Victoria Gun of Dulmial, Pakistan — A Unique Colonial Relic of Punjab

A Unique Colonial Monument of Punjab Pakistan

A Village's Trophy, an Empire's War, and the Cannon That Came Home

📍 Location: Dulmial Village, Choa Saidan Shah Tehsil, Chakwal District, Punjab, Pakistan
📅 Period: The gun dates from the First World War era (1914–1918); the village's military tradition extends both earlier and later
🏷️ Category: Military Heritage / Community History / Memorial
⚠️ Status: Locally preserved; no formal federal or provincial heritage listing
🔢 Classification: Community-maintained war memorial and trophy
📏 Significance: Military, Community, Historical, Colonial-era
🗺️ Coordinates: Approximately 32°42′N 72°42′E

The Victoria Cannon mounted on its plinth in Dulmial village

The Cannon in the Village

In the small village of Dulmial, in the Chakwal district of the Punjab — a place of modest houses, dusty lanes, and the particular quiet that characterizes the settlements of the Potohar Plateau — there stands, upon a raised plinth near the centre of the village, a cannon.

It is not a large cannon. It is not an ancient cannon. It is, by the standards of military hardware, an unremarkable piece — a field gun of the type that was manufactured in considerable numbers during the early twentieth century for use by the armies of the British Empire.

And yet this cannon — known locally as the "Victoria Gun," or sometimes simply as the village cannon — is the most prized possession of the people of Dulmial. It is their trophy. Their proof. Their material evidence of a sacrifice that the village made in a war fought thousands of miles away, in trenches and deserts and mountain passes that no one in Dulmial had ever seen.

The story of the Victoria Gun is the story of a village that sent its sons to fight for an empire, and of the empire's acknowledgement — inadequate, perhaps, but tangible — of the price those sons paid.

Close-up of the Victoria Gun showing its markings and the plinth upon which it stands

Dulmial and the Military Tradition of the Potohar

The Potohar Plateau — the broken, semi-arid upland that stretches between the Jhelum and Indus rivers in northern Punjab — has, for as long as records exist, been a region of military recruitment. The soil is thin. The rainfall is irregular. The land supports subsistence agriculture, but offers few paths to prosperity. For the young men of the Potohar, military service has long represented not merely a duty but an economic necessity — a means of earning income, acquiring land grants, and securing a measure of social standing in a harsh and unforgiving landscape.

The British, who ruled the Punjab from 1849 to 1947, recognized the martial qualities of the Potohar Plateau's inhabitants and recruited heavily from the region. The so-called "martial races" theory — a doctrine of dubious scientific validity but considerable administrative convenience — classified certain communities as inherently suited to soldiering, and the Rajput and Jat populations of the Potohar were prominent among those so classified.

Dulmial was one of many villages in the region that contributed disproportionately to the ranks of the British Indian Army. The village's military tradition was well established by the time of the First World War, and when the call came in 1914, Dulmial answered it with a fervour that was remarkable even by the standards of this soldier-producing region.

Historic photograph of soldiers from the Potohar region during the First World War 

The First World War and Dulmial's Sacrifice

The First World War — that catastrophe of industrial slaughter that consumed the youth of Europe and drew into its vortex the populations of empires spanning every continent — demanded soldiers in numbers that no single nation could supply. The British Empire mobilized the manpower of its colonies and dominions on an unprecedented scale. India alone contributed over 1.3 million men to the war effort — soldiers who fought in France, Flanders, Mesopotamia, Palestine, East Africa, and Gallipoli.

Dulmial, a village of no more than a few hundred families, sent an extraordinary number of its men to this war. The precise figure varies depending on the source, but local records and oral tradition indicate that the village contributed approximately 460 men to the British Indian Army during the First World War — a figure that represents a staggering proportion of the village's total male population.

These men fought in multiple theatres. Many did not return. Those who survived carried with them the memories of a conflict that bore no resemblance to anything in their prior experience — a war of machine guns, poison gas, and artillery bombardment, fought in landscapes utterly alien to the dry hills of the Potohar.

In recognition of Dulmial's exceptional contribution, the British government awarded the village a cannon — a trophy of war, a mark of honour. This is the gun that stands in the village today. The precise circumstances of its award — the ceremony, the date, the exact words spoken — are not recorded in detail in published sources. But the gun itself survives, and the village's memory of its meaning is undiminished.

Victoria Gun and village of Dulmial with the Salt Range in the background

The Gun Itself

The cannon is a field piece of standard British military issue — likely a 12-pounder or similar calibre, of the type employed during the First World War. It is mounted on a plinth of brick and mortar, positioned in a prominent location within the village. The gun has been maintained by the villagers with a care that reflects its significance to the community. It is painted. It is cleaned. It is not a neglected relic. It is a living memorial.

No inscription on the gun itself records the story of its award. The information is carried in the oral tradition of the village — passed from generation to generation, recited at gatherings, recalled with pride by the descendants of the men who went to war.

The gun is sometimes referred to as the "Victoria Cross Cannon," a designation that has caused some confusion. No evidence has been established that the cannon was awarded in direct connection with a Victoria Cross — the highest military decoration for valour in the British and Commonwealth forces. Rather, the name appears to reflect a conflation of the cannon's association with military honour generally and the specific prestige of the Victoria Cross. Some accounts suggest that one or more soldiers from Dulmial or the surrounding area may have been recommended for or awarded the Victoria Cross, but documentary confirmation is elusive.

What is not in doubt is that the cannon was awarded as a mark of recognition for the village's exceptional military contribution, and that this recognition was — and remains — a source of profound communal pride.

Detail of the cannon's barrel and mounting, showing maintenance by the village community

The Continuing Tradition

The military tradition of Dulmial did not end with the First World War. The village continued to send its sons into the armed forces during the Second World War, and the practice has persisted into the post-independence period. Dulmial is reputed to have one of the highest rates of military service of any village in Pakistan — a claim that, while difficult to verify statistically, is consistent with the broader pattern of military recruitment from the Potohar Plateau.

The Pakistan Army draws heavily upon the populations of the Potohar region to this day. The villages of Chakwal, Jhelum, and Rawalpindi districts are, in a sense, the nurseries of the nation's military establishment. Dulmial, with its cannon and its memory, occupies a particular place within this tradition — a village that can point to a physical object, mounted in its midst, as proof of a sacrifice made more than a century ago.

Heritage and Memory

The Victoria Gun of Dulmial is not a heritage site in the conventional sense. It does not appear on any official list of protected monuments. It has not been the subject of archaeological survey or architectural conservation. It is a cannon on a plinth in a village — nothing more, by the cold criteria of heritage classification.

And yet it is, in its way, as significant as any fortress or temple. It is a material anchor for a community's memory — a physical object around which the stories of sacrifice, service, and honour are organized and transmitted. Without the gun, the stories would persist — they are deeply embedded in the village's oral tradition — but they would lack their focal point, their proof, their tangible connection to the historical events they describe.

The cannon also raises questions of broader significance. It is a reminder of the enormous and largely unacknowledged contribution that the peoples of the Indian subcontinent made to the Allied cause in both World Wars. The 1.3 million Indians who served in the First World War, and the 2.5 million who served in the Second, were drawn overwhelmingly from communities like Dulmial — rural, agricultural, far removed from the centres of imperial power. Their service was real. Their sacrifices were real. But their recognition, in the grand narratives of the World Wars as written by Western historians, has been minimal.

The cannon in Dulmial is, among other things, a corrective to this omission. It stands as evidence — small, local, overlooked — that the wars of the twentieth century were not fought by Europeans alone, and that the villages of the Punjab paid a price that the world has largely forgotten.

Dulmial plaque attached to base of monument

A Small Monument to a Large Truth

The Victoria Gun will never draw tourists in significant numbers. It is not beautiful. It is not ancient. It sits in a village that offers no amenities, no accommodation, no interpretive centre.

But it speaks. It speaks of young men who left these dry hills and marched into a war they did not fully understand, fought for a king they had never seen, in lands whose names they could not pronounce. It speaks of the bargain between empire and subject — service in exchange for recognition, blood in exchange for a cannon. It speaks of a community's determination to remember, long after the empire that awarded the trophy has itself passed into history.

There are monuments of marble in the capitals of the world that say less.

✦ Conclusion

The Victoria Gun of Dulmial is a poignant reminder that history is not only written in the grand palaces of empires but also in the dusty lanes of small villages. While the world often focuses on the European theatres of the Great War, this field gun stands as a silent witness to the 460 men who left the Potohar Plateau to fight in lands they had never seen. It represents a physical anchor for a community’s identity, transforming a piece of military hardware into a sacred relic of ancestral sacrifice and communal pride.

This monument challenges the traditional definitions of heritage. It is not a sprawling fortress or an ancient temple, yet its significance is immeasurable to the people who maintain it. The cannon serves as a material connection between the past and the present, ensuring that the stories of those who served are not lost to the passage of time. In a region where military service is woven into the very fabric of the soil, Dulmial remains a singular example of how a small community can hold a large historical truth.

Ultimately, the story of Dulmial is a story of recognition. It speaks to the contribution of the millions of soldiers from the subcontinent whose roles in global conflicts have often been sidelined in Western narratives. By preserving this "Victoria Gun," the villagers are not merely keeping a trophy; they are guarding a legacy of bravery and duty that continues to define the spirit of the Potohar today. It is a humble monument that demands we remember the human cost of history.

✦ Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Why was the Victoria Gun awarded to the village of Dulmial? The cannon was awarded by the British government in recognition of Dulmial’s extraordinary contribution to the British Indian Army during the First World War. The village sent approximately 460 men to the front—a staggering proportion of its male population—marking one of the highest recruitment rates in the entire region.

Q2: What kind of artillery piece is the village cannon? The gun is a standard British military field piece, likely a 12-pounder, of the type manufactured in large numbers during the early 20th century. It is mounted on a permanent plinth in the center of the village and has been carefully maintained and painted by the community for over a century.

Q3: Does the name "Victoria Gun" mean a Victoria Cross was won by a villager? While the cannon is locally referred to as the "Victoria Gun" or "Victoria Cross Cannon," there is no official documentary evidence linking the award of the gun to a specific Victoria Cross recipient from the village. The name likely reflects the high prestige associated with the award and the village's general reputation for military honour and valour.

Q4: Why is the Potohar Plateau known for military recruitment? The Potohar region, including districts like Chakwal and Jhelum, has a long-standing "martial tradition" driven by both geography and economics. With thin soil and irregular rainfall making large-scale agriculture difficult, military service became a primary means of social mobility, economic security, and land acquisition for generations of local families.

🧳 Visitor's Guide

Detail	Information
Nearest City	Chakwal (~35 km); Choa Saidan Shah (~15 km)
Access	By road from Chakwal via Choa Saidan Shah; local roads within the village
Best Season	October to March
Current Status	Accessible; no formal visitor facilities
Site Museum	None
Advisory	Seek permission and engage with village elders, who are the custodians of the cannon and its history. The community is welcoming but the visit should be respectful of the memorial's significance.

📊 Summary Table of Historical Facts

Fact	Detail
Site Name	Victoria Gun (Victoria Cannon), Dulmial
Location	Dulmial Village, Chakwal District, Punjab
Period	First World War era (1914–1918)
Type	British military field gun (likely 12-pounder or similar)
Reason for Award	Recognition of Dulmial's exceptional military contribution to WWI
Estimated Village Contribution	~460 men served in the First World War
Conflict	First World War (1914–1918)
Recruiting Region	Potohar Plateau
Community	Rajput / Jat (predominantly Muslim)
Current Custodian	Village community of Dulmial
Heritage Listing	None (community-maintained memorial)
Broader Context	India contributed ~1.3 million soldiers to WWI

📚 Sources & Further Reading

• Das, Santanu. India, Empire, and First World War Culture (2018)
• Omissi, David. The Sepoy and the Raj: The Indian Army, 1860–1940 (1994)
• Punjab District Gazetteers — Chakwal / Jhelum District Entries
• Local oral history and community records (Dulmial village)
• Commonwealth War Graves Commission — Records of Indian soldiers
• Corrigan, Gordon. Sepoys in the Trenches: The Indian Corps on the Western Front 1914–15 (1999)

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While exploring Victoria Gun of Dulmial, Pakistan — A Unique Colonial Relic of Punjab, you may also enjoy reading Lahore Fort, Pakistan — The Citadel of the Mughal Empire | UNESCO World Heritage, which expands the historical narrative and connects related civilizations and archaeological discoveries.