Page 47 - RADC Bulletin 2022

important as the larger forts either side were not in direct line of sight, so were dependent on Sargarhi to relay comms, which were
in the guise of heliography at the time.
The tribesmen recognised the strategic importance of this site and sought to disrupt
supply and communication routes to facilitate further assault on the neighbouring forts.
Vastly outnumbered, the 21 Sikh soldiers in the fort, led by Halvidar Ishar Singh refused
to surrender and fought to the death. An accurate report of the battle was recorded due to the actions of Sepoy Gurmukh Singh who signalled events to Fort Lockhart as they occurred. In a further astonishing display of valour and duty, his last transmission was to request permission to pick up his rifle and join his companions in battle.
Having destroyed Saragarhi, the Afghans turned their attention to Fort Gulistan, but they had been delayed too long, with British Indian reinforcements arriving before the fort could be captured. After it was retaken by the British, the burnt bricks of Saragarhi were used to make an obelisk for those fighters. This monument has long since been lost, so
it was hugely momentous to return to the area and build a makeshift memorial and adorn it with a plaque from the Defence Sikh Network. The offering of prayers, the roars
of the Sikh national anthem and the silent reflection that followed the Last Post was an incredibly moving and fitting way to cap this 125th anniversary.
We are grateful to the Pakistan Army
for acting as facilitators, to make this commemoration possible. It is something very few Sikhs will be able to experience, given the security risks and topography of this area, meaning it can only realistically be reached via the Lynx platform, upon which we travelled.
Although the commemoration at Sargarhi was our main effort, the delegation was also able to visit numerous places of Sikh heritage in Pakistan. This included the birth-place of the founder of the faith, Guru Nanak Dev Ji and the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the first king of the Sikh empire. These visits were meticulously planned by our hosts and conducted with full military escort. Given that we at one point drove through the village where the final hide-out of Osama bin Laden was discovered, this was entirely appropriate.
Furthermore, we were hosted for a drinks reception at the British High Commission in Islamabad. Our delegation also sat down with General Bajwa, the Chief of the Army Staff and also took in a tour of the Pakistan Military Academy, which trains the next generation of Pakistani Army Officers. This article can only give a flavour of our experiences which were far too numerous to detail in this bulletin.
Beyond the spiritual and historic experience which is so important to the moral component of fighting power, working in proximity to a Major General offered unique development opportunities for the conceptual development of our party. From the pre- exercise preparations to acting as MA to the General in military-to-military engagement activities, we were able to glean a deeper appreciation of how the MOD helps develop relationships with other countries to serve wider UK interests.
I hope this experience highlights the opportunities available in Defence, beyond the AMS, via the various networks whose aim it is to improve the lived experience for those employed across the MOD. The networks
are often not constrained by the usual rank and command structures we are familiar
with and can allow considerable freedom to aid personal development to bring about a significant tangible change. Ex NANKANA PILGRIM demonstrated how the MOD can leverage its proactive approach to D&I to develop military engagement opportunities with foreign nations.
This article ends as it began, with another over used maxim, ‘all good things come to those who wait.’ I was happily reunited with my suitcase some 6 weeks after our return.
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