Man who established Sikh soldier memorial made OBE

A man who founded a memorial to Sikhs who served in World War One has been made an OBE.

Captain Jay Singh-Sohal, chairman of the WW1 Sikh Memorial Fund, was given the honour for services to the commemoration of Commonwealth soldiers who served Great Britain.

The 42-year-old from Sutton Coldfield established the Sikh Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

Capt Singh-Sohal said the memorial was established to inspire public service among wider communities, as he was honoured at St James's Palace by the Princess Royal.

"I've got a big smile on my face, and it's been quite an amazing day, and it's been quite an amazing experience," he said.

Capt Singh-Sohal met Anne earlier this year in Cape Town and said it was "nice to catch up" on Friday.

The national WW1 Sikh Memorial statue commemorates the 130,000 Sikh men who took part in the war, with more than 150 people having pledged over £22,000 to pay for it.

Sikhs made up 20% of the British Indian Army in action, despite being just 1% of the Indian population at the time, the WW1 Sikh Memorial Fund said.

Capt Singh-Sohal said the memorial was established in 2015 to ensure there was a Sikh presence at the National Memorial Arboretum

"[It's hoped it will] inspire many more people to take an interest, to do the research and find out more about Sikh service historically, with a view of inspiring public service amongst the wider communities at large today," he said.

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