LONDON: A statue of the first Indian fighter pilot of Royal Flying Corps, Hardit Singh Malik, known as the ‘Flying Sikh’, will be erected in Southampton as a tribute to all black and ethnic community personnel who had served in both the world wars.
Malik, born in Rawalpindi in pre-partition India, was refused entry to the British Army as a commissioned officer twice, owing to the attitudes towards race at the time. It was not until his tutor at Balliol College, Oxford, Francis Urquhart, wrote a furious letter to Major-General David Henderson, the commander of Royal Flying Corps (RFC), that Malik was accepted into the RFC on April 5, 1917.
As a cadet, he wore a specially designed flying helmet that fitted over his turban that earned him the nickname the ‘Flying Hobgoblin’.
“He is the perfect example of messages we want to send out on equality and diversity,” said Pritheepal Singh, CEO of One Community Hampshire and Dorset, a multi-faith non-profit organization that initiated the project in conjunction with the Southampton Council of Gurdwaras. They are launching a campaign to raise £300,000 (Rs 3 crore) to fund the statue, a documentary, book and exhibitions.
Malik survived his aircraft being hit with 450 bullets and crash-landing. When he died on October 31, 1985, in Delhi, he still had two German bullets embedded in his leg.
After the war, Malik became prime minister of Patiala state, the first Indian High Commissioner to Canada, and later Ambassador to France.
British artist Luke Perry has been commissioned to create the 17-foot bronze statue, which will show a 9.5 foot Malik standing on the iconic engine of a Sopwith Camel — the same as fictional character Biggles flew — on top of a plinth.