October 18, 2004
Quantity and QualityNews
The UK is trying to encourage more Sikhs to join the British army. Why?
... at the time of First World War, Sikhs formed 20 per cent of the British army. That meant 100,000 Sikhs."In the 100 years to 1945, there were some 14 Victoria Crosses awarded to Sikhs. On a per capita basis, given the size of Sikh regiments, that must be a record for the entire British armed forces,"
Background:
Right now there are only around 100 Sikhs in the British armed forces, which is more than the US or Canadian militaries, but still not much in light of past levels of recruitment.
Only 1,354 Victoria Crosses have been awarded since the first in 1856. The Congressional Medal of Honor is the US counterpart to the VC; it's the highest award given out by the British.
p.s. No, I don't buy into notions of "martial races."
ennis on October 18, 2004 11:00 AM in News · T·r·a·c·k·b·a·c·k address · Direct link · Email post
On a per capita basis, given the size of Sikh regiments, that must be a record for the entire British armed forces
Dunno about that. I'd like to see how they stack up against the Gurkhas. From the article:
Twenty-Six, Victoria Crosses have been won by Gurkha Regiments. The Victoria Cross is the most honored and prestigious award for valor and heroism in the line of duty awarded by the British Government. Nepali Gurkhas have won thirteen Victoria Crosses, including countless other military awards. Below are extracts taken from some of these citations.