Kitchener ceremony honours service of Sikh war hero

A solemn ceremony was held for a Sikh war hero Sunday at a Kitchener cemetery.

Every year, residents and Canadian veterans gather at Mount Hope Cemetery to honour the sacrifice of Private Buckam Singh.

He was one of only nine Sikh soldiers who served in the Canadian arm during the First World War.

Singh was injured at the Battle of Flanders in 1916. He returned to Canada in 1918, and then died a year later at Kitchener’s Freeport Hospital.

He was just 25 years old.

Ninety years later, a historian found one of his medals in England. That led to further research on Singh’s life and contributions to the country.

Once his story was known, it became a yearly tradition to honour his service the week before Remembrance Day.

Ceremony at the grave of Private Buckam Singh in Kitchener, Ont. on Nov. 5, 2023. (Terry Kelly/CTV Kitchener)

Major Sarabjot Anand, with the Royal Canadian Air Force, said he travels from Ottawa to Kitchener every year for the ceremony.

“It’s a way of paying our respects to the soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for us and paved the way for the Sikh community, and Sikh soldiers, to be a part of the Canadian Armed Forces,” he said at Sunday’s ceremony. “I am absolutely thankful for Private Buckam Singh. I am awed by the great turnout, and the community recognizing the sacrifices that our ultimate heroes have made.”

Anand called Singh’s story “surreal.”

“This kind of sheds the light on the local hero that we have here in Kitchener.”

Singh’s grave is the only known military grave of a Sikh soldier in Canada.

“November is the time to remember the ultimate sacrifice that our soldiers have done for the interests of us as Canadians, and our interests globally,” Anand said. “Take the time to remember and be proud of Canada’s military history.”