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BNPS.co.uk (01202 558833)
Pic: Pen&Sword/BNPS
Pictured: Hardit Singh Malik during a cricket match between Sussex and Leicestershire in Brighton circa 1920 (circled).
The remarkable little-known story of the only Sikh airman to become an RAF fighter pilot during World War One is told in a new book.
Flying Officer Hardit Singh Malik, an Oxford University graduate, was playing county cricket for Sussex when war broke out. He attempted to join the British Army but was denied entry because of his race while his fellow students all went to the frontline.
Still desperate to do his bit, he travelled to France to become an ambulance driver for the French Red Cross, and asked to join the French Air Force.
He joined No 26 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps and took to the skies in defining Great War battles - surviving a close shave when his Sopwith Camel was riddled with over 400 bullet holes.
Pic: Pen&Sword/BNPS
Pictured: Hardit Singh Malik during a cricket match between Sussex and Leicestershire in Brighton circa 1920 (circled).
The remarkable little-known story of the only Sikh airman to become an RAF fighter pilot during World War One is told in a new book.
Flying Officer Hardit Singh Malik, an Oxford University graduate, was playing county cricket for Sussex when war broke out. He attempted to join the British Army but was denied entry because of his race while his fellow students all went to the frontline.
Still desperate to do his bit, he travelled to France to become an ambulance driver for the French Red Cross, and asked to join the French Air Force.
He joined No 26 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps and took to the skies in defining Great War battles - surviving a close shave when his Sopwith Camel was riddled with over 400 bullet holes.
Pen & Sword 4 Jul 2019 4385x2776 / 5.3MB