Thought these maybe of interest to K and maybe others ! Hardutt Singh Malik First World War.com - Who's Who - Hardutt Singh Malik Indra Lal Roy First World War.com - Who's Who - Indra Lal Roy
Hard to believe he was only 19 !! Name: ROY, INDRULAL L. Initials: I L Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Flight Lieutenant Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Unit Text: 40th Sqdn. Age: 19 Date of Death: 22/07/1918 Awards: D F C Additional information: Son of P. L and Lolita Roy, of Queen Anne's Mansions, London. Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: On left side of main path, in far (South) part. Cemetery: ESTEVELLES COMMUNAL CEMETERY
And .... a little bit more !! Indian Hardit Singh Malik (who was born in present day Pakistan) attempted to join British forces but was rejected for and eventually volunteered to be a member of French Red Cross. He endeavored to join the French air service and was accepted, but eventually British authorities relented and thus flight training began. Malik went on to serve with 28 Squadron, 78 Squadron and was with 11 Squadron upon the conclusion of the fighting.
Thank you Annie There were five Indians in the RFC, of which the two Annie's posted are the most famous. Another was 2nd Lt. S.G.Welingkar, MC For the other two there is virtually no information generally avaiable: Lt. E S C Sen Lt. Naroji* Even the three-volume Himalayan Eagles: History of the Indian Air Force makes only one fleeting mention of him
I found this ..... but it doesn't say where he was a POW ! Indian E. Sen who joined the British forces and served with 70 Squadron to be downed and made a prisoner of war in September, 1917. Annie
He was in the hands of the Germans, having reported by their prisoner in October 1917. But not much else on the circumstances etc
I'm still looking for Sen ... but I found these interesting pieces !! :noidea: sikhchic.com | The Art and Culture of the Diaspora | Article Detail No. LXX Squadron RAF - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Sopwith Camel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I posted a question about these men on the Great War Forum. If anyone knows about them, my mates there will do! Welingkar's unit, 23 squadron, was equipped with Sopwith Dolphins at the time.
Sikhs And The Great War In France Not exactly biographies but the Sikhs certainly got stuck in | UNITED SIKHS | www.unitedsikhs.org | - and this is sad: The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Main News
I've found some more on Welinkar. This was from "Starlight" on the Great War Forum: From “Airmen Died in the Great War”: Lt Shri Krishna Chanda Welinkar, pilot of 23 squadron, and native of Bombay, died on the 30th June 1918 from wounds received whilst flying his Dolphin No: D3691 on 27th June 1918. Number 23 was based at the time at Bertangles, near Amiens. “The Sky Their Battlefield” has more. Whilst on an offensive patrol Lt Welinkar was seen engaged in a low level combat with a two seater German aircraft near Peronne, travelling east at 300 to 400 feet at 11:15am on the 27th June. He was forced to land and was taken prisoner, dying three days later from his injuries. There was a claim later made by Ltn F Rumey of Ja5 that he shot down a Dolphin near Somme. And the attached was from a friend who found it in one of the "Pen and Sword" guides to the Western Front:
Soldier Pilots - Pioneers Here are a few more of the pioneers of the Indian Air Force. The Indian Air Force is witness to many such heroes who deserve applaud. Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh, Padma Vibhushan, DFC, was the first Chief who led the Air Force into war. Arjan Singh was born on April 15, 1919 in Lyalpur and completed his education at Montgomery. Arjan Singh was awarded the Padma Vibhushan for his leadership of the air force. In recognition of the Air Force's contribution in the war, his rank was upgraded to that of Air Chief Marshal. Arjan Singh became the first Air Chief Marshal of the Indian Air Force. Air Chief Marshal Pratap Chandra Lal, Padma Vibhushan Padma Bhushan, DFC, was the one who led the Indian Air Force to its victory in 1971. In 1972, P.C. Lal was awarded the Padma Vibhushan for his leadership. He retired from the IAF, on January 15, 1973 as IAF's most successful chief and as its highly decorated officer. Fg Off Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, Param Vir Chakra- The Param Vir Chakra is the highest gallantry award given to the Indian Armed Forces. Since Indpendence only 21 awards were given, as many as 14 of these are posthumous awards. The Indian Air Force received only one Param Vir Chakra to date, awarded posthumously to Fg Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon for his bravery in the 1971 War. Welcome to the Abhijit Air Safety Foundation
