Canada Post unveils new stamp in Kitchener honouring Sikh Canadian soldiers

A new Canada Post stamp paying tribute to Sikh Canadian soldiers was unveiled Sunday at the 18th annual Sikh Remembrance Day ceremony at Mount Hope Cemetery in Kitchener.

The stamp honors the service and contributions of Sikh soldiers in the Canadian military dating back to the First World War.

Sandeep Singh Brar, curator of Sikh Museum.com, says the stamp is more than just a tribute to the soldiers.

"It's an amazing opportunity for all Canadians to learn about a part of Canadian history that we may not be aware of," Brar said.

The stamp features an illustration of a Sikh Canadian soldier paying respects to those who served. The stamp was named Private Singh to reflect the common Sikh surname which means lion in Punjabi. In the background is an illustration of the grave of Pte. Buckam Singh, whose resting place is at Mount Hope Cemetery.

During the First World War, only 10 Sikhs were permitted to serve in the Canadian army. At just 22 years old, Singh was the youngest Sikh Canadian to enlist in the Canadian army and the first to join an Ontario regiment.

"Thousands of Sikhs at the time tried to join, but they were turned away. They were told that 'Sorry fellas, this is a white man's war,'" Brar said.

Singh served in the 20th Canadian Infantry Battalion in France and Belgium. He was wounded twice in two separate battles.

While recovering from his second injury, Singh contracted tuberculosis. In 1917 he was brought to a military hospital in Kitchener where he died in 1919.

"They buried him with full military honours and the military grave at Kitchener's Mount Hope Cemetery," Brar said.

For nearly a century, Singh's grave lay unrecognized until Brar stumbled upon his war medal in a pawn shop in England. That discovery led him to Mount Hope Cemetery and, eventually, to the creation of the Sikh Remembrance Day ceremony which has been held at Singh's grave for the past 18 years.

Singh's grave is the only known military grave of a Sikh soldier in Canada.

Brar also had a hand in creating the new stamp.

"Canada Post actually approached me a year and a half ago," he said. "I worked very closely with them both on the historical material for the stamp as well as the image on the stamp."