KITCHENER, Ontario: The 16th annual Remembrance ceremony hosted by the Sikh community was held on Sunday, November 5 at the military grave of Canadian World War I hero, Private Buckam Singh, in Kitchener, Ontario. It is the only military grave in Canada of a Sikh soldier from the World Wars, and the ceremony is the largest annual gathering of Sikh soldiers and veterans in North America.
“The Sikh community has organized this Remembrance Ceremony every year at the historic location of Private Buckam Singh’s military grave to remember the 117,000 Canadian soldiers like Private Singh that have died since we became a nation; and the 83,000 Sikh soldiers of the British Indian Army that died fighting along side their Canadian and British allies in two World Wars,” said Sandeep Singh Brar, historian, Curator of SikhMuseum.com and the chief organizer of the annual event.
This year’s keynote speaker was Randeep Singh Sarai, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and the Associate Minister of National Defence. Sarai drew parallels between Canada and being a Sikh: “The concept to serve is something you see when Canadian soldiers cross the ocean to fight…they stepped up to defend the ideals of freedom and liberty. Similarly, Sikhs have always had that same concept of fighting for those that are oppressed, serving wherever they are.”
Sarai recounted his personal family connection to Remembrance Day: “My father also served in World War II. He enlisted when he was only 15 years old, not knowing much about war, except that his brother was already captured by the Germans as a prisoner of war, unsure if he was dead or alive. These are the types of sacrifices that hundreds and thousands of men and women went from far lands to serve for those ideals that we hold very dear to us and that we can now enjoy our freedoms here in Canada.”
Buckam Singh came to Canada in 1907 from the village of Mahilpur in Punjab and was one of the earliest documented Sikhs living in Ontario.
Sarai observed, “We’ve come a long way where a man served for this country over 100 years earlier and 100 years later, another person from that same village now gets to represent his constituents in the House of Parliament.”
Among those attending the ceremony was MP Parm Bains, who represents the riding of Steveston—Richmond East in British Columbia.
The ceremony was well attended with nearly 200 people showing up on the cold day to participate including members of the Canadian Armed Forces, Cadets, Police Services, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Fire Services’ honour guards, Royal Canadian Legion branches, veterans and elected officials from federal, provincial and municipal governments.
(Photos: From top to bottom)
Retired Wing Commander Gurpal Singh Bhalla with a group of Sikh veterans who laid a wreath during the Sikh Remembrance Day Ceremony.
Students Reeyat Kaur Gill and Ruhveen Kaur Gill, from the Waterloo Region District School Board, read the Land Acknowledgement during the Sikh Remembrance Day Ceremony.
Harpreet Kaur, a Grade 11 student in the Waterloo Region District School Board, recites the Commitment to Remember poem at the Sikh Remembrance Day Ceremony.
The Sikh Remembrance Day Ceremony was well attended with nearly 200 people showing up at the military grave of Canadian World War I hero Private Buckam Singh on the cold fall day.
Air Force Major Sarabjot Singh Ananda and Navy Lieutenant Harjot Singh Deol lay a wreath at Private Buckam Singh’s military grave on behalf of the Canadian Armed Forces at the Sikh Remembrance Day Ceremony.
Principal Amanpreet Kaur Dhaul leads a group of students from Lexington Public School, Waterloo Region District School Board in the singing of O Canada at the Sikh Remembrance Day Ceremony.
Members of the Canadian Armed Forces at the military grave of Canadian World War I hero Private Buckam Singh during the 16 th annual Sikh Remembrance Day ceremony.
Toronto Chief Myron Demkiw and members of the Toronto Police Service at the grave of Canadian World War I hero Private Buckam Singh. Other police services including the RCMP, Waterloo, Peel, Halton and Ottawa also attended and participated in the Sikh Remembrance Day Ceremony.
