'In fact, we have a Sikh, Hardit Singh Malik, who was a member of the Royal Flying Corps as far back as in 1918,' he said.

Jagjit Singh Taunque, deputy lord lieutenant of West Midlands, said: 'History has been made. They are great role models for the younger generations.'

The appointment comes two years after Britain's defence chiefs abandoned plans to raise a regiment of British Sikhs after discussions with the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE).

Sikh leaders had informed army recruitment officers that they could easily find enough volunteers to form a 700-strong regiment.

But the offer was rejected after the CRE reportedly argued that creating a Sikh regiment would be divisive and amount to 'segregation'.

Many Sikh community leaders supported the idea at the time, saying it would be no different from the Scots, Welsh and Irish Guards or the Royal Gurkha Rifles.

Prince Charles, the heir apparent to the British throne, was said to have been personally interested in raising a Sikh regiment.

In February 2008, Harpreet Kaur, 23, became the first Sikh woman to join the British army.