A tribute was given in honour of thousands of Sikh soldiers, who fought and died during the World War One and World War Two.
A 6ft-high (1.8m) statue was erected at West Yorkshire, Greenhead Park in Huddersfield for the Sikh soldiers. About £65,000 was raised in donations to build the bronze statue, the Sikh Soldier Organisation told BBC.
The statue was built at Huddersfield due to its “vibrant” Sikh community. A ceremony was held at the park to acknowledge the role of the Sikh soldiers as well as their contribution towards the society.
I’ve come to Huddersfield to see the unveiling of this Sikh Soldier statue to commemorate the thousands of Sikhs who fought and died in two world wars. Full report later on @BBCLookNorth on @BBCOne pic.twitter.com/czE3tGzalp
— Hannah Gray (@HannahGrayBBC) November 30, 2019
The Yorkshire Regiment shared stills of the bronze statue on their Twitter page.
Along with the images, they wrote: “Unveiling of the #Sikh soldier memorial in #Huddersfield. Supporting the @yorkshire communities we serve and @LordLtWY @SikhCouncilUK @SikhPA @ExaminerHTAFC @HXCourier @bradfordmdc
Unveiling of the #Sikh soldier memorial in #Huddersfield. Supporting the @yorkshire communities we serve and @LordLtWY @SikhCouncilUK @SikhPA @ExaminerHTAFC @HXCourier @bradfordmdc pic.twitter.com/1cMsZpgVZz
— Yorkshire Regiment (@YORKS_REGT) November 30, 2019
Calling the statue “a stunning sculpture” and an “emotional piece”, Kalvinder Bhullar, of the Sikh Soldier Organisation said, “We’ve accomplished our mission to get the statue put in place. The support has been overwhelming,” the news website reported.
Unveiling of the Sikh Soldier Statue in GreenHead Park, Huddersfield 30/11/19. First of its kind in Yorkshire, the statue honours the Sikh Soldiers who served Britain during #WWI and #WWII.#SikhWarMemorial #SikhSoldier
— GoodingFuneralServs (@GoodingFunerals) December 1, 2019
Images, courtesy of Mr Balvir Saund. pic.twitter.com/Sj5qNQDYFb