We have been amazed by the possibilities that our Citizen Historian initiative opens up for connecting with events of the past.
Lt. Col Swarajinder Singh (Retd) signed up as a Citizen Historian and told us the story of his grandfather, Havildar Natha Singh, and the role he played in the First World War. He was Musketry and Range Finder Instructor at the Imperial School of Instruction at Zeitoun near Cairo in Egypt. His achievements included being able to load and unload 111 dummy cartridges in one minute, firing 55 dummy cartridges in one minute and securing 35 hits with live ammunition at 30 yards range on a miniature target in one minute.
He was injured during the War and was later part of the contingent of British and Indian Army officers and men who were hosted to a reception by King George V at Buckingham Palace.
Through the research we had undertaken in preparation of the exhibition 'Empire, Faith & War', we were able to identify Havildar Natha Singh in some archival film footage displaying his shooting skills in Cairo to the Maharaja of Patiala. This was only possibly with the help of his grandson, Colonel Singh, who allowed us to put a name to an otherwise unknown man in the footage we had discovered.
The footage is on display at the exhibition.
Discover your First World War history by signing up today.