Canada to honour Sikh soldiers with commemorative stamp

The Canadian government will release a commemorative stamp this Sunday to honour over 100 years of service of Sikh soldiers to the national military.

The stamp, drafted by Canada Post, also pays tributes to the Sikhs currently serving in the Canadian Armed Forces and will be released at a special ceremony during the Remembrance Day event which the Sikh community marks annually on November 2.

“The Canadian Government has announced the release of a commemorative stamp in honour of Sikh Canadian soldiers. Produced by Canada Post, the stamp will be unveiled during the 18th Annual Sikh Remembrance Day ceremony hosted by the Sikh community on November 2. The Canada Post stamp recognises the contributions of Sikh soldiers who have served in the Canadian military for over 100 years, dating back to the First World War when 10 Sikh soldiers were first accepted into service. It also pays tribute to the Sikhs serving in the Canadian Armed Forces today,” former MP Tarlochan Singh said on Thursday.

The Remembrance Day ceremony, he said, was the apt occasion to release the stamp for the public for the first time as this is the ceremony which salutes the memory of Sikh soldiers who sacrificed their lives fighting alongside the allies of Canada in the world wars as part of the British Indian Army.

The Remembrance Day is annually marked at the grave of Private Bukkan Singh, the only known military grave of a Sikh soldier in Canada from the world wars.

Historical records show that only 10 Sikh soldiers were accepted when thousands pursued joining the Canadian army at the start of the First World War. Private Buckam Singh was one of them and fought with the 20th Canadian Infantry Battalion in France and Belgium. He was wounded and died at a Canadian military hospital in Kitchener Ontario in 1919. Singh was buried with full military honours and his 106-year-old grave now serves as the location for the annual Sikh Remembrance Day ceremony on November 2.

Canada had earlier issued two commemorative stamps in the honour of the Sikh community. On April 19, 1999, André Ouellet, Chairman of the Board of Directors for Canada Post Corporation, announced a commemorative stamp in conjunction with the 300th anniversary of Baisakhi.

The stamp featured the Khanda, a symbol inherent to the Sikh flag.