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The Flying Sikh - Hardit Singh Malik

Published on 23 January 2023
Submitted by Stephen Barker

From his arrival in the UK alone in 1908 as a fourteen-year-old, to Balliol College, Oxford and into the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War, Hardit Singh Malik lived an extraordinary life, often in the face of great adversity, yet always with charm and good humour. He played cricket for Sussex and was an Oxford blue in golf, playing with the Prince of Wales.

Malik rose to become the Indian Ambassador to France after a long and distinguished career in the Indian Civil service, yet always maintained strong bonds with Great Britain. Yet it is as a fighter pilot during 1917-19 that he is best known, coming up against the Red Baron and the British military establishment. 

This presentation, by Stephen Barker describes Hardit Singh Malik's fascinating story.

The Flying Sikh - Hardit Singh Malik
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