Battle of Saragarhi

The Battle of Saragarhi was a significant military engagement in 1897. It occurred during the Tirah Campaign in the Samana Range. This area was then part of the North-West Frontier Province of British India. Today, this location is in present-day Pakistan. The battle involved the British Indian Empire and various Afghan tribesmen. It is remembered as a profound example of a last-stand defense.

Saragarhi served a very specific technical purpose. It was a heliographic communication post. A heliograph is a device that uses mirrors to send signals via sunlight. The post sat on a rocky ridge between two larger forts. These were Fort Lockhart on the Samana Range and Fort Gulistan on the Sulaiman Range. Because the two forts could not see each other, Saragarhi was built midway. The post consisted of a small block house with loop-holed ramparts and a signaling tower.

The soldiers at the post belonged to the 36th Sikhs. This unit was created in April 1894 under Colonel J. Cook. The regiment was composed entirely of Jat Sikhs. In August 1897, five companies were sent to the frontier. They were stationed at several locations, including Saragarhi. The outpost was reinforced just before the battle. It held three non-commissioned officers and eighteen other ranks. This brought the total number of defenders to 21 Sikh soldiers.

On 12 September 1897, the attack began around 09:00. An estimated 6,000 to 10,000 Afghans reached the post. Some estimates suggest up to 24,000 tribesmen were in the area. Sepoy Gurmukh Singh used the heliograph to signal Fort Lockhart. He informed Colonel John Haughton that they were under attack. Haughton replied that immediate help could not be sent. The 21 soldiers chose to fight to the end. They wanted to prevent the enemy from reaching the main forts.

The combat was extremely intense and involved hand-to-hand fighting. The attackers tried to rush the gate twice. They eventually breached a portion of the wall. Havildar Ishar Singh ordered his men to fall back to an inner layer. He stayed behind to cover their retreat. The defenders used older generation weapons. This was a policy used after the Indian Mutiny of 1857. The Afghans used Martini-Henry rifles. Some of these were copies made by local gunsmiths near the Khyber Pass.

By the end of the engagement, all 21 soldiers had died. Gurmukh Singh was the last survivor. He requested permission to pick up his rifle. He then held the door of his signaling shed. The Pashtun forces eventually set fire to the post. The battle had a heavy cost for both sides. The Pashtun forces lost about 180 men. The entire campaign saw around 4,800 total casualties. When the relief party arrived, they found about 600 bodies around the ruins.

The legacy of the battle is preserved through many honors. All 21 soldiers were posthumously awarded the Indian Order of Merit. At that time, this was the highest gallantry award for Indian soldiers. It is considered equivalent to the modern Param Vir Chakra. The Sikh Regiment commemorates the event every year on 12 September. This is known as Saragarhi Day.

Memorials exist in several locations to honor the fallen. The British built two gurdwaras, which are Sikh temples. One is in Amritsar and another is in Ferozepur. The burnt bricks from the post were used to make an obelisk. The story is also a part of military history in the United Kingdom. The battle has been featured in exhibitions and discussed by military leaders. In the United Kingdom, a bronze statue of Ishar Singh was planned for Wolverhampton. The battle remains a symbol of courage in Sikh and military history.