By Red Sea, WW-II Sikhs soldiers' glory beacons again

CHANDIGARH: A war memorial commemorating almost 300 Sikh and Hindu soldiers, who had fought and died during the Second World War in Eritrea, has been given a new lease of life by a team of craftsmen from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC).
The Keren Cremation Memorial, within Keren War Cemetery, commemorates Sikh and Hindu soldiers who died on the Keren battlefield and whose remains were cremated in accordance with their faith.
Keren is a small town located approximately 90 km west of Asmara, capital of Eritrea, an African country. During the Second World War, it was an Italian stronghold and the scene of the most decisive battle of the war in East Africa, when in February and March 1941, a combined British, French and Commonwealth force defeated an Italian army almost twice its size.
The work to restore the memorial was required after the existing structure was hit by lightning, which displaced blocks and damaged many of the memorial's stone surfaces. New stone was ordered from Italy and shipped to Eritrea, but erecting the memorial proved challenging, as access to the area is extremely difficult. With support from the British Embassy, the CWGC's Africa team was able to gain access and complete the restoration.
Richard Hills, the CWGC's director for Africa and Asia Pacific Area, said: "The completion of the new memorial demonstrates the CWGC's commitment to remember those who died during the two world wars — no matter where or how they died."
Battle of Keren:
Guarding the entrance from the western plains to the Eritrean plateau, the only road passing through a deep gorge with precipitous and well-fortified mountains on either side, Keren formed a perfect defensive position. On these heights, dictator Benito Mussolini's Italian army concentrated some 23,000 riflemen, together with a large number of well-sited guns and mortars. A preliminary assault by the United Kingdom and Indian troops was repulsed after a week of bitter fighting, although they gained and held a valuable position on Cameron's Ridge, on the left of the road. The final battle began a month later. After ten days of gruelling combat, the Commonwealth troops succeeded in forcing their way through the seemingly impregnable defences on the ridge and finally through the 200 metre long road block which the Italians had blasted at the narrowest point in the pass. Keren was taken on March 27, 1941.