Mohinder Singh Pujji
Encyclopedia
Squadron Leader
Mohinder Singh Pujji DFC
PCS
BA
LLB (1918 – 18 September 2010) was an Indian Sikh
fighter pilot who joined the Royal Air Force
and fought just after the Battle of Britain
(he was the last surviving Indian who did so), north Africa and Burma.
in 1918, his father a senior government official, he received a law degree, went to school and college in Lahore
, and gained a law degree from Bombay University. After university, he worked for Shell
. In 1936 he learned to fly at the Delhi Flying School, where he fell in love with flying.
, joining 43 Squadron
the formidable 'Fighting Cocks' fighter squadron. He flew Hurricanes
which he preferred to Spitfires
, for their relative ease of flying. He was forced down twice; in one instance, his aircraft was disabled over the English Channel
by a Messerschmitt, but he managed to coax it to dry land, where he crashed. He was rescued from the burning wreckage and after a week in hospital, Mohinder Singh returned to duty.
He was treated well in England, getting preferential treatment at local cinemas and restaurants, often without payment. He subsequently commented, "I felt very welcome indeed, I never felt different or an outsider and my experiences in this country made me keen to return some time after the war. I was made to feel very much at home by everyone I met" and "I wrote back to my father saying that I did not mind if I was killed because the British people were wonderful and so brave, and I was being so well treated. I could not queue for a movie without being told to move to the front." As a Sikh, he insisted on retaining his dastar (Sikh headdress), with RAF insignia, even while flying, even carrying a spare, in case it was needed. The dastar interfered with use of his oxygen mask
and resulted in damage to his lungs. (Subsequently, in 1960, he gave up wearing the dastar.)
After the Battle of Britain, Mohinder Singh was sent to the Middle East where, in 1941, he was forced down, for the second time, in the North African desert and was picked up by British troops. He had dietary problems, as he could not eat the standard issue bully beef for religious reasons. He returned to south Asia and served in Afghanistan
and Burma, where was awarded his DFC
.
. Mohinder Singh moved to East Ham
after retirement and he became an active member of the local community. Later, he settled in Gravesend, Kent
. On 12 October 2000, he was made an Honorary Freeman
of the Borough of Newham.
In 2005, Mohinder Singh protested against the British National Party
's use of an image of a Spitfire in their campaign literature. He was reported as saying,
In August 2010 his autobiography "For King And Another Country" was released.
Mohinder Singh Pujji died of a stroke
at Darent Valley Hospital
on 18 September 2010, aged 92. The local authority Gravesham Borough Council
, celebrated his life and heroism with an exhibition.
In an effort to redress the balance, the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford
opened a permanent exhibition in January 2009 ("Diversity in the Royal Air Force"), intended to "challenge negative perceptions, by celebrating the racial diversity of its history". Mohinder Singh was guest of honour at the opening.
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
Mohinder Singh Pujji DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
PCS
PCS
- Medicine :* Post-concussion syndrome, a set of symptoms that a person may experience for weeks, months, or even years after a concussion* Postcholecystectomy syndrome, the presence of abdominal symptoms after surgery to remove the gallbladder...
BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
LLB (1918 – 18 September 2010) was an Indian Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
fighter pilot who joined the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
and fought just after the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
(he was the last surviving Indian who did so), north Africa and Burma.
Early life
Mohinder Singh was born in SimlaShimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...
in 1918, his father a senior government official, he received a law degree, went to school and college in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, and gained a law degree from Bombay University. After university, he worked for Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
. In 1936 he learned to fly at the Delhi Flying School, where he fell in love with flying.
War service
In 1940, Mohinder Singh was one of 18 qualified Indian pilots who volunteered for the Royal Air Force, despite his parents' fears. Officially he flew just after the Battle of BritainBattle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
, joining 43 Squadron
No. 43 Squadron RAF
No. 43 Squadron was a Royal Air Force aircraft squadron originally formed in 1916 as part of the Royal Flying Corps. It last operated the Panavia Tornado F3 from RAF Leuchars, Scotland in the air defence role until disbanded in July 2009.-In World War I:...
the formidable 'Fighting Cocks' fighter squadron. He flew Hurricanes
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
which he preferred to Spitfires
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
, for their relative ease of flying. He was forced down twice; in one instance, his aircraft was disabled over the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
by a Messerschmitt, but he managed to coax it to dry land, where he crashed. He was rescued from the burning wreckage and after a week in hospital, Mohinder Singh returned to duty.
He was treated well in England, getting preferential treatment at local cinemas and restaurants, often without payment. He subsequently commented, "I felt very welcome indeed, I never felt different or an outsider and my experiences in this country made me keen to return some time after the war. I was made to feel very much at home by everyone I met" and "I wrote back to my father saying that I did not mind if I was killed because the British people were wonderful and so brave, and I was being so well treated. I could not queue for a movie without being told to move to the front." As a Sikh, he insisted on retaining his dastar (Sikh headdress), with RAF insignia, even while flying, even carrying a spare, in case it was needed. The dastar interfered with use of his oxygen mask
Oxygen mask
An oxygen mask provides a method to transfer breathing oxygen gas from a storage tank to the lungs. Oxygen masks may cover the nose and mouth or the entire face...
and resulted in damage to his lungs. (Subsequently, in 1960, he gave up wearing the dastar.)
After the Battle of Britain, Mohinder Singh was sent to the Middle East where, in 1941, he was forced down, for the second time, in the North African desert and was picked up by British troops. He had dietary problems, as he could not eat the standard issue bully beef for religious reasons. He returned to south Asia and served in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and Burma, where was awarded his DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
.
Post war
After returning to India, Mohinder Singh became a champion air race pilot and held gliding records. He had a career in India as an airline pilot. In 1974, he returned to Britain and became an air traffic controllerAir traffic controller
Air traffic controllers are the people who expedite and maintain a safe and orderly flow of air traffic in the global air traffic control system. The position of the air traffic controller is one that requires highly specialized skills...
. Mohinder Singh moved to East Ham
East Ham
East Ham is a suburban district of London, England, and part of the London Borough of Newham. It is a built-up district located 8 miles east-northeast of Charing Cross...
after retirement and he became an active member of the local community. Later, he settled in Gravesend, Kent
Gravesend, Kent
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...
. On 12 October 2000, he was made an Honorary Freeman
Freedom of the City
Freedom of the City is an honour bestowed by some municipalities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and Rhodesia to esteemed members of its community and to organisations to be honoured, often for service to the community;...
of the Borough of Newham.
In 2005, Mohinder Singh protested against the British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
's use of an image of a Spitfire in their campaign literature. He was reported as saying,
"The BNP are wrong to use the Spitfire as representative of their party. They forget people from different backgrounds helped in the Second World War. I am proof of this - I was flying a Spitfire. I also met Winston Churchill. Even in those days, there were ethnic minorities fighting for the British. I would recommend the armed forces for young people, regardless of race.
In August 2010 his autobiography "For King And Another Country" was released.
Mohinder Singh Pujji died of a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
at Darent Valley Hospital
Darent Valley Hospital
Darent Valley Hospital is a 478 bed, acute district general hospital in Dartford, Kent, England.The hospital has an Emergency Department alongside an Urgent Care Centre....
on 18 September 2010, aged 92. The local authority Gravesham Borough Council
Gravesham
Gravesham is a local government district and borough in North West Kent, England. It has borders with the River Thames to the north; the City of Rochester and Medway to the east; the borough of Tonbridge and Malling ; and the boroughs of Sevenoaks and Dartford to the west.Its council is based at...
, celebrated his life and heroism with an exhibition.
Recognition
Despite the high respect that he experienced during the War, Mohinder Singh believed that war films presented a "white-only view of the RAF". He campaigned to have the Sikh contribution to the British war effort, which he believed had been ignored, more widely recognised. He had had no invitations to any of the many events that took place in Britain to mark the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II in 2010, or any other year, he says. He is quoted as saying, "As far as I think, no one in authority remembers that we are here and we were a part of World War II".In an effort to redress the balance, the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford
Royal Air Force Museum Cosford
The Royal Air Force Museum Cosford is a museum dedicated to the history of aviation, and the Royal Air Force in particular. The museum is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and a registered charity...
opened a permanent exhibition in January 2009 ("Diversity in the Royal Air Force"), intended to "challenge negative perceptions, by celebrating the racial diversity of its history". Mohinder Singh was guest of honour at the opening.