Heritage Air museum showcases black and Asian pilots who battled for Britain | UK news | The Guardian Heritage Air museum showcases black and Asian pilots who battled for Britain
Unfortunately not Annie. Like a lot of these things I only found out about the event after it happened. However, Mr Pujji has sent me a couple of emails after I wrote to him
A good article with some excellent points but obviously not written by someone who is terribly familiar with the service etc. A few thoughts from my read: Weren't the crews all white but of varying nationalities anyway? However, I do take the point on most other films - definitely little recognition and Hollywood hasn't made it any better...not that we'd expect that! While I respect Mr Pujji immensely, surely this won't ingratiate him to the masses? While it might be true to some extent - he is perfectly free to say such a thing - I just think it is perhaps wrong to include it in an article trying to shed light on something overlooked. Maybe it's there to get people thinking. A truly brilliant idea and would be wonderful to see. As we've said many times, the RAF was a great family of nationalities during the war. Bloody hell, he must have been fit! Glad someone of his standing has said it. A wonderful photo indeed, Kyt.
Don't forget which paper the story appeared in. There are a few discrepancies in the article - like being forced to land over France(?). Firstly, one lands in or on, never over. Also, as far as I know, S/L Pujji was never shotdown over France as that would imply that he was shotdown over occuppied land, and so would either have been made a POW or become an evader. Neither of these happened, at least none have ever been mentioned before.
Ah, I see. The Guardian is, like most papers, unreliable? Don't know why I need to ask to be honest as I already know the answer! I noted the discrepancies (land over France and "dashboard") but figured I'd leave them be as I was having a go at enough already! :lol: When I first read it, the S/L's comment seemed a bit out of place and character.
Emails from Mr Pujji!!! - Wow! Nice to hear about him again - he sounds like a true gentleman. I wish him many happy years to come.
Kyt: It is possible for him to have force landed in France - after D Day. Suspect the Guardian reporter contracted 5 years into a few paragraphs - but I take your point about the Guardian .. never one of my favourite papers from my days in the UK. Andy: Prior to forming our Museum in 1990, I myself was of the opinion of an all white WW2 RAF. We were(are) both wrong. Certainly from a West Indies point of view the ratio of caribbean aircrew seems to be : white:black:indian:chinese
No, he was in India flying on the Burma front by then. The rough service history is: Mid-1940 arrived in UK to join RAF with 23 (the number is off the top of my head , could be 20, need to check) other Indians 1940/41 flew with 43 & 253 Squadrons oer Europe 1941/42 flew in North Africa 1942-45 transferred to Indian Air Force and flew in the Far East I read the Guardian, and generally it is as partisan as the other broadsheets - but in this case the article appears to have been written by someone with a limited grasp of WW2 The actual numbers of Indian aircrew were quite large but the majority flew in the IAF in the Far East.
Old news for Kyt !!!!!!! Just look at that lovely old face !! :clapping: Ministry of Defence | Defence News | History and Honour | Veteran WWII pilot remembers flying for Empire
Hi Jerome. Sorry, mate, I was referring to the crews who flew the Dambusters raid not the RAF as a whole. Kyt can probably tell you how often I refer to the great, wonderful melting pot that was the RAF during the war.
