Mervyn Middlecoat

2022-05-19T09:15:03Z

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{{short description|Pakistani air force officer}}
{{Use Pakistani English|date=August 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox military person
| name = Mervyn Middlecoat
| image =
| caption = Mervyn Middlecoat, 1965
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1940|7|6}}
| death_date = {{nowrap|{{death date and age|df=yes|1971|12|12|1940|7|6}}}}
| placeofburial_label =
| placeofburial = Remains not found
| birth_place = [[Ludhiana]], [[British Raj]]
| death_place = [[Okha, India]]
| placeofburial_coordinates = 
| nickname = Commander Leslie
| birth_name = Mervyn Leslie Middlecoat
| allegiance = {{PAK}}
| branch = {{air force|PAK}}
| serviceyears = 1954–1971
| rank = [[File:US-O5 insignia.svg|15px]] [[Wing Commander (rank)|Wing Commander]] ([[Lieutenant Colonel]])
| servicenumber = PAF-3550
| unit = [[List of Pakistan Air Force aircraft squadrons|No. 9 Squadron Griffins]]
| commands = No. 9 Squadron Griffins
| battles = [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]] [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]] [[Indo pakistan air war|Operation Amritsar Radar]] [[War of Attrition|Arab Israel war 1968]]
| battles_label =
| awards = [[Sitara-e-Jurat]] (1965) Sitara-e-Jurat (1971) [[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan military#Non operational awards|Sitara-i-Basalat]] (1971)
| relations =
| laterwork =
}}
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wing_commander Wing Commander] '''Mervyn Leslie Middlecoat''' (6 July 1940 – 12 December 1971) was a Pakistani [[fighter pilot]] in the [[Pakistan Air Force]] (PAF) who was involved in a number of aerial battles during the [[Indo-Pakistani wars|1965 and 1971 Indo-Pakistani wars]], before being shot down on 12 December 1971.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hali |first=S.M. |title=F-104 Starfighters in Pakistan Air Force |work=Defence Journal |year=2000 |url=http://www.defencejournal.com/2000/may/f-104.htm |access-date=12 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609133547/http://www.defencejournal.com/2000/may/f-104.htm |archive-date=9 June 2011 }}</ref> He was one of a number of distinguished Pakistani strike and fighter pilots of the period. Before his death he was stationed at Mauripur, Karachi, [[Pakistan]] where he flew the [[F-104 Starfighter]].

==Early life==
Middlecoat was born into an [[Anglo-Indian]] family in [[Ludhiana]] in July 1940 on a train traveling from [[Lahore]] to [[Delhi]]. He also had some French and Portuguese ancestry. His parents were Percy and Daisy Middlecoat (née Renaux). He received his early education at [[Lawrence College Murree]], [[St. Anthony's High School, Lahore|St. Anthony's High School]] (Lahore) and [[Army Burn Hall College|Burn Hall College Abbotabad]]. Middlecoat joined the PAF, passed out of the 16th General Duty Pilot (GDP) Course in 1954, and won the Best Performance Trophy in ground subjects.<ref name=cv>{{Cite web|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/462717/defender-of-pakistan|title=Defender of Pakistan|date=11 November 2012|website=The Express Tribune}}</ref>

Soft-spoken and mild mannered, Middlecoat was considered to be the epitome of an officer and a gentleman, besides also being an outstanding pilot. Although he flew a number of different aircraft during his service career, he mastered both the F-86 Sabre and the [[F-104 Starfighter]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hali |first=S.M. |title=PAF's Gallant Christian Heroes Carry Quaid's Message |work=Defence Journal |year=1998 |url=http://www.defencejournal.com/dec98/christian.htm |access-date=14 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110307003637/http://www.defencejournal.com/dec98/christian.htm |archive-date=7 March 2011 }}</ref>

On 27 September 1957, he married Jeanne Viegas, the daughter of a Christian family living in Lahore. On 21 October 1959, a daughter named Leslie Ann was born to the Middlecoats while he was stationed at Mauripur, Karachi.<ref name=cv />

==The 1965 War==

Middlecoat's prowess as a pilot and leader were recognized early in his career and when Pakistan became the beneficiary of US military aid in the 1950s, he was selected, along with his close friend, Allauadin "Butch" Ahmed, to be the first two PAF officers to go to the US to train on the F-86 Sabre. Some years later, the same two officers were again selected as PAF pioneers to go to the US to train on the more advanced F-104 Starfighter.
The F-104 was inducted in the PAF's No. 9 Squadron (Griffins).

As a Squadron Leader, Middlecoat commanded No. 9 Squadron during the 1965 war. Leading from the front, he kept the spirits of his boys high and guided his pilots in a highly professional manner. Besides undertaking dangerous photo-reconnaissance missions over Indian territory, including a key radar facility located in the grounds of a Sikh temple in Amritsar, Indian Punjab, he either shot down or badly damaged a high-flying IAF Canberra bomber egressing Pakistan airspace into India at night.

During the three-week war, Middlecoat flew 17 air defence sorties and three photo reconnaissance missions over forward Indian airbases.<ref name=Vayu>{{Cite journal|title=Supersonic Air Combat: The 1971 Liberation War |journal=Vayu Aerospace & Defence Review |volume=23 |issue=1 |year=1997 |url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1971War/Soni.html |access-date=12 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707232025/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1971War/Soni.html |archive-date=7 July 2011 }}
</ref> For his leadership and devotion to duty, he was awarded the [[Sitara-i-Jurat]], the third highest award in the Pakistani military, in 1965.<ref name=Jagan336>Jagan Mohan and Chopra 2005, p. 336.</ref>

==The 1971 War==
Promoted to Wing Commander, at the outbreak of war on 3 December 1971 Middlecoat was on a training assignment with the Royal Jordanian Air Force. The day after he returned to Karachi, he volunteered for a mission to attack the heavily defended Indian airbase at Jamnagar on 12 December.<ref name=Vayu />

After strafing aircraft parked on the runway, Middlecoat and his wingman were forced to abort their mission when they were bounced by two IAF [[MIG-21]] aircraft from [[No. 47 Squadron IAF]].<ref name=Vayu/><ref>{{Cite web|last=Rakshak|first=Bharat|title=IAF MiG-21s at War|url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/Aircraft/MiG-21.html|access-date=14 February 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707232048/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/Aircraft/MiG-21.html|archive-date=7 July 2011}}</ref> Middlecoat, as leader of the sortie, was entitled to egress first but instead told his younger wingman to depart ahead of him. Maintaining a high speed, he reduced altitude and managed to deflect the first missile fired at his Starfighter. However, with the lead MiG21 closing range, he was shot down over the Rann (Gulf) of Kutch. The Indian pilot who shot him down, Flight Lieutenant Bharat Bhushan Soni, saw Middlecoat eject and his parachute deploy. As he fell into the Arabian Sea, Soni contacted a nearby IAF base to send a rescue team; however, by the time potential rescuers arrived, Middlecoat was nowhere to be found.<ref name=Vayu/> He had landed in shark infested waters and it was considered unlikely that he survived.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}} Declared missing in action, he was posthumously awarded a Bar to the Sitara-i-Jurat. His remains were never found.

Such was Middlecoat's renown as a fighter pilot, leader and teacher that King Hussein of Jordan, a keen pilot, wrote to Middlecoat's widow, Jeanne, stating that his death was a personal loss. The King requested that Middlecoat be buried with the Jordanian flag under his head if he was to be wrapped in the Pakistani flag. Middlecoat had fought for the King earlier during the [[Six-Day War]] with Israel in June 1967.<ref name=Vayu />

His citation read:

''On the outbreak of war on 3rd December 71, Wing Commander Mervyn L Middlecoat was on a training visit abroad. He returned to Pakistan immediately and joined operations with such keen interest that he inspired all squadron pilots. The day after his arrival he was detailed on a strike mission to the heavily defended [[Jamnagar]] airfield. While returning after the successful mission he was engaged by two enemy Mig-21s. In the encounter his aircraft was hit by an enemy missile. He was heard to be ejecting in Indian territory and was officially declared missing in action. For his devotion to duty, determination and courage he was awarded a Bar to the Sitara-i-Jurat and Sitara-i-Basalat. (See PAF History 1989)''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.defencejournal.com/sept98/citation_paf2.htm|title=CITATION OF PAF SHAHEEDS - 2|website=defencejournal.com}}</ref>

==Legacy==
A road in Mauripur was named Middlecoat Road in his honour.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://pk.geoview.info/middlecoat_road,58756969w|title=Middlecoat Road, Sindh, Pakistan|website=pk.geoview.info}}</ref> His sister, Norma, published ''True Children of the Raj'' under the name Helen Renaux in 2011, recalling of their childhood.

==See also==
*[[Cecil Chaudhry]]
*{{Section link|Pakistan Air Force|Notable personnel}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|last1=Jagan Mohan|first1=P.V.S|last2=Chopra|first2=Samir|year=2005|title=The India-Pakistan Air War of 1965|publisher=Manohar Books|location=New Delhi|isbn=81-7304-641-7}}
*{{cite book|last1=Bowman|first1=Martin W.|last2=Vogelsang|first2=Matthias|year=2001|title=Lockheed F-104 Starfighter|publisher=Crowood Press|location=Marlborough|isbn=1-86126-314-7}}
*{{cite book|last=Renaux|first=Helen|year=2011|title=True Children of the Raj|publisher=Trafford Publishing|isbn=1-46690-177-2}}

{{Military of Pakistan}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Middlecoat, Mervyn}}
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:1971 deaths]]
[[Category:Pakistan Air Force officers]]
[[Category:Pakistani flying aces]]
[[Category:Pilots of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]]
[[Category:Pilots of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]]
[[Category:Aviators killed by being shot down]]
[[Category:Recipients of Sitara-e-Jurat]]
[[Category:Pakistani Christians]]
[[Category:Pakistani people of Anglo-Indian descent]]
[[Category:Pakistani people of French descent]]
[[Category:Pakistani people of Portuguese descent]]
[[Category:St. Anthony's High School, Lahore alumni]]
[[Category:Army Burn Hall College alumni]]

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Mervyn Middlecoat