India’s foreign affairs minister, S Jaishankar began his five-day tour to Israel on Sunday by laying wreaths at a cemetery in Talpiot, Jerusalem, commemorating Indian troops who died in the region during World War I.
Approximately 900 Indian soldiers are buried at Israel’s Jerusalem, Ramle and Haifa cemeteries. Jaishankar, who was on his maiden visit to the nation as the External Affairs Minister, lay wreaths at the Talpiot cemetery earlier in the day.
Visited the Indian Cemetery at Talpiot as my first engagement in Jerusalem. Paid homage to the brave Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifie during World War I. pic.twitter.com/oIqWfnVlga
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) October 17, 2021
‘I am deeply honoured to pay homage to the valiant sons of India who fought with bravery and courage in this land during WWI, bringing glory to themselves, their comrades and their motherland,’ Jaishankar wrote in the visitor’s book.
The bravery of Indian soldiers has been widely publicised in recent decades and the storey of the liberation of the northern seaside city of Haifa, in what most war historians consider ‘the last great cavalry campaign in history,’ has become a household tale with its inclusion in the city’s local history textbooks.
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Every year on September 23, the Indian Army honours the three courageous Indian cavalry regiments – the Mysore, Hyderabad and Jodhpur Lancers – who assisted in the liberation of Haifa following a daring cavalry attack by the 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade.
Captain Aman Singh Bahadur and Dafadar Jor Singh received the Indian Order of Merit (IOM), while Captain Anop Singh and Second Lieutenant Sagat Singh received the Military Cross (MC). Major Dalpat Singh, also known as the Hero of Haifa, was given a Military Cross for his gallantry. Indian cavalry battalions equipped with spears and swords had swept the enemy off the steep slopes of Mount Carmel, demonstrating the greatest tradition of courage.
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