India General Service Medal 1895-1902, Silver issue with 4 x clasps 'Punjab Frontier 1897-98', 'Samana 1897', 'Tirah 1897-98' & 'Waziristan 1901-2' (1310 Sepoy Sundar Singh, 36 Sikhs)

The recipient was an Indian soldier of the Sikh faith who served as a Sepoy (Private) with the 36th Sikhs, an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army

The medal is officially impressed in the correct naming style for this regiment (Ref 'British Battles & Medals' (7th Edition, 2006))

Important: 36th Sikhs - now 4/Sikh of the Indian Army - is revered as 'SARAGARHI' Battalion, having earned a unique battle honour 'Samana' for their outstanding collective gallantry between 12-14 September 1897, on the 'Samana Ridge', in the Afridi foothills of the North West Frontier. In the early weeks of September 1897, the regiment was scattered and variously deployed at Fort Lockhart (from where the relief force was deployed), Fort Gulistan and at the tiny 'Heliographic' outpost at Saragarhi. Afridi 'lashkars' numbering more than 10,000 armed hostiles mounted sustained attacks against Fort Gulistan, and the heliographic post at Saragarhi. On 12 September 1897, the post at Saragarhi was besieged and ultimately annihilated - but not before the 21 gallant Sikh defenders at 'Saragarhi' had fought to their last round and last man, inflicting a death toll of several hundreds amongst their more prolific enemy. Emboldened by their victory at Saragarhi the Afridis then pressed their attacks on Fort Gulistan on 13-14 September 1897, but the 2 x company's of Sikhs holding the fort, managed to defend their position and keep their attackers at bay until being relieved by the relief force that arrived on 14 September. 'Saragarhi' has since become an un-paralleled episode of collective gallantry on the North West Frontier, where the widows of every soldier present was subsequently admitted to receive pensions for the Indian Order of Merit.

The descendent unit of 36 Sikhs, is 4th Battalion Sikh Regiment, and 12 September is celebrated every year as a Regimental Battle Honours Day in the Sikh Regiment, and the day commemorated and celebrated by Sikhs throughout the Indian Armed Forces

Note: Only raised in 1887, the medal recipient Sepoy Sundar Singh would have served either in the defence of Fort Gulistan, or in the relief force that fought it's way from Fort Lockhart to Gulistan & Saragarhi on 14 September 1897. We can also assume that he knew most, if not all, of his fellow Sikh comrades-in-arms that were killed at Saragarhi

A most desirable campaign medal to the 36 Sikhs, for participation in the fighting on the Samana ridge during the most famous of all Sikh fights on the North West Frontier of British India

Condition: VF

Code: 24287