Edited by FOTHER-MUCKER at 24-6-2024 05:16 PM
When all eyes were on the Malay States Guides in LondonHarchand Singh Bedi-22 Jun 2024, 08:00 AM
On June 22, 1897, 25 strapping men from British Malaya awed crowds in a parade celebrating Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.
The Malay States Guides contingent passing the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square on June 22, 1897. (Marion & Co pic)
On June 22, 1897, the streets of London were humming with excitement. The air was alive with music from marching bands, the clip-clop of horses’ hooves, and roars from more than three million people.
They were gathered to witness a once-in-a-lifetime event: Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. The grand parade featured more than 40,000 soldiers and 6,000 horses, including contingents from the Federated Malay States, Straits Settlements, and British North Borneo.
More than a month earlier, the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O) steamer “S S Japan” had departed from Singapore, en route to London, carrying members of the Straits Settlements police contingent.
At Penang Harbour, they picked up additional members of the Straits Settlements police and an elite group of 25 men from the Malay States Guides (MSG), including its commandant, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Sandilands Frowd Walker.
The MSG contingent at Chelsea Barracks, London. (Sikh Heritage Museum Malaysia pic)
The MSG was the pride of the Federated Malay States, and on this occasion, the 25 guides were led by Subedar Major Bhola Singh, a distinguished figure with his striking grey beard and commanding six-footer (1.8m) presence.
In their striking red tunics and huge blue-and-gold turbans, the 25 men were a sight to behold, and the precision of their marching earned them thunderous rounds of applause from the crowds.
During the duration of their stay in London, these men were housed at the Chelsea Barracks. There, dressed in their striking traditional garb, their handsome figures became the centre of attention, drawing glances from all around.
Members of the Malay States Guides in the Chelsea Barracks yard donning their traditional dress. (Sikh Heritage Museum pic)
The MSG were an inspiration to many, including writer and poet Rudyard Kipling, who penned a poem commemorating the Queen’s jubilee. He wrote: "One has seen them everywhere. Malay Guides have walked out of Chelsea to the Strand; little knots of Colonials are seen at every garden party, at every dinner, and at a friend’s house in every suburb.
They have attended cricket matches; the theatres have entertained them. They have come also, like the people who go to the Opera, not merely to see but to be seen. They are part of the great Imperial pageant, and they have properly been given a foremost place in it.”
‘Comrades’ On June 28, an incident made the front pages of certain British newspapers. Bhola Singh, having finished his dinner at the Artist’s Corp, was leaving the place just as field marshal Earl Lord Roberts was arriving.
The field marshal caught the major’s eye and went up to speak to him. As was customary, Bhola proffered the hilt of his sword for Roberts to touch. 
Subedar Major Bhola Singh, and the sketch in The Graphic of his encounter with field marshal Earl Lord Roberts. (NLF / The Graphic pics)
According to a sketch in The Graphic, a weekly newspaper, Roberts reacted to this token of fealty with: “I do not want your sword. Give me your right hand. We are comrades.”
On July 2, the troops re-formed in line and, on the arrival of the queen, presented arms and gave the royal salute. When the officers were presented to Her Majesty, she entered into a short conversation with Bhola in Hindustani, to his extreme delight.
This incident was also depicted in many of the illustrated papers. The troops boarded the “S S Japan” on July 10 and headed home, carrying with them remarkable memories and the wealth of knowledge that they gained during their stay in London.
A postcard featuring the Diamond Jubilee Sikh Temple on Brick Kiln Road in Penang. (Lim Keong Lay Collection pic)
Subedar Major Bhola Singh served for more than 20 years with dedication and integrity until his retirement in 1900.
Penang ties On June 3, 1901, the foundation stone was laid by MSG commandant R S Frowd Walker for the Wadda Gurdwara Sahib temple in Penang. Located on Brick Kiln Road, it was originally called the Diamond Jubilee Sikh Temple as a tribute to Queen Victoria.
The ceremony was attended by the MSG, its band, and the Straits Settlements Police. Today, Brick Kiln Road is known as Jalan Gurdwara. Harchand Singh Bedi is a historian, researcher and writer from Ipoh.
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Post time 25-6-2024 09:11 AM
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