Commemorative stamp honours courage and sacrifice of Sikh soldiers

This year’s Remembrance Day stamp, issued on November 3, 2025, honours the courage and sacrifice of the Sikh soldiers, who first served in the Canadian military during the First World War.

More than a quarter million Sikh soldiers served with Britain and its allies during the two world wars. In Canada, discrimination prevented many Sikhs from enlisting. Only 10 broke the barrier in the First World War – most of them volunteers who fought with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Europe, despite being denied the right to vote or bring their wives and children to their new home. As followers of Sikhism – which promotes equality regardless of race, class, gender or religion – the majority had the surname Singh (which means “lion” in Punjabi).

“These men rose above incredible inequity, discrimination and hardship to serve their country. This was even more difficult because they were removed from the safety nets of their community – from their family, friends, language and faith,” says Pardeep Singh Nagra, executive director of the Sikh Heritage Museum of Canada. “These stories speak of their resiliency, dedication, comradery, values, ethics and willingness to sacrifice everything to fulfill their civic duty to cause and country.”

Nearly a century later, research and the discovery of a Victory Medal awarded to Private Buckam Singh, the youngest of the 10 to enlist, brought to light the forgotten stories of these and other Sikh soldiers in Canada. One of eight Sikh Canadians who fought in France (and some, also, in Belgium), Buckam Singh was twice wounded in action before contracting tuberculosis and being repatriated to Canada, where he died in 1919. Two others – Private Sunta Gouger Singh and Private Lashman Singh – were killed in action.

After acquiring Singh’s medal in 2008, Sandeep Singh Brar created a website on the young soldier’s life and founded an annual Remembrance Day ceremony at his gravesite at Mount Hope Cemetery in Kitchener, Ontario. The event is one of the largest annual gatherings of Sikh soldiers and veterans in North America.

“The ceremony [at Mount Hope Cemetery] allows all Canadians to honour our Sikh veterans and never forget those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our nation,” says Singh Brar, who is the event’s chief organizer. “Conducting it at this hero’s resting place is very emotional for the Sikhs in attendance. The maple leaf on his headstone is both a symbol of acceptance and recognition of our community’s contributions to this country since our first pioneers arrived more than 120 years ago.”

Buckam Singh’s grave – the only known military grave in Canada of a Sikh soldier from the world wars – appears in the background of the stamp illustration. In the foreground is a modern-day Canadian Sikh soldier paying his respects in remembrance of those who have served. By combining present and past, the design pays homage to the longstanding Sikh tradition of military service and resilience that helped pave the way for future generations and a more inclusive nation. Today, Canadian Sikh soldiers continue to play an important role in Canada’s Armed Forces, both at home and abroad.

This year’s Remembrance Day issue is available as a booklet of six stamps and a collectible pane of five – both of which feature additional photographs related to the remembrance of the first 10 Sikh soldiers to serve with Canada. On the inside of the booklet is a part of the inscription on the cenotaph bearing the names of Private L. (Lashman) Singh and Private W. (Waryam) Singh, in Smiths Falls, Ontario, where they enlisted. The background of the pane features the Punjabi inscription from the headstone of Private Sunta Gouger Singh in La Laiterie Military Cemetery, Belgium – that means “One Creator. Victory to the Supreme Enlightener. Final auspicious ceremony” in English – and lists the names of the 10 men.

On the front of the Official First Day Cover is a photograph of Sergeant Gurpreet Singh Dipak, Captain Daulat Singh Deol and Sergeant Manpreet Singh at the Sikh Remembrance Day Ceremony in Kitchener, Ontario, 2013. On the back, a photograph of the Victory Medal awarded to Private Buckam Singh in 1919.

Product: Private Singh Booklet (2025) of 6 Permanent™ domestic rate stamps
Article: 414302111
Stamp Size: 32mm (W) x 40mm (H)
Quantity: 120,000 booklets
Printing process: Lithography in 5 colours
Price: $7.44

Product: Private Singh (2025): Official First Day Cover
Article: 414302131
Size: 190mm (W) x 112mm (H)
Quantity: 5,000
Cancel: Kitchener, ON
Price: $2.24

Product: Private Singh (2025): Pane of 5
Article: 404302107
Stamp Size: 160mm (W) x 180mm (H)
Quantity: 7,000
Printing process: Lithography in 5 colours
Price: $6.20

Design: Larry Burke, Anna Stredulinsky | Burke & Burke
Printer: Colour Innovations