Saragarhi Battalion: Ashes to Glory

 Ashes to Glory is a fascinating account of the 4th Battalion of the Sikh Regiment (XXXVI SIKH). Written and compiled by two officers of the Battalion who have been brought up in its traditions, the book recalls how, time and again, it has rallied to the call and risen to even greater glory.

The Battalion suffered over 600 casualties within three hours at Hai during World War I and was overrun by Rommel’s Panzer division in the burning sands of EI Alamien during World War II. Again, in 1962 and 1965 it faced major reverses, yet emerged unscathed.

Tracing the Battalion’s trials and tribulations, triumph and glory, the book recounts how, within four years of its raising, it earned its first Battle Honour in Manipur. However, it is in the NWFP on 12 September 1897, while defending the post of Saragarhi, that it achieved undying glory. Havildar Ishar Singh and twenty-one other ranks laid down their lives fighting, refusing to surrender to thousands of Orakazi tribesmen surrounding their post. All twenty-one of them were awarded the Indian Order of Merit, the then highest award given to an Indian. Ever since then it has been known as the Saragarhi Battalion.

The Battalion went on to win twenty-two Battle Honours, thereby establishing its claim as not only one of the most decorated units of the Indian Army, but also a widely travelled one. These pages contain a fascinating account of the Battalion’s operations in China during the Boxer Rebellion; NWFP and Aden between the two World Wars, Abysinnia, Ethiopia, Eriteria, Egypt and Italy during World War II. The Battalion also has the honour of having participated in all the four operations since Independence, including the 1947 Kashmir Operations when it was air lifted into the valley.

This is not only the story of the Battalion of the Sikh Regiment but in a way that of soldiering in the Indian Army, for it brings out the resilience of the Indian Soldier when pitched against insurmountable odds.