10/26/2026
Hardit Singh Malik, the first Indian fighter pilot in the Royal Flying Corps, survived a ferocious dogfight on October 26 1917.
His nickname “The Flying Sikh of Biggin Hill” reflected the fact that Malik was one of only four Indian pilots in the RFC throughout the war. His initial application had in fact been turned down, despite being a British subject. He was poised to join the French Air Service before his Oxford professor intervened and wrote a letter to a senior RFC general on his behalf.
He was accepted, and went into combat under the leadership of Canadian ace William Barker.
One week after Malik scored his first aerial victory, a patrol led by Barker encountered a large group of German fighters.
Malik soon received two gunshot wounds in his right leg. These bullets also passed through the fuel tank under Malik’s seat, but luckily passed through the liquid and not the fuel vapour, and so did not catch fire. The attacking aircraft then passed right in front of him. Malik shot it down in flames.
As both Malik and his aircraft were leaking vital fluids, he pointed his Sopwith Camel for his home aerodrome, which lay more than 60 kilometers away. But then three German fighters gave chase, pouring bullets into his aircraft from close range, but miraculously failing to bring Malik down.
“It was the greatest luck. They shot all they had at me but not a single one hit me or any vital part of the plane. I definitely thought I was going to be killed.”
As the chase continued at treetop level, gunners on the ground joined in, taking shots at Malik’s Camel. But as the chase wore on, Malik’s confidence grew.
“At the beginning I thought I definitely would be shot down or killed. But after a bit, when they seemed to be unable to hit me again, I somehow lost the fear, and had the feeling that I’d be alright. I didn’t feel panic at all.”
The pursuing Germans eventually broke off the chase. Malik guessed this was because they were now low on am******on. When he made it back to his aerodrome, his squadron comrades counted more than 400 bullet holes in his aircraft.
“My mechanic said it was quite amazing how I ever got down. It was like a miracle. My pursuers just did not have the bullet with my name on it.”
Malik was the only Indian RFC pilot to survive the war. After India’s independence in 1947, Hardit Singh Malik became the first Indian High Commissioner to Canada.
