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Travel

Monte Cassino:
A Pilgrimage

JOGISHWAR SINGH

 

 

 

Some time ago, a Swiss friend of mine had told me that he had been to the war cemetery at Monte Cassino, scene of a prolonged, particularly difficult, battle in Italy during World War II.

He mentioned that he had seen the names of several Sikh soldiers on pillars in that cemetery.

I knew from my earlier studies of war history that the 4th and 8th Indian divisions had fought at Monte Cassino as a part of the British Army which had driven the Germans, led for most of the North African campaign by the famous Desert Fox (Field Marshal Erwin Rommel), and the Italians out of North Africa.

The 8th Army had subsequently invaded Sicily along with the Americans, having another prima donna, General George S. Patton Jr. It had slowly advanced along the spine of the Italian peninsula before reaching the obstacle of the Gustav Line at Monte Cassino.

The battle of Monte Cassino is also known as the Battle of Rome since it allowed the Allied troops to advance on that city, past this geographical barrier.

Whenever I can, I visit places where Sikh soldiers have died in battle, displaying courage of the highest order. It is also a reminder that Europeans had no trouble with our turbans so long as we kept dying fighting their battles. The most flagrant
example being France which today disallows Sikh boys from studying in government schools wearing their turbans but had absolutely no problem when Sikh soldiers died in their thousands with their turbans on battlefields in France, fighting to save the French from German invaders.

The irony is compounded by the coincidence that India is today theoretically led by a turban wearing Sikh whose government is negotiating the largest defence contract with the French for the purchase of Rafale jets without ever asking the French to respect the Sikh turban by not denying Sikhs the freedom to keep their religious identity in the name of “laicité” which is used as a shield essentially against Muslims in France, the Sikh boys being collateral victims of this hypocritical ‘secularism‘.

I was recently on vacation with my wife on the island of Capri in the bay of Naples. On a rainy day, we decided to proceed to Monte Cassino so that I could pay homage to the brave Sikhs who had fallen there, fighting for a cause which was not directly theirs. Regardless of this, they showed devotion to duty, courage in battle and fought for the cause of freedom, even though a colonial power had their homeland under domination.

The world would have been a horrendous place had the Nazis Fascists won World War II. Sikh soldiers joined others in defeating this nefarious alliance of totalitarian regimes.

The hotel staff were astonished when we told them that we were going to Monte Cassino. Tourists to Capri visit Pompeii, Heraklion, the Amalfi Coast but do not travel nearly 250 km northwards, more than halfway to Rome from Naples, towards Monte Cassino.

In fact, the owner of the superb hotel where we were staying in Capri was so moved by what he considered as my attachment to my Sikh tradition that he asked my wife and me to inaugurate the new presidential suite of his hotel. He told me that he preferred to have this suite inaugurated by people like us rather than by some VIP.

My wife and I rented a limousine with a local chauffeur and drove to Monte Cassino.

There are several war cemeteries there. There is a large Polish cemetery since a division of Poles fought there heroically, believing promises made by Winston Churchill to their leaders that Poland would be established as a democratic state after the war. This promise was promptly ignored at the Yalta Conference in 1945 where Roosevelt and Churchill signed Poland away to Stalin’s Communist hegemony.

The Polish general Anders was so disgusted by British political treachery that he refused to have his remains buried on British soil after his death, even though he spent the rest of his life in exile in Great Britain. His remains lie buried in the Polish war cemetery at Monte Cassino, besides his brave soldiers who fought and died there for a lost cause.

In addition to the Polish cemetery there is a German cemetery, two Italian cemeteries, one for pro-Mussolini fighters, another for anti-Mussolini fighters, separated even in death and the Commonwealth cemetery, the object of my pilgrimage, since I consider each visit to sites of Sikh valour as a pilgrimage.

It recharges my spiritual batteries, renews my belief that we shall overcome all obstacles placed in our path.

The Commonwealth cemetery contains memorial stones to fallen soldiers from Great Britain, Canada, pre-1947 India, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

The names of Sikh soldiers are engraved on tall stone pillars situated on each side of a central water channel full of lotuses. The scene is full of serenity. These brave men lie in peace in a well maintained area. There were not too many visitors around. Most visitors were of a certain age, like me.

I took pictures of the engraved memorial pillars, did “ardaas” for all those who fell fighting in Monte Cassino, regardless of their nationality, religion, colour or race.

My wife pointed out a stone pillar to me which had only two or three names of fallen soldiers engraved on it. She named it the pillar of the survivors, those who did not die but survived the battle. She found that to be the most interesting pillar.

I took pictures of different regimental names listed on these pillars, focussing on the Sikh Regiment so prominently listed amongst other names. These men came from so far to die on these shores. I paid sincere homage to them for their devotion to duty.

The names of all Sikh soldiers are engraved ending only in “Singh”. No caste names or other additions are mentioned. The roll of honour reads only “... Singh, .... Singh, ....Singh”, reflecting the true essence of equality in Sikhism, unlike the recent aberrations whereby caste names are being used by some Sikhs, contrary to Sikh principles and values. These brave men are all listed as Singhs, the sons of Guru Gobind Singh who gave us this common name. Sadly, it appears that some amongst us still need liberating from the shackles of caste names. I was very moved by the equality among the fallen whose names adorn those pillars.

After spending time at the cemetery, we drove to the top of a hill where a monastery has been reconstructed on exactly the same design as the one which was destroyed in an Allied bombing raid during the battle of Monte Cassino. On the way, we passed the Polish war cemetery, marked by a gigantic Cross.

We stopped for a moment to pay homage to these Polish heroes who fought exceptionally bravely, charging up a steep hill to dislodge entrenched German positions.

Without going into details of the battle, it is worth mentioning that the destruction of the monastery was totally unnecessary since the Germans were not using it as a command post, contrary to what the Allies had imagined. In fact, after its total destruction, the ruins of the monastery served as a good defensive position for the Germans. It took the lives of numerous Polish, Sikh and Gurkha soldiers to capture this hilltop.

We were told at the war museum in Monte Cassino that 35% of the casualties suffered by Allied troops at the battle of Monte Cassino had been due to friendly fire, primarily due to a lack of proper coordination between the British and the Americans.

The war museum in Monte Cassino has a very accurate scale model, showing in three dimensions the geographical lay of the land, why Monte Cassino was such an important stronghold as the key to the capture of Rome, how the German or Allied commanders planned their strategy.

There is a video film of the American air raid which destroyed the monastery on top of the hill. The images are striking. There is also a complete list of the Commonwealth divisions which participated in the battle, as well as a list of all other participating units from the other armies.

Our lady guide gave a good explanation of various objects displayed in the museum.

Something interesting happened when we visited the souvenir shop of the Monte Cassino war museum. We found T shirts emblazoned with names/logos of Polish divisions, Gurkha units, New Zealand units, Australian units, British units but nothing about Sikh units having participated in the battle.

I asked the salesman why this was so. He replied that they got these T shirts manufactured depending on the number of visitors asking for them. If there was enough demand from Sikh visitors for T shirts emblazoned with Sikh Regiment logos, they would get them made.

This only reinforced my opinion that all Sikhs who can afford to do so should visit sites of battlefields like Monte Cassino along with their families to show their children the valour displayed by their Sikh brethren in battles in different countries, fighting for causes not necessarily their own, showing discipline, courage and unflinching bravery in the toughest of circumstances.

It will also make them more confident in replying to racist ignorant fools who many times ask them to go back to where they came from that Sikhs have shed their blood in Europe and other parts of the world fighting for their -  the fools’ -- liberties. We have every right to be in these lands where our forefathers sacrificed their lives to free these local people from tyranny and oppression.

There is no need to feel defensive about being in these countries when we get a proper knowledge of the history of such battles as Monte Cassino as well as other battles in Flanders or Northern France.

Visits to such battlefields are also a way of showing our youngsters a link to our long tradition of valour, sacrifice and courage. Some of our youngsters might learn more about our heritage from such visits than by getting dragged to listen to semi-literate preachers talking to them in a language that they might not identify with. Such visits can show how much right we have to lawfully live and thrive in these countries where we have chosen to make our lives with our families, without having to divorce ourselves from our traditions and religion.

I am told that there are now thousands of Sikh families living in Italy. Somebody even mentioned that a lot of the Italian mozzarella, an Italian delicacy, is now being made by Sikh dairy farmers. However, not many of such Sikh families seem to be visiting Monte Cassino since the souvenir shop salesman did not have a demand for T shirts emblazoned with the logo of the Sikh Regiments which fought there.

If this narration contributes even in a small way to making especially some Sikh youngsters to go visit Monte Cassino it would have been worth the effort.

Visits to Monte Cassino and similar places in Belgium and Northern France should be on the itinerary of every Sikh who is conscious of his/her heritage and is able to afford such travel. It will certainly be more useful and enriching than wasting money on alcohol fuelled binges in seedy night clubs, cabaret joints or sleazy areas.

The photographs taken at the Commonwealth war cemetery in Monte Cassino will give you an idea of the quiet beauty of the surroundings in which our valiant fallen heroes repose after going through what they did.

I bow to them in all humility and respect.

 

[Dr. Jogishwar Singh was with the IAS (Indian Administrative Service) before leaving India in 1984, the year of cataclysmic events for Sikhs in India. With an M.Sc. (Hons School) in Physics and an M.A. in History from Panjab University, Chandigarh, he did his D.E.S.S. at Sorbonne in Paris, followed by a Ph.D. from Ruprecht-Karls University in Heidelberg, Germany. Now a Swiss citizen based in Le-Mont-sur-Laussanne, he is serving as a Managing Director with the world famous Rothschild Group in Geneva, having earlier served as Senior Vice-President, ING Bank, Switzerland and Director with the Deutsche Bank Switzerland. He is fluent in eight languages and has basic knowledge of two others.] 

June 24, 2013

Conversation about this article

1: Baldev Singh (Bradford, United Kingdom), June 24, 2013, 8:51 AM.

What a powerful article about Sikh sacrifices in Italy and other parts of Europe!

2: Sukhindarpal Singh (Penang, Malaysia), June 24, 2013, 10:57 AM.

In 1997, on my first trip to Italy, I was taken to visit Monte Cassino. The Abbot there walked up to me and started telling me the story of the war through an Italian colleague. This article tells me why he probably picked me and not any of the other 20 odd people with me. Sadly, I missed the war memorial. Next time.

3: Jamil Mirza (lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.), June 24, 2013, 11:59 AM.

Very interesting and very informative.

4: Tarsem Singh (Milton Keynes, United Kingdom), June 24, 2013, 6:14 PM.

Jogishwar Singh ji: Some gurdwaras are led by people who can afford to use intimidation and have nothing to lose if they have a brush with the law. The educated and the humble ones tend to walk away silently from committees as they have a lot more to lose from dirty politics. I am afraid we cannot expect much from such gurdwara committees. Your narration of your experience is very powerful indeed, just goes to show how lacking we are in confidence to assert our rights in the European countries despite having paid such a great price towards the freedom of these very nations. Ever since I found out that more than 80,000 Sikhs lost their lives and approximately 120,000 were injured in the two World Wars, my confidence at work and otherwise dealing with the host communities has quadrupled. Consequently I now truly believe that Britain is MY country with a lot more conviction. I also believe in Great Britain, the official language today would have been German had not been for the Sikh sacrifices. I am in awe of Guru Gobind Singh whose psychology used by Panth Khalsa not only changed the course of history on the sub-continent but in Europe too. I have seen you on the Sikh Channel before and I was impressed with your ideas and thoughts. I have a humble request to make to you, S. Jogishwar Singh ji: you are just the person with the capability to highlight these facts even more and bring them to the attention of the Sikh-Europeans, thereby encouraging them to visit Monte Cassino. A documentary in conjunction with the Sikh Channel may be one of the effective means. Thank you for a great article.

5: Narindar Singh Dhesi (United Kingdom), June 30, 2013, 6:34 AM.

I have attempted to record the Sikh Soldiers' valiant exploits around the globe in the books which I have authored: "Sikh Soldier: Battle Honours", "Sikh Soldier: Gallantry Awards" and "Sikh Soldier: Policing the Empire." We Sikhs around the globe can hold our heads high for the colossal sacrifices made by our tiny community for the freedom of man.

6: Harpreet Singh (New Delhi, India), July 06, 2013, 2:57 AM.

It was remarkable that during WWII thousands of Sikh brethren made sacrifices for the good of humanity. A poignant narration of events by Jogishwar Singh ji. I salute your spirit in bringing this to light. I have stayed in Rome, Italy for 3 years and gathered a lot of info about such events in Europe which were full of valiant sacrifices by these young Sikhs. Equally great would also be to push for making a memorial honouring their names. I too have prepared a manuscript on 'Remembering Our Martyrs' spelling out the role Of Sikhs and Indians in Italy. It details all these events at various places in Italy. Facebook.com/hpreet777

7: Karamjeet Singh (Chicago, Illinois, USA), July 06, 2013, 10:53 AM.

Truly a great narration by Dr. Jogishwar Singh. My father was in the Burma Front during WWII, in the British military Police. While policing the front lines, he was part of contingent which took custody of Japanese POWs. He continued with the army after independence from the Brits and saw action at Tawang during the Indo-Chinese war of 1962. It is sheer dedication of the older Sikhs that made our history outstanding. It is good to see the newer generation(s) keep track of the same. Now the challenge is to keep on track and press for Western nations to honour our values.

8: Heydon Buchanan (Indiana, U.S.A.), February 02, 2014, 12:03 AM.

Excellent column and tribute to those soldiers who sacrificed so much in the battle of Monte Cassino. It was not only the matter of losing life and limb in this brutal affair but even the daily life for five months included deprivations and dangers which seemed endless. Not to mention the weather which had one of the worst winters in Italian history. My father was an American army officer who served closely with all the British Commonwealth nations during the entire battles of Cassino and Monte Cassino. Conditions were horrendous and perpetual. The title of Ernie Pyle's book about these soldiers (and those in North Africa) sums up the character of all who fought there--"Brave Men." I have a great photo of some 8th Army Sikh-Indian troops being reviewed by the Maharajah of Patiala in Viacchio, Italy in October 1944.

9: Paul C. (Burnley, United Kingdom), June 15, 2015, 4:35 PM.

The greatest troops of all. I'd give all Sikhs a British passport tomorrow morning ... they're a credit to their second home, the UK. My deepest respect for them.

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A Pilgrimage"









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