Sikhs in Worlds Wars - After fall of the Sikh Empire and death of its king Maharaja Ranjit Singh, being the most difficult and longest land to take during the British Conquest, the British began recruiting Sikhs in their army in large numbers. The Sikhs strongly believe in martial arts and battle warfare and the idea of martyrdom and battlefield heroism. For a Sikh it is a great honour to die fighting on a battlefield, quoted in the Sikh National Anthem; "...May I Die Fighting on the Battlefield Courageously."