An ongoing exhibition at the Newarke Houses museum that looks to shed light on a period of British history that has been long overlooked is receiving plaudits in both Leicester and throughout the country.

The exhibition, centred on the Anglo-Sikh wars of 1845 to 1849 and organised as part of the Sikh Museum Initiative, runs until June 4th and aims to shed light on not only the conflict itself and its significance, but its connection to the eventual involvement of Indian and Sikh troops alongside the British Army in both World Wars.

Featured in the exhibition are weaponry and uniforms of the period, 3-D renderings of other artefacts and an interactive computer generated board of items relating to the period.

Gurinder Singh Mann, the curator of the exhibition, said: “The Anglo-Sikh Wars are an underesearched and unknown area of British history, and it’s imperative that this information is brought to the forefront.

“Our primary objectives are to address the missing link between the later service of Indians and Sikhs in the British Army throughout the 20th century, and to break down the colonial story of it being just the British Empire who engaged in colonial wars.”

He continued: “The reaction to the exhibition has been fantastic. We have had coverage from the Leicester Mercury, BBC East Midlands, ITV, the BBC Asian Network and from other Sikh TV channels.”

“The number of visitors has nearly doubled as a result, and the feedback has been 99% positive. What makes it even more special is that we have been contacted by descendants of men who were involved in the conflict, and they have had the opportunity to explore what we have to offer here.”

For more information, visit www.visitleicester.info/things-to-see-and-do.

Published on 04/04/2017 on Leicestershire Press website. Link to original story here