Sikh Faces of the First World War: A Sikh Flyer.

Four of us Indians joined the [Royal Flying] corps. One of them was from Bombay and the other boy from Calcutta.

Both were killed and the third was captured and I was the only one left.

These were the words of (Hon) Flt. Lt. Hardit Singh Malik, veteran fighter pilot of the Great War.

Hardit Malik's characteristic modesty belies the remarkable story that preceded Malik's war career.

Malik was born on 23 November 1894 in Rawalpindi, in what is now Pakistan. Unlike the vast majority of Sikhs that volunteered for the armed services Malik was one of the privileged Indian upper class.

After receiving his secondary school education at Eastbourne College in England, he attended Oxford University in 1912.

He left the university to volunteer for the precarious Royal Flying Corps and was the first Indian to receive a commission in what became the R.A.F. in World War One.

A specially designed helmet was worn by Hardit over his turban. He went 'solo' in a Cauldron after just two and half hours of instruction. He got his wings in under a month.

Under the command of Major Barkar, Hardit fought against the legendary 'Red Baron' Manfred von Richthofens Staffel. The Sikh was one of the most popular officers at Biggin Hill. As a fighter pilot, he was credited with shooting down six enemy planes.

To learn more about this inspiring figure, check out the only surviving interview with Hardit Singh Malik (courtesy of Nav Kandola) [here] (http://vimeo.com/40764466).

Join us in uncovering more stories and supporting and assisting our research as UKPHA embarks on an exciting new project 'Empire, Faith & War: The Sikhs and World War One'.

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