| The First Batch : Sept 4, 1930 to July 22, 1932 | |
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The first batch of Indian pilots at RAF Cranwell in 1931. From L to R (Circled): Bhupendra Singh, Amarjeet Singh and Subroto Mukerjee. Photo courtesy : Sentinels of the Sky |
| Bhupendra Singh with one of the Avro training biplanes at Cranwell in 1931. Sadly he would die in an aircrash in 1933 along with Amarjeet Singh. Photo courtesy : Sentinels of the Sky | ) |
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A B Awan and Mukerjee standing in the last row at RAF Cranwell 1931 Photo courtesy : Sentinels of the Sky |
Aspy Merwan Engineer followed the following year as the lone Indian entrant to Cranwell. During his time at Cranwell, he won the prestigous R.M.Groves flying prize whilst flying the Hawker Hart. He was finished his training in July 1933, almost exactly one year after the first batch, he reached No.1 Squadron in January 1934.
Engineer was followed by three more stalwarts from the third batch that entered Cranwell. They were K K "Jumbo" Majumdar, Narendra and Daljit Singh. Daljit Singh did not survive long, he fell out with the commanding officer of the Base and resigned his commission soon after.
| The Third Batch : Feb 1, 1932 to Dec 15, 1933 | |
| The third batch of Indian Pilots in Cranwell consisted of Narendra, Daljit Singh and K K 'Jumbo' Majumdar. Seen here in the group photo in 1933. Daljit Singh was wrongly identified as RHD Singh in the original book. Photo courtesy : Sentinels of the Sky | ) |
Some of the entrants to Cranwell were officers seconded from the Indian Army. RN Batra and M K Khanna were a few who got trained under this route. But neither of them were commissioned into the IAF, both withdrawing from Cranwell.
Another batch of four cadets went thru Cranwell between Aug 31, 1933 to Jul 26, 1935, however, only two, Habib Ullah Khan and Ravindra Hari Darshan Singh finished training and joined the Squadron.
| The "Sixth" Batch : Aug 31, 1933 to Jul 26, 1935 | |
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Pilots who graduated out of RAF Cranwell were commissioned by the 'Emperor of India' under the seal of the Governor General and a Commission certificate issued. Seen here is the scroll of R H D Singh (Later Air Cmde), who was the eight pilot to be trained at Cranwell and commissioned in 1935. Pic Courtesy : Deepak Singh |
| Flight Cadet Mehar Singh stands out in this 1936 picture of the batch passing out of RAF Cranwell. | ) |
The 1936 batch consisted of SN Goyal and BK Nanda. This was the last batch that did its 'full' course of two years at Cranwell. Nanda had to be grounded after an automobile accident and was commissioned into the Equipment branch, the second such officer after JN Tandon. Goyal was commissioned into the Flying branch and joined No.1 Squadron in Jan 1939.
The final batch of three trainees to Cranwell joined in Sept 1938. They were K M Bahl, Prithipal Singh and Arjan Singh. While Bahl did not complete the training, Prithipal and Arjan were commissioned in December 1939, two months into the Second World War. This batch was done on an accelerated basis, the result being the training lasted only one year, instead of the customary two years.
Prithipal was to lose his life in a tragic crash. It is the latter, Arjan Singh, who would rise to the exalted rank of the Marshal of the Air Force at the end of the century.
| The Final Batch : Sept 8, 1938 to Dec 22, 1939 | |
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Flight Cadet Arjan Singh (circled in white) in his 'B' Squadron photograph from Cranwell in 1938. |
| Field Marshal Lord Viscount Gort, speaks to Flight Cadet Prithipal Singh during an inspection at Cranwell in 1939. | ) |
The Final List:
From 1930 till 1939, a total of 23 Indian Officers were admitted into RAF Cranwell for training. While four of these did not complete training, two of the remaining Seventeen were killed in a crash. One was cashiered out of service after a tragic accident, one left the service on his own accord, leaving just fourteen.
A complete list of Indians who were trained at RAF Cranwell between the years 1930 to
1939 has been researched by noted UK Aviation Historian, Mr. Andrew Thomas. The list is
reproduced below.