In 1957 at 229 OCU Chivenor we had a course from the Indian Air Force for Hunter conversion. Sqn Ldr Kanvar Singh wore a turban - the only one of about sixteen IAF officers who did. He would slope off into the locker room and return wearing his bone dome. In those days, a blue inner and a hard outer. Then off to fly and a repeat performance in reverse when back in the squadron. But one day the weather clamped and he diverted to St Mawgan. He couldn't go into the mess with his hard hat on so, in the manner of my Dad on the beach he took out a clean white handkerchief and covered his head, tied with knots at each corner. Then into the bar!
One of the others, Flt Lt Harri Bhagat, said that originally the turban was the equivalent of a bone dome for horsemen and that it was time Sikhs flying Hunters joined the twentieth century. But what did he know?