On Friday 28th November, at a memorial function to honour Indian fighter pilot Squadron leader Mohinder Singh Pujji's contributions in World War II, a statue of him was unveiled in Gravesend, Kent. It was the first ever such memorial to an Indian war hero in Europe.
Pujji was among the 24 officers from Indian Air Force sent to Britain in 1940 to fly with the Royal Air Force, which was fighting the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain. RAF then desperately needed pilots and already had 13 direct-entry Indian officers. These Indian officers were placed in different squadrons in RAF's fighter, bomber and coastal commands and flew rhubarb missions.
The statue is intended to represent all the service personnel from across the world who have fought for Britain in conflicts since 1914. Members of the Pujji family attended the unveiling in St Andrews Gardens.
Born in Simla in 1918, Sq Ldr Pujji, who learned to fly as a hobby in India, began training with the RAF in the autumn of 1940. Early the next year he began flying Hurricanes, protecting coastal convoys and intercepting bombers and fighters when Hitler ordered the bombing of London. He was the fourth son of Sardar Sohan Singh Pujji and his wife, Sant Kaur. His father was a senior government official. Pujji received a law degree, went to school and college in Lahore, and earned a law degree from Bombay University. After graduation, he worked for Shell. In 1936, he learned to fly at the Delhi Flying School, where he fell in love with flying .
Besides him other Indian pilots also flew bombing missions over Dresden and other German cities, and were there during the Normandy operations— a fact that's never been admitted publicly in any report, both in India and the West.
Pujji survived several crashes and flew combat missions throughout the war in Britain, Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Burma. He ended the war with a distinguished Flying Cross and was among the lucky 16 to return home.
After the war he became a champion air race pilot in India before returning to England in 1974 to settle permanently. He passed away in 2010 at the ripe age of 92 in Gravesend.
Sculpture Douglas Jennings speaking about Pujji said, "Reading about him made me realise what an amazing hero he was.
"He was a volunteer - it was his choice to fight for the British and that bowls me over."
Sqn Ldr Pujji's son Satinder said his father loved Gravesend. "He liked the sea and when he used to fly, this was the first land he saw so he used to feel happy.”
Pujji's contribution was remembered by Air Vice Marshal Edward Stringer of the RAF at the unveiling of the statue that cost £70,000. Gravesham borough councillor Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi said the Gravesend community, which has one of the largest gurdwaras in the UK, raised this £70,000 for the statue in a month.
Mr Stringer in his speech said, "We remember a stunning record, a fine pilot and a fantastic officer ... This is an absolutely magnificent sculpture which captures this very fine man. What we're also remembering and commemorating with this memorial are all those who came and fought on the right side in the Second World War and fought for the freedoms that we cherish today. We especially remember those from the Commonwealth.”
He also highlighted the lack of awareness about the Indian contribution to the Second World War in air in the UK: "It's worth recording that over 17,000 Indians volunteered to join the RAF alongside 25,000 Indians who fought in the Indian Air Force, a staggering statistic not well known enough today in the UK."
UK-based military historian Amarpal Sidhu, who was present at the unveiling ceremony said, "Pujji's story is a remarkable one of a man who served not just in the UK but in the Middle East and Burma and who came close to death several times. This statue, the first of its kind in the UK, will in the coming years and into the next century tell not only his tale but act as a marker and memorial to the countless others from India who followed his example and volunteered to risk their life in a just cause.”
Turban saved wartime hero Sqn Ldr Pujji's life
While living in Gravesend, surrounded by wartime memorabilia at the sheltered accommodation block, Pujji was interviewed by the national newspaper Daily Mail. Talking about his plane crash in English Channel, Pujji said that his life was saved by the padding in his turban, after he was forced to ditch his plane in a WWII dogfight.
Squadron Leader Mohinder Singh Pujji, one of only a handful of Indian ace flyers in the RAF, crashed into the English Channel after his plane was shot down in a mid-air skirmish.
Advised to plant his stricken Hurricane in the sea because he was unable to swim, the 22-year-old nose-dived into the water.
Rescuers boarded boats to help the young flyer, who crashed landed near the White Cliffs of Dover, and pulled him from the wreckage with bad head injuries.
His specially-adapted headgear, which even had his wings sewn onto it, acted as a cushion for the crash-landing.
Talking about the incident, the late squadron had said: 'The padding of my turban saved me, it was full of blood. I was taken to the hospital but after seven days I was back to flying again.'
He added: 'I couldn't swim. I carried on until I saw the white cliffs of Dover and I thought, "I'll make it."
'The aircraft was a total wreck. I was dragged out and I heard voices saying, "He's still alive, he's still alive." Because my eyes were closed I couldn't see.'
Speaking how his turban was fitted so that the earphones could go over the top and how he carried a spare in his cockpit “'I had a special strap made to hold my earphones. I used to carry a spare turban with me so I would have one if I got shot down.
'I thought I was a very religious man, I shouldn't take off my turban.'
