Statue of WW1 Indian pilot planned for Southampton
 

The BBC has reported plans to erect a statue of Lieutenant/Flying Officer (and honorary IAF Gp Capt) Hardit Singh Malik CIE OBE late RFC and RAF. Graduating in History in 1915 from Balliol College, Oxford; in 1917 he was the first Indian pilot to be commissioned by the Royal Flying Corps (Temp. Hon. 2nd Lt), he had previously been turned down on ethnic grounds but the possibility of him serving in the French Air Force changed minds. He went to work for the French Red Cross when he was first turned down. He played first class cricket for Oxford University and Sussex. He went on to have a distingushed career as a public servant for the (British) Indian Civil Service and the post independence Indian Foreign Service including as first High Commissioner to Canada and Ambassador to France. He was made an honorary Group Captain of the Indian Air Force in 1975, He died in 1985, three weeks before his 91st birthday.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-englan...shire-56250914

He served with 62 and 28 Squadrons RFC achieving several kills before being shot down and injured. He landed on the allied side of the lines, 450 hits were counted on his aircraft. On leaving hospital he returned to 28 and later served with 141 and 11 squadrons, resigning his commission in 1919.

"As an observant Sikh, he wore a turban instead of a helmet, and later wore a specially designed flying helmet that fitted over his turban."

His service record can be viewed on line:
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/...air-76-331.pdf

How many current FJP's would be able to play at Cricket at County level?

Salute, Malik Sahib. Belated recognition, but nice to see.j

And how many Englishmen would it take beat India at Cricket?

Don't know, but the headmark for concurrent FJ flying and sporting achievement is surely Rory Underwood's stint on 100 Sqn Hawk while on his way to becoming England's record rugby union try scorer. I think it's unlikely that anything remotely approaching that could be attained now with the creeping professionalisation of most sports.

The problem today is that as soon as you show any interest in a particular sport then you are Officer IC in an instant. After that, the playing side becomes very secondary as the poor IC becomes enveloped in risk assessments, obtaining authority for travel, and other admin rich trivia.

The BBC article says he flew combat missions over (France and) Italy - first I have heard of that?

212man do you mean first you’ve heard of Hardit Singh Malik flying in Italy, or the involvement of the RFC/RAF?

I’m guessing the former, but 28 was part of the force under Plumer which was sent to support the Italians

Singh Malik had been wounded while flying with WG Barker (later WG Barker VC) during an airfield attack in France, but returned from convalescence to the squadron around the time it went to Italy. He developed an allergy to castor oil, which meant he could no longer fly rotary engined aircraft, and was transferred to Bristol Fighters in Home Establishment as a result (subsequently joining 11 Squadron (also Brisfits) back in France).

As SLXOwft says, tairfield attack in which he was wounded but got home saw the groundcrew give up counting the bullet holes in his aircraft when they got to 450. Hardit Singh Malik’s leg had collected one of the rounds, but somehow, none of the others had hit him.


He seems to be another - like Maurice Baring - ‘ commissioned directly by Sir David Henderson’ officer. After the French accepted him for flying training, Singh Malik’s tutor at Balliol wrote to enquire why a Balliol man (who happened to be a Sikh) wasn’t good enough for the RFC. Unsurprisingly, this was the first Henderson knew of the case, so he held a personal interview with him, declared that he was just the sort of chap the RFC wanted and sent him off to flying training.

I’d have to check, but I have a feeling that Henderson in effect said ‘jolly good, you’re now a 2nd Lt’ and his staff were left to sort out the necessary admin. Unlike Baring, they didn’t have to take him to Gieves and Hawkes to get his uniform, but got him posted (in admin terms) to an Indian regiment as his parent unit, attached RFC Special Reserve and he started flying training.