BBC Commissioning Editor for History & Business, Martin Davidson recently confirmed that the BBC are planning a series of programs to celebrate Sikh participation in the First World War. After being asked what the BBC was doing specifically about Sikh programming Martin responded “I'm talking to two Indian filmmakers who want to do a big film for probably either 2016 or 17, which is going to be taking a whole body of Sikh letters home, written by Indian soldiers who arrive, well first of all in Mesopotamia on the western front. Whose letters and experiences when they get back to India would trigger some of the early days of what would become the independence movement. We will do that, and one of the ideas of that will be the music and the reading of the letters will be done in the original language”. Martin Davidson was speaking during a panel discussion organised by the Sandford St Martin Trust. To read further information about the discussion click here.

Whilst no official announcements have been made, it is positive the BBC are looking at creating such programs.

The involvement of Sikh and Indian soldiers during the great war spanning from 1914 to 1918 is regretfully not common knowledge, despite over a million Indian soldiers participating in the war. It has been a long standing criticism from some of the Sikh community that the heroic efforts of these soldiers is often overlooked despite their bravery and great numbers. Sikhs were involved in both WW1 and WW2. Even today there are still Sikh soldiers part of the British army. You can watch an interview with one British Sikh solder below.