24 Indian pilots (1940)

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In 1940, 24 Indian pilots were sent to the UK for training.[1] They arrived in England on the P&O liner SS Strathallan on 8 October 1940 and headed for RAF Uxbridge.[2][3] Each were individually welcomed by the Air Minister, Sir Archibald Sinclair and the group had tea with the King at Buckhingam Palace.[4][5] They were conducted by J. M. R. Jayakar.[5] The pilots included Erlic Wilmot Pinto, Hari Chand Dewan, Mohinder Singh Pujji and Man Mohan Singh. Eight were killed during training or in action.[6][7][8]

Recruitment[edit]

In 1940, 24 Indian pilots were recruited from a group of pilots trained at Lahore and Ambala.[9]

Legacy[edit]

A statue of Pujji was erected in Gravesend, Kent.[10] Man Mohan Singh's name is remembered on the Darwin Military Museum Memorial Wall, Australia.[11]

List of pilots[edit]

List of 24 Indian pilots seconded to UK 1940
Pilot Comment Image References
Kenneth Joseph Bhore Arrived in England at age 27 years. [6]
Kali Prasad Chaudhury Killed in action [6]
Kanwar Haveli Shah Chopra (18 December 1915 - 6 October 1954) [12]
Rustom Nariman Dastur Killed in action [13]
Hari Chand Dewan Arrived in England at age 18 years. Later became Air Marshal and head of the Eastern Air Command in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 [6][14]
Ranjan Dutt In England he flew Hurricanes with No. 32 Squadron RAF, and upon return to India flew Lysanders [15][16][17][18]
Mohit Mohan Ghose [6]
Anandaraj Samuel Gnanamuthu [19]
Harbans Krishan Khanna [6]
Chander Parkash Khosla Killed in action [20]
Mian Mohd Latif [6]
Ali Raza Khan Pasha [2]
Hukum Chand Mehta [21]
Edwin Nazirullah [6]
Erlic Wilmot Pinto [22]
Mohinder Singh Pujji MahinderSinghPujjiStatueGravesend.jpg [2]
Om Prakash Sanghi [6]
Satya Pal Shahi Retired in 1973 [23][24]
Gurbachan Singh [2]
Shiv Dev Singh Arrived in England at age 20 years. He made 22 operational flights over Germany occupied territory. Later became Air Marshal and then Vice of Air Staff in post-independent India. Credited his fame to looking like Man Mohan Singh [1][25][26]
Tarlochan Singh Killed whilst training [2]
Man Mohan Singh Killed in action Man Mohan Singh (died 1942).jpg [1]
Ganjam Subbaramaiah First to die. [6][9]
Chaman Lal Tandon [6]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Chowdhry, Mohindra S. (2018). "7. Sikhs in the Second World War". Defence of Europe by Sikh Soldiers in the World Wars. Leicestershire: Troubador Publishing Ltd. pp. 329–383. ISBN 978-1788037-983.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Indian Air Force Gallery :: The twenty four Indian pilots". Bharat Rakshak. Archived from the original on 13 November 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  3. ↑ "UK and Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960". 1940 Passenger list. 9 October 1940. Retrieved 9 November 2022 – via ancestry.co.uk.
  4. ↑ "Air Minister welcomes Indian pilots". The Scotsman. 9 October 1940. p. 2 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Indian pilot officers entertained by the King". West Ham and South Essex Mail. 15 November 1940. p. 5 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 "Indian Air Force Gallery :: IAFVR pilots in UK". Bharat Rakshak. Archived from the original on 13 November 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  7. ↑ "For the RAF: 24 Indian pilot officers". Bradford Observer. 14 August 1940. p. 5 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ↑ "Indian Air Force | Indian Air Force Aircraft". RAF Museum. 15 August 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Sapru, Somnath (15 July 2014). Combat Lore: Indian Air Force 1930-1945: Indian Air Force 1930-1945. New Delhi: KW Publishers Pvt Ltd. pp. 131–133. ISBN 978-93-85714-34-4.
  10. ↑ McGowan, Susan (2019). "14. The House of Windsor, 1917-". The Little History of Kent. Stroud, Gloucestershire: The History Press. p. 149. ISBN 978-0-7509-9114-8.
  11. ↑ "Remembering Flying Officer Manmohan Singh". Australian Sikh Heritage. Archived from the original on 16 November 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  12. ↑ "Service Record for Flight Lieutenant Kanwar Haveli Shah Chopra 1596 GD(P) at Bharat Rakshak.com". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  13. ↑ "Pilot Officer Rustom Nariman Dastur | War Casualty Details 2316987". CWGC. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  14. ↑ Batabyal, Guru Saday (2020). Politico-Military Strategy of the Bangladesh Liberation War, 1971. Taylor & Francis. p. 282. ISBN 978-1-000-31766-4.
  15. ↑ Panther Red One: Memoirs of a Fighter Pilot: Memoirs of a Fighter Pilot. KW Publishers Pvt Ltd. 2013. p. 129. ISBN 978-93-85714-91-7.
  16. ↑ Doe, Helen (2015). Fighter Pilot: The Life of Battle of Britain Ace Bob Doe. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-4612-1.
  17. ↑ Westland Lysander. Jagan Pillarisetti. p. 32.
  18. ↑ Mohan, PVS Jagan (2010). "No.$ Squadron (Feb 1942-June 1943)". The Westland Lysander in Indian Air Force Service. Hydrabad: Jagan Pillarisetti. p. 32.
  19. ↑ "Search Results". CWGC. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  20. ↑ "Pilot Officer Chander Parkash Khosla | War Casualty Details 1802690". CWGC. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  21. ↑ "Pilot Officer Hukum Chand Mehta | War Casualty Details 2810562". CWGC. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  22. ↑ "Air Vice-Marshall E.W. Pinto" (PDF). pibarchive.nic.in. 22 November 1963.
  23. ↑ "Service Record for Air Vice Marshal Satya Pal Shahi 1601 GD(P) at Bharat Rakshak.com". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  24. ↑ Reed, Sir Stanley (1972). Indian and Pakistan Year Book and Who's who. Times of India Press.
  25. ↑ "Service Record for Air Marshal Shivdev Singh 1595 F(P) at Bharat Rakshak.com". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  26. ↑ Sainik Samachar. Director of Public Relations, Ministry of Defence. 1970. p. 10.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)

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