Man Mohan Singh (pilot)

with the Maharani of Cooch Behar, 1930. Man Mohan Singh was born in Loralai (now in Pakistan), on 21 March 1906, to physician Makhan Singh, who had at one time received the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal. He completed his early education in Rawalpindi, first attending Denny's High School and then Gordon College. At the age of 17 years, in 1923, he travelled to England to study civil engineering and received his bachelor's degree four years later from the Bristol University. In addition, with a scholarship from the Government of British India, he studied aeronautical engineering and learnt to fly while a member of Bristol and Wessex Aeroplane Club. He received his pilot certificate from Filton on 4 September 1928. He lived in Bristol for five years, residing at 24 Woodfield Road with the Leate family. == Career in aviation ==

The Aga Khan contest In November 1929, keen to promote aviation, the Aga Khan, 48th Imam of the Ismaili sect of Muslims The Maharani of Cooch Bihar presided over the naming ceremony of Singh's aircraft, a Gipsy Moth he named Miss India. It was fitted with an additional 20-gallon fuel tank. One editor of a flight journal reported, "Mr Man Mohan Singh called his aeroplane Miss India and he is likely to!" That day, he departed from Croydon Airport near London, but smashed his propeller when landing at Noyon, France, the following evening. and was the first to land at RAF Drigh Road, Karachi on 9 May 1930, one day after the one-month deadline. J. R. D. Tata did the journey starting in Karachi and arrived at Croydon one day after Engineer made his landmark arrival at Karachi. He later recalled that while refuelling, he came across Singh at Gaza, where he described Singh's "split-arse landing" and as he "turned to park alongside my aeroplane, just missed crashing into it by inches! It was Man Mohan Singh". He described Singh as "enthusiastic" and explained how Singh hunted desert gazelles while flying close to ground. Singh received a hero's welcome upon his return to Bristol when he was greeted at the station by his landlords Mr and Mrs Leate and their daughters Jean and Margaret with garlands of flowers. The president of the Bristol Indian Student Society, G. A. Ahmad recalled his students from university holidays to attend a special reception. Air Force pilot during the Second World War Singh joined the Indian Air Force Volunteer Reserve as a pilot officer at the onset of the Second World War. He was one of the 24 Indian pilots seconded to England for training and action, where he was affectionately referred to by colleagues as "Chacha Man Mohan Singh" (uncle). He was appointed to the RAF Coastal Command and took command of a Sunderland flying boat during the Battle of the Atlantic. His role was to find submarines. Later, he became a flying officer in the British Indian Air Force based in Singapore, taking responsibility for a Catalina flying boat in operations in Indonesia and the Philippines. After withdrawing from Singapore due to the extent of their losses in the Japanese invasion, his squadron moved to Java and then to Broome, Western Australia, where he contributed to the rescue of Dutch civilians. == Legacy ==

Singh is remembered on the Darwin Military Museum Memorial Wall == See also ==