Sarwan Singh

By Kash Chail

I never met my grandfather, Sarwan Singh, but the fragments passed down through my family paint a portrait of quiet resilience. Born in the district of Jalandhar, Punjab, he served in the British Indian Army during World War Two – a chapter of his life he rarely spoke about.

The silence he kept around his wartime experiences only deepened our curiosity. We still don’t know his regiment or the full scope of his service, but we do know he earned the Italy Star and the Commonwealth Star.

He enlisted in the army at a young age. Imagine a man who had never left his village suddenly finding himself in Italy, Singapore, and perhaps other corners of the world.

For three long years, the family had no word from him - no letters, no news. They feared the worst. It’s possible he was held as a prisoner of war, though we may never know for certain. Eventually, Sarwan Singh was shot in the back of his leg and discharged from service.

After the war, he became a lorry driver and eventually moved to Britain in the 1950s, settling in Coventry with his wife and five children. From the battlefields of Europe to the industrial roads of England, his journey was one of survival and understated strength.