The White Cliffs of Dover mark the point where Great Britain comes closest to continental Europe. On a clear, sunny day, and if the deceiving British weather allows, one can see France across the English Channel. The White Cliffs not only offer a picturesque view of the countryside, but they also stand guard as the gateway to England. When Julius Caesar invaded Britain in 55 BC, his army was confronted by these very cliffs. Over 1,900 years later, the same white cliffs greeted the soldiers rescued from Dunkirk. Then, during an aerial battle in 1941, they saved an Indian Sikh Royal Air Force pilot-a man who would go on to become one of the most prominent figures in the history of both Great Britain's and India's air forces.
White Cliffs of Dover. Credits: Unsplash
2026 and 1940: Two Generations, One Legacy
In 2026, Arshdeep Singh Dang, a 28-year-old man who was born in Chandigarh and raised in London, joined the Royal Air Force as a fighter pilot. Flight Lieutenant Dang is the first Sikh pilot in the Royal Air Force since the Second World War. Photographed in uniform with a blue turban representing his faith and his flying badge pinned to his chest, Flight Lieutenant Dang serves as a testament to the enduring legacy and contributions of Sikhs to the military history of both India and the UK.
Flight Lt. Arshdeep Singh Dang was born in India but he moved to London with his family when he was kid. Credits: @sikhmilitaryfdn/X.com
In 1940, Mahinder Singh Pujji, a Sikh hobby pilot at the Delhi Flying Club, joined the RAF and became the first Sikh pilot allowed to fly with his turban. The British accepted his request and designed a special cap that would fit under his oxygen mask and headphones, and his turban saved him at the White Cliffs of Dover when he crash-landed after being hit. Although modern fighter jets and flight helmets have evolved dramatically over more than eight decades-making it uncertain if Flight Lieutenant Dang will fly wearing his turban-the incredible story of Mahinder Singh Pujji remains truly worthy of recognition.
From Simla To London
Mahinder Singh Pujji was born in Simla on August 14, 1918, a day that would become iconic in the history of India and Pakistan 29 years later in 1947. Pujji belonged to a well-educated family, and his father was a government officer during British rule. Pujji was a hobby pilot at the Delhi Flying Club and received his 'A' level flying certification in 1937. His first job was flying passengers from Haridwar to Badrinath. In 1938, he was offered a better position at Burmah Shell - which later became Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) - as a refuelling superintendent. The insecurities that were brewing in Europe since WWI reached their peak when Germany invaded Poland in 1939. Britain was at war again with Germany.
Over the last few decades, Britain has been actively reevaluating the underappreciated contributions of its colonies, such as India and those in Africa, in the world wars. In 1939, the Royal Air Force again lifted the discriminatory colour ban and started recruiting black and brown people because it needed manpower. He applied to the RAF in 1939 after seeing an advertisement. Mahinder Singh Pujji submitted his application and was selected. He was among the 24 'A' level license-holding Indian pilots, collectively called the X-Squad, who travelled to Britain to join the Royal Air Force.
The 24 Indian pilots with British pilots. Credits: bharat-rakshak.com
The 24 pilots included Eric Wilmart Pinto, who retired as Air Vice Marshal in the Indian Air Force, HC Dewan, who held the rank of Air Marshal and served as the head of the Eastern Command during the 1971 war, and Man Mohan Singh, one of the first Indians to fly solo from Croydon, England to Karachi in the Agha Khan Contest in 1930 along with JRD Tata, Aspy Engineer - who later became the IAF chief, and Ram Nath Chawla, a friend of Man Mohan Singh. The officer died in Australia in 1942 after being hit by a Japanese attack.
Mahinder Singh Pujji and 23 other pilots arrived in Britain during the peak of the Battle of Britain in 1940, when German bombers rained hell on London with V2 rockets and bombs. The trainees arrived at Liverpool station and then went to London. The first 24 received much attention in Britain, and there was "huge publicity" around it, Pujji said in an interview. The batch of 24 Indians was invited to Windsor Castle near London to have tea with the King and the Royal Family along with the Secretary of State.
Mahinder Singh Pujji, 5th from the left. Credits: bharat-rakshak.com
Pilot Officer Pujji was posted to No. 1 RAF Depot, Uxbridge. His posting came into effect on October 8, 1940. Eight years ago, on the same day in 1932, the Indian Air Force was formed after the Indian Air Force Act was passed. He was then sent to No. 9 Advanced Unit at RAF Hullavington. He received his RAF wings in 1941 and was assigned to No. 56 Operational Training Unit at RAF Sutton Bridge. He began his advanced pilot training in the Hawker Hurricane, which he would fly from RAF Kenley, located in the Borough of Croydon near London.
Carrying Faith and Duty Together
During World War I, Flying Officer Hardit Singh Malik became the first Sikh to fly with his turban and beard, but the combat aircraft in WWI were totally different from those in WWII. In the period between the World Wars, both civil and military aviation experienced rapid technological advancements, leading to the development of fast, highly manoeuvrable fighters armed with high-calibre guns. Radio sets and portable Oxygen masks were some of the innovations. The former allowed better close communication with ground stations, and the latter helped during long-range flights at higher altitudes.
Flying Officer Hardit Singh Malik. Credits: www.rafmuseumstoryvault.org.uk
When Mahinder Singh Pujji joined the RAF, the pilot headgear, which included the Oxygen mask and headphones, was not designed for Sikhs. Pujji requested the RAF to fly with his turban, and his request was accepted. He recalls that the British were "very accommodating" to his demand; he appreciates that. While other pilots did not request to fly with a turban, Pujji wanted to keep his faith and duty together. It remained an individual choice for a Sikh pilot to fly with their turban.
The RAF designed headgear where the Oxygen mask and headphones would fit on the turban, and his RAF wings were sewn on the cloth, a symbol of faith and duty combined to make a pilot.
Crash-Landing In White Dovers
World War II was about close shaves for pilots, when air combat meant intense dogfights. Pujji's plane crashed twice during the war. In one of the aerial engagements over the English Channel, a German Messerschmitt opened fire on his plane. In his autobiography, For King and Another Country, he recalled the attack and said, "A hail of bullets smashed my dashboard to smithereens and sent engine oil arcing across the cockpit, completely obscuring my vision". There was sea on one side and the White Cliffs on the other. He was advised to glide the plane to the shore because he didn't know how to swim. He saw the cliffs and crash-landed. "I only knew I was 200 feet up, but by God's work, I crash-landed," he said.
He suffered serious injuries in the crash. He touched his turban, and it was filled with blood. However, the padding of the turban acted as a cushion and saved him from serious or possibly life-threatening injuries. He was back to flying after a few weeks. He was involved in many dogfights with the Luftwaffe (German Air Force). His total tally was two planes shot down and three damaged.
Europe, Africa, Burma – He Was Everywhere
After serving in the Battle of Britain, he was sent to North Africa, where he served in the Middle East and Africa theatre in 1941. For Pujji, the African theatre was more primitive than Europe, with food being a "turn-off". He said he survived on biscuits on some occasions. The African theatre was where his plane was shot down by ground fire. He survived, yet again. After serving in North Africa and the Western Desert for a few years, he and other Indian pilots were sent to India and were posted to No. 4 Squadron in Kohat in 1942. He attained the rank of Squadron Leader by 1945. This marked his final rank prior to his departure from the Air Force in 1947, due to medical reasons.
In 1944, while serving as station commander in Burma, Pujji refused to abandon the search for 300 African troops under American command who had gone missing in the dense jungle. Although his pilots returned unsuccessfully from an initial reconnaissance mission, he personally took to the skies and succeeded in locating the lost soldiers. When air headquarters questioned his findings, Pujji flew a second mission to gather definitive proof of their position.
Squadron Leader Mahinder Singh Pujji earned a rare distinction of serving all three theatres of operation - Europe, North Africa, and Burma. In 1945, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). He later left the Air Force after being diagnosed with tuberculosis and a 100% disability. Doctors at that time told him that he had six months to live, but Sqn. Ldr Pujji became an Aerodrome officer at the Safdarjung Airport. He continued to fly as a civilian and was one of the pioneers of the gliders' club in India, through which he once met Prime Minister Nehru.
The statue of Sqn Ldr. Mahinder Singh Pujji. Credits: raf.mod.uk
Pujji emigrated to England in 1974. He died at the age of 92 in 2010, but his legacy has been immortalised on English soil at Gravesend, Kent, in the form of a statue to remember his contribution to defending Britain.
(Divyam Sharma was a journalist at NDTV. He is currently studying Terrorism, Security and Society at King's College London, with a specialisation in wargaming and OSINT.)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
