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Insp Bains at the Chattri Memorial on the South Downs On Sunday 14 June 2009, Inspector Manpreet Bains laid a wreath on behalf of the Metropolitan Police Sikh Association (MPSA) at the Chattri Memorial. The ceremony was attended by over 150 people including the Indian veterans, Ex-services men, Brighton and Hove Mayor with representatives from the Indian army, members of the armed forces, members of the police and members of the public, to witness the wreath laying and to hear the last post sounded. The memorial now known as the Chattri was erected after the war, and unveiled by the Prince of Wales on the 21st February 1921. The memorial was built on the exact spot where the bodies of Indian soldiers had been cremated. The Chattri bears the following inscription: "To the memory of all Indian soldiers who gave their lives for their King-Emperor in the Great War, this monument, erected on the site of the funeral pyre where the Hindus and Sikhs who died in hospital at Brighton passed through the fire, is in grateful admiration and brotherly affection dedicated". The Chattri, a small domed shaped monument on the Downs near Patcham, is a memorial to the many Indian soldiers who were treated in Brighton for injuries during the Great War. Those Sikh and Hindu soldiers who did not survive their injuries were cremated on the downs above the town. DS Virdi of the MPSA said: 'The contributions of the Indian soldiers is not fully recognised in history lessons. However, there are still people who attend the ceremony every year to ensure their contribution and ultimate sacrifice is never forgotten. This year the Metropolitan Hindu Association, the Black Police Association of Sussex were also in attendance'.
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