page_title: Man Mohan Singh (pilot)
section_title: Second World War
hierarchical_section_title: Man Mohan Singh (pilot) / Second World War
caption_attribution_description: A pall of smoke rises from the burning hull probably of a Liberator, one of the six large aircraft, which included two Flying Fortresses and a Liberator, destroyed on the aerodrome in the Japanese air-raid on the town on 3rd March 1942. Most of these aircraft had just arrived from the Netherlands East Indies carrying refugees who were still aboard them. It is estimated that 35 to 40 people were killed, including women and children, and probably as many again wounded in the raid. Fourteen flying boats in the harbour were also destroyed. (Original print housed in the AWM Archive Store).
context_page_description: Man Mohan Singh, also spelled Manmohan Singh, was an early Indian aircraft pilot who, in 1930, was the first Indian to fly solo from Croydon Airport, England, to Karachi, India.
  Singh was born and educated in Rawalpindi. He later travelled to England and trained in civil engineering, aeronautical engineering and learnt to fly.
  He was of one of the contestants who participated in a competition set by the Aga Khan in 1929, who offered a prize to the first Indian to fly the England-India journey, solo and within a one-month time frame. In 1930, Singh was the first to complete the journey solo, in his aircraft which he named "Miss India". However, he missed the deadline by one day and the prize was awarded to pilot Aspy Engineer. Singh later also became the first Indian to fly solo to South Africa from England.
  Singh joined the Indian Air Force Volunteer Reserve as a pilot officer at the onset of the Second World War, following which he joined the RAF Coastal Command and took command of a Sunderland flying boat during the Battle of the Atlantic. He later became a flying officer with the British Indian Air Force.
context_section_description: Singh joined the Indian Air Force Volunteer Reserve as a pilot officer at the onset of the Second World War. He became the leader of a group of Indian Air Force pilots sent 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.
  On 3 March 1942, after the flying boats reached Broome, a Japanese air attack by nine Japanese Mitsubishi Zeroes began just before 10 am and caused the destruction of all the flying boats remaining on the water in Broome harbour. Singh is believed to have survived the initial attack only to drown in the harbour, being unable to swim. Eighty-seven other people were also killed.
caption: Aftermath of the Japanese attack on Broome
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