Tag Archive: chindits

  1. Burma Visit Part 1: The Taukkyan War Cemetery

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    I’ve just returned from a special trip to Burma and wanted to share with you these images of how Sikhs are remembered for their contribution during WW2.

    Burma, then a part of India and the British Raj, was invaded by the Japanese – and the Sikhs were among those native Indians who fought as part of the British Indian Army to free the country.

    Below is a special memorial, at Taukkyan War Cemetery in Rangoon/Yangon.  On the walls of the Cremation Memorial are the names of Sikh (and Hindu) soldiers who died fighting for Burma and were cremated in accordance with their religious custom.  There are more than a thousand names on the wall (the second image shows me with a close up of some of them).

    Added to this are 6,374 burials of Commonwealth soldiers at the site (more on this tomorrow).

     

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