A crumpled, half-torn paper certifies that Manna Singh, a sepoy in the first battalion of the 2nd Punjab Regiment, British Indian army, has been discharged of his services and been paid all his arrears.
The record is in both English and Urdu, and mentions his date of discharge as 15 May 1923. He served nine years and five months.
Sadly, this document is the only tangible legacy of Manna Singh’s participation in the First World War. Every other war-related insignia was lost to Partition in 1947.
Singh’s wife, Goma Wanti, fled Lahore and in the ensuing chaos she left behind the British War Victory Medal awarded to Singh, as well as some photos and articles.
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