who served, including their family members who took part. Multani’s grandfather, Puran Singh Khaira, was on the frontlines in each of the two world wars. 

“It did make him sad because he did lose friends, and the hardships quite a lot, and he missed a lot of his children growing up,” says Multani, who heard many stories from her grandfather growing up.

Khaira enlisted as a young teenager in the calvary, around 14 years old, always interested in the military. It took him to many parts of India, and eventually the world. 

By the time World War One began, he already had four children, but was shipped off to Palestine — what is now modern day Israel —- to fight for the British Army. 

“He was very aware that things were going to change in Palestine, and very soon after they did.”

Two decades later, he was on the frontlines again — one of about 2.3 million Indian soldiers fighting during the Second World War. This time, he was stationed in italy.

“There were people getting killed from India, so it was more as a protection,” says Multani. “The fear that the war may spread that far because it had already reached Japan. There was a big fear that it may cross over to India, so more from a nationalist, patriotic point of view of protecting India.”

While many Indians were fighting on the frontlines in Europe, other battles were unfolding in northern Africa, Lotay’s uncle was serving. 

His dad was based in Kenya, a foreman who helped fix armoured vehicles and also drove supplies to the battle grounds in North Africa. 

“They had a supply line all the way up to Abyssinia, where they were fighting the Italians in the Second World War. They had to take supplies and equipment all the way up and then came back,” says Lotay.

Lotay’s father would do that until the war ended. While his father went unharmed, his uncle wasn’t so lucky. 

“He got shot in the thigh in the war and he was hospitalized for almost a year,” says Lotay.

He survived but never was the same. But all those sacrifices by the Indian soldiers, many thousands of others, were worth it, as the Allies came out victorious. 

“I’m very proud of him, but I wish I had paid more attention to what he was, and how much he gave up to keep us safe and how lucky we were,” says Multani.

Shortly after the war, India gained independence from the Brits in 1947, a proud moment for Multani’s grandfather, who fought for human rights. 

Today, both Multani and Lotay are filled with pride over their family’s contributions to world peace, and the life they enjoy in Kamloops. 

“We are so fortunate. I still give the credit to people like my grandfather and father, and the soldiers here now in Canada who are there. It’s because of them that we are enjoying the kind of life we have now. We cannot take it for granted,” says Multani.

Lotay adds that on Remembrance Day, the family “pays respect and homage to people who made it possible for the world to become a better place. We see the world moving in the right direction, and hopefully this will mean there won’t be wars again.”