Sawarn Singh Nagra

Sandeep’s story

My grandfather, Sawarn Singh Nagra, was born on 13 March 1928 in the village of Hayatpur Rurki in Hoshiarpur district, Punjab. His father was Ishar Singh and his mother was Danti Kaur. He enlisted in the British Indian Army on 28 July 1942, when he was only 14-years-old. He was broad in stature with a formidable presence, so he looked a good deal older than he was.

He was a Sepoy (No. 27541) first posted to the 7th Battalion, 14th Punjab Regiment. He served in Burma and was awarded the Burma Star and the 1939–1945 Star. While fighting the Japanese, he was caught in a bomb blast and the shrapnel blew the little finger off his right hand. Because of this injury he was discharged at the 14th Punjab Regimental Centre in Ferozepore on 26 March 1944, less than two weeks after he turned 16.

I remember asking him about his experiences during the war and how he coped. He was reluctant to discuss the details, but he did tell me he had never seen a forest until he served in the deep forests of Burma.

After he was discharged from the army he went back home to Hayatpur Rurki. During the troubles of partition in 1947 he helped protect the village and the people living there. He always felt a duty to the village and carried on supporting it after he moved away. I loved listening to stories that my grandparents shared about their family and friends.

We are proud of our British Indian history, of my grandfather’s service and of the sacrifices he and my grandmother made to build a life in the UK. We hope future generations of our family will look back and see that it all started with the two of them. We are glad his name is now part of the record of those who served. Our grandparents were deeply loved, and we miss them both dearly.

In the late 1940s my grandfather left Punjab for England and settled in Coventry in September 1949. He worked in factories, including more than ten years at Sterling Metals in Nuneaton, where he drove forklift trucks at the Gipsy Lane Works. He believed in working hard, doing the right thing and helping others in the community.

He and my grandmother, Minder Kaur (from Chak Guru village, Hoshiarpur), made their home in Coventry and raised six children. The family now includes fifteen grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. My grandparents were kind, nurturing and loving people and their home was a happy one. At weekends the whole family would get together at their house and enjoy being in each other’s company. Many of my friends still talk fondly about playing in my grandparents’ garden when we were children, thirty years ago.