By the time Group Captain Walter Vernon Alexander Lloyd was appointed Officer Commanding of an operational Wing in Punjab, trouble from the infiltrators had already erupted in the Jammu and Kashmir area. Aware of the imminence of a full-fledged war, Gp. Capt. Lloyd immediately set about making preparations for it. In the limited time available he instituted passive air defence measures and spurred his officers and men to greater effort towards improving the serviceability of aircraft and operational preparedness of the unit. As a result his Station was ready to meet the challenge when Pakistan entered the arena openly as an aggressor.

One of the front line wings which menaced Pakistani activity in the area of Sialkot and Lahore, Gp. Capt. Lloyd's Wing was subjected to continuous nigh bombing raids and the enemy paratroopers' forage, work on the aircraft and airfield went on with unabated vigour. An index of the unflagging zeal of the air and ground crew and of the courage and fortitude is the steadily increasing number of sorties the Station was able to mount. There were 29 sorties on the 7th September, the day following the first Pakistani night raid, 74 on 11th and 77 on the 22nd September, 1965.

Although Gp. Capt. Lloyd had been in Command only a few days before the declaration of hostilities, he imbued, by personal example everyone in his Station with courage, determination, confidence in the justness of our cause and a sense of selflessness and purpose.