Ishar Singh (1858-12 September 1897) was an Indian Sikh havildar (sergeant) who served in the 36th Sikhs during the Tirah campaign. He led the brave last stand of his company of 20 men at the Battle of Saragarhi in 1897, dying in battle alongside his comrades.
Biography[]
Ishar Singh was born in Jhorran, Punjab, British India in 1858. He joined the Punjab Frontier Force at the age of 18 before being drafted into the 36th Sikhs in 1887, and he was known as a "turbulent character" whose independent nature brought him into conflict with his superiors, but also made him a "magnificent" leader in the field, in the words of Major-General James Lunt. In 1897, during a patrol along the Afghan border, Singh came across a group of Pashtun Afghan tribesmen attempting to murder a runaway bride for rejecting her husband, and, against the orders of his British superior, Singh intervened, fighting off the tribesmen and shooting the woman's husband. This incident led to the Pashtun leader Saidullah assembling an army of Afghan tribesmen for an invasion of India, and, after the Afghans attacked Fort Gulistan, Singh was sent to reinforce the garrison of the Saragarhi signal post, taking command of 20 ill-disciplined men and whipping them into shape. On 12 September 1897, the Afghan army of 15,000 men arrived outside the fort, and Saidullah beheaded the woman Singh had rescued within view of the fort's defenders. Shortly after, Singh was ordered by the British to defend the fort to the last man; Singh lied to his men and said that they had been ordered to abandon the fort, only for the men to volunteer to stay and fight with Ishar. In the ensuing battle, all 21 Sikhs were overrun and killed, with Ishar fighting with a red-hot sword until he was fatally stabbed.
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