On the occasion of the visit to Canada by Queen Elizabeth II,
Lt Col Pritam Singh Jauhal who is no stranger to the Queen after
their historic meeting in Victoria, following the Canadian Legion
turban controversy, writes that Sikhs and their turbans have played
an important role in their relation to the British Empire other
than ignorant Canadian Legionnaires - Sikhs and their turbans
have commanded great respect from the British including the Monarchy
During the two Anglo-Sikh wars in nineteenth century, Sikhs
fought with great ferocity displaying utmost valour and fighting
professionalism against mighty British Forces. Consequently, the
British approached the Sikhs to join the Indian Army under the
British Rule. The Sikhs accepted the offer on condition that they
shall be permitted to wear turbans with uniforms.
The Queen’s Aide Simon Gimson in a letter dated Jan 13,
1994 to Lt Col Pritam Singh Jauhal wrote “ Thank you for
your letter about wearing of turbans in the Canadian Legion building
on Remembrance Day. Her Majesty has noted the contents of your
letter and understands the concern which prompted you to write.
I am directed to forward your letter to the headquarters of the
Royal Canadian Legion at Ottawa so that they may be aware of your
approach to the Queen..
The Queen at a Royal Tea Party given in Her honour by the Government
of British Columbia, at Victoria on August 20, 1994, chatted with
five Indian Army turbaned invited Veteran guests - namely Lt Col
Pritam Singh Jauhal, H/Capt Mehar Singh Baring, H/Fly Offr Harbhajan
Singh Minhas, Subedar Puran Singh Saran and Havildar Waryam Singh
Bains and inquired if they were denied admittance to Canadian
Legion buildings on Remembrance Day in 1993? I responded in affirmative.
She also made inquiries about their war efforts and many shiny
medals which they were wearing across their chests.
The Queen‘s Aide Robin Janvrin in a letter dated Septeember
13, 1991 to John Peppus of Surrey, wrote “ I confirm that
many Sikhs have been invited to Buckingham Palace over the years.
They were not asked to remove their turbans.”
The Queen’s Aide Kenneth Scott in a letter dated December
17, 1991 to Ram Raghbir Singh Chahal of World Sikh Organization
of Canada wrote “I can assure you that there would be no
question of asking a Sikh to remove his turban in the Queen’s
presence“.
Joseph Davey Cunnigham in his book ‘History of the Sikhs’
wrote “in a statement to his Sikhs, the tenth Guru, Guru
Gobind Singh said that a Sikh who put a cap ….on his head
shall die seven deaths of dropsy.”
An excerpt of a letter by General Sir Reginald Arthur Savroy,
a Lieut General in the British Army, published in a newspaper
on August 30,1973, is illustrative of both the intensity of belief
in the requirement to wear the turban, and also that in other
times and places more tolerance was shown. The General said “I
served with the Sikhs for 25 years and I know something of them.
In the old Indian Army, there was never so much as a hint that
Sikhs in the interest of uniformity on parade, should discard
their turbans and shave their beards. This would have been to
invite mutiny. So strong were their convictions as to turbans
that even in battle, they disdained the protection of the steel
helmets.”
Geiles Morgan, a Legion representative of London, England said
“ The Royal British Legion members have always been able
to wear whatever religious head-dress they wanted.” Vice
Neal, a Doorman at the Shard End in Birmingham , England said
“ Any Ex-Services Club in Britain will allow Jews ands Sikhs
to keep their head-gear on”.
Following re the extracts from booklet “The Turban Victory”
written by Mr Sydney Bidwell M P Ealing Southall, England who
recorded the process by which his bill to exempt turban-wearing
followers of the Sikh religion from the requirement to wear crash-helmet
when riding a motor cycle, was introduced in the British Parliament
on Jan 238, 1975, discussed, passed and the Royal; Assent given
on November 15, 1976:-
a) I have received a letter from a former General to say that
he has known of a Sikh plucking bullets out of his hair and turban
and no one ever thought of trying to enforce a situation where
he had to wear any other kind of head-gear.
b) There must be no doubt that the long coiled hair and the
turban go together as one of the five Ks, they are called, one
of the articles of the religion dating back over 500 years. Definitions
have clearly been made by the Gurus from time to time.
c) In the battle time, the Sikhs had never been called upon to
discard his turban in favour of the war hat or tin helmet worn
by other soldiers under battle fire. It has been known for bullets
to lodge in the hair of Sikhs. No one would care, if at any time,
a Sikh was not wearing a tin hat.
d) At present, the long hair and turban are freely accepted
in the three Services of the British Armed Forces. I cannot imagine
that a true Sikh is ever told that his services are no longer
required in any shape or form.
e) Uniformed caps and helmets are not enforced against the Sikhs’
religious belief.
f) The turban is tolerated on building sites, where other employees
are required to wear standard hard hat for reasons of safety.
Large building firms like Costain have made have made exception
for the Sikhs.
g) Long hair and several yards of cloth in the turban is a form
of head protection and could in certain circumstances prove to
be even better protection than some ill-fitting helmets.
h) In Post Offices and in the Police Forces, turbaned Sikhs
are tolerated. Seldom was the turban question raised by employers
and workpeople.
i ) There is a rich British-Sikh military tradition whereby
in time of war, the Sikhs proudly wore their long hair and turban
goes with it.
Mr Churchill Stetford M.P said: When we needed Sikhs to standby
us, they did so and in the case of too many, died beside us in
the two World Wars to enable us to live in the freedom we today
enjoy. We did not then require them to wear steel helmets in the
front line of battle. If it was sufficient to do that when we
needed them in a desperate situation, the least we owe them now
that sort of crisis is past, is to continue respecting these traditions.
Lord Avebury speaking in the House of Lords in London England
said:
a) There is absolutely no doubt whatsoever, that the wearing
of a turban is an essential part of the Sikh religion. The ten
Gurus, the founders of the Sikh religion and the architects, all
wore turbans themselves.
b) In the Holy Book Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the first Sikh Guru,
Guru Nanak Dev Ji instructs his followers “ Keep the God-given
form intact with a turban on your head.”
c) The turban of the Sikhs is not merely a head-dress. It is
inseparably connected with the Sikhs’ baptism and ’
Code Of Conduct’.
d) If one turns to the case of motor-cyclists elsewhere in the
Commonwealth, there has been an exemption for Sikhs. That is certainly
true in the countries from which I have been able to obtain information
- Saskatchewan, the requirement that Sikhs should wear a Crash-helmet
was ruled unconstitutional in the Supreme Court on the ground
that it would interfere with the practice of religion.
Lord Mowbray Stourton speaking in the House of Lords said:
a) We must not forget that during the two World Wars, Sikh troops
in the forces of the British Empire were not forced to wear steel
helmets.
b) We have already in two World Wars allowed the Sikhs to fight
for us, in units organized, commanded, led and paid for by the
Crown, and they have died for the Crown wearing their turbans.
If we had forced them to wear helmets, we would have immediately
deprived ourselves of the Sikh services.
c) Sikhs made supreme sacrifices fighting side by side with
us during two World Wars, to help us to secure our national survival.
We must acknowledge our undying debt to the Sikh people. These
are the ties and debts we must remember in all our relations with
Sikhs.
d) In the Indian Army today, Sikh troops have been exempted
from the regulation of protective head-gear.
e) Sikhs are very courageous fighters. To recount just one incident
in their glorious history, on July 4, 1915, a Sikh Battalion went
into the battle of Gallipoli, France with 10 officers and 700
men. At the end of the day, 2 officers and 70 men survived. During
World War II, 112,000 volunteered, and that does not include the
substantial numbers who were already serving in the Indian Army
before 1939.
f) General Sir Reginald Arthur Savory, who as a Subaltern took
part in Gallipoli engagement and who was later Colonel-in-Chief
of the Sikh Regiment had said “In hour of our need, we did
not press the matter of head-gear on the Sikhs. It would be downright
ignoble I guess, to press it now.
Earl Grey speaking in the House of Lords in London, England
said:
a) When World War II was declared, a military order was issued
that every soldier of the Indian Army shall wear a steel helmet.
The Sikhs refused to fight, if they were compelled to comply with
that, and the order was withdrawn in their favour.
b) Colonel Hugh commanded a Punjab Regiment. He said “
Sikhs wore their head-dress and there were no more head injuries
in the battalion than any other battalion wearing steel helmets.
c) There is a story of a noble Viscount Lord Monckton of Brenchley,
England, concerning a Sikh who bicycled diligently from Singapore
to Great Britain to join the 10th Hussars. When he arrived at
Tidworth, the question arose as to whether the Sikh would be able
to wear his turban. The noble Viscount, who was then a Brigadier
referred the question to the late Duke of Gloucester who was the
Commander-in-Chief, who said “Without question, the Sikh
could, provided he displayed the Rergimental Badge on his turban.”
d) General Sir Charles Gough, in his book “The Sikhs”
wrote that under no circumstances, not even to save his life,
will a Sikh allow his hair to be cut.”
e) To the Sikhs the turban is a symbol of dignity and self-respect
. A Sikh’s way of life is wound up with the wearing of the
turban and the use of other symbols.
f) I have recently seen in an Indian newspaper which read “
We die with turbans. Let us live, work and die with turbans“.
This shows their devotion to their religion.
Lord Wells-Pestells speaking in the House of Lords said “
The Sikhs follow their religion devoutly and the turbnan is an
important symbol of their religion.”
Lt Col Pritam Singh Jauhal World War II Veteran
Founder President Indian Ex-Servicemen Society British Columbia
Date: March 20, 2008