Pte. Bukkan Singh remembered as 1st Sikh to fight for Canada

The first Sikh man to enlistwith the Canadian army fought in the First World War andleft behind a proud legacy for his Sikh community, but his contribution was in danger of being forgotten until a historian stumbled on his medals in a pawn shop.

Pte.BukkanSinghis not aswell known inWaterloo Region as Lt.-Col.John McCrae of Guelph, Ont., the writer of the famous poem In Flanders Fields, but that'snot for Singh's lack of merit or contribution.

• Remembrance Day in Waterloo Region
• National War Memorial special coverage
• Why In Flanders Fields still resonates

CanadianhistorianSandeepSinghBrartold CBC Radio'sThe Morning Edition host Craig NorrisWednesday morning he only discovered the soldier when he found Singh'swar medals in a British pawn shop and then went on to locatehis grave in a Kitchener, Ont.,cemetery.

• LISTEN: Story of Pte. Bukkan Singh
• Harjit Sajjan: Meet Canada's new 'badass' defence minister

"That grave...is the only military grave in all of Canada of a Sikh soldier,"Brarsaid. "It's important because it shows that our military history as a country is a collective history of contributions for a lot of different ethnic groups and people from diverse backgrounds and religions. And this really makes that come alive for the Sikh community."

There's special attention being paid to the role Sikhs haveplayed in the Canadian Armed Forcesthis year as the country's new Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, is Sikh and hisappointment tocabinet garnered worldwide attention. Sajjan was the first Sikh to command a Canadian army regiment and served three tours in Afghanistan, and one in Bosnia.

We're trying to remember Canada's contribution and those soldiers who never came home to their families irrespective of their backgrounds.-SandeepSinghBrar, Canadian historian

Like Sajjan, Singh was born in Punjab,India, before moving to Canada.Singhwas born in 1893 and arrived in Canada in 1907. He lived in B.C. for a few years before working on a farm in Pickering, Ont.

"He's actually one of the earliest documented Sikhs in Ontario at the time," the historian said.

Singh wounded twice

Despite the army's resistance inallowing Sikhs to join up, nine of them managed to do so, one of whom was Singh, who became a part of a battalion from Kingston, Ont.

Singh served overseas in France and Belgium and waswounded twice in two different battles, according toBrar. And in fact, Singh was treated in a field hospital run by McCrae, the InFlanders Fields author, who was a doctor with the Canadian army.

While recovering in hospital from his second injury after being shot, Singh contracted tuberculosis and "spent about a year and a half in various hospitals" in England before being brought back to Canada.

"The Freeport hospital in Kitchener was a military hospital, so they brought him there in 1917 and he spent about a year and a half in the Kitchener hospital," Brar said. "Then he died."

'In many ways, he died alone'

The historian noted the lack of Sikhs in Eastern Canada meant there would not have been any kind of religious ceremony at his funeral and his family was on the other side of the planet.

"In many ways, he died alone," Brarnoted, addinghe considers himself grateful for stumbling across this incredibly Canadianstory.

If he had never spotted those medals and came across that grave, Singh's untold story would remain just that untold.But Brar understands the importance of this soldier's life for the Sikh community, Canadian soldiers and the diverse stories that make up Canada.

"Eight years ago, we had a small prayer service at his grave site [on] Remembrance Day and we had one Canadian Forces soldier attend the ceremony and then after that it's just grown to the largest annual gathering of serving Sikh soldiers in the Canadian military, annually, and our ceremony has grown to over 300 people," Brar said.

"And it's not just the Sikh community. We're trying to remember Canada's contribution and those soldiers who never came home to their families irrespective of their backgrounds. It's just that that grave serves as an emotional focal point for our yearly remembrance ceremony."

On Remembrance Day, Canadians from coast to coast will be taking a moment to remember all those who fought and died for our country. And you can count someto especiallyremember the Sikh soldier whose legacy lives on in Kitchener.