| HS Moolgavkar PVSM MVC |
Arakonam Dec 42, Hurricane AG291 as standby aircraft.
At the end of its first tour of operations in Burma, No.1 Squadron moved to Begumpet in March 1942. After about a month, the Squadron moved with its Lysanders to Trichy in the south. In June 42, Pilots of the Squadron were earmarked for Hurricane conversion and went to Risalpur to the 151 OTU for training.
In September and October 42, the pilots went to Karachi to take up delivery of various Hurricane Mk 1 aircraft and prepared to fly to Trichy. During the move to Trichy, the CO-designate Flt Lt Henry Runganadhan was killed when the Hudson he was travelling in crashed. Command was taken over by Sqn Ldr SN Goyal. One of the Flight commanders during this period was Flt Lt Arjan Singh.
The Squadron settled down in Trichy in October 42 and was to spend nearly an year in working up on the Hurricanes. Within a month of its moving there, the Tigers took part in 'Exercise MINX', which involved Army Cooperation flights. For the exercise, the Squadron flew to Arakonam airfield on Dec 8th, 1942. It was there taking part in operations till Dec 21st, 1942 when it moved back to Trichy.
The Photographs on this page are from the collection of Air Chief Marshal HS Moolgavkar, who as a young Pilot Officer was with Jumbo Majumdar in Burma during its first tour. Moolgavkar was a Flying Officer when he took many of the photographs on this page with his box camera.
Moolgavkar's personal aircraft, Hurricane AG291 'Dolly' is seen here in many of the photographs here.
Arakonam airfield c1942
The Officers
S/L SN Goyal (CO)
F/L Arjan Singh
F/L E Nazirullah
F/O YV Malse
F/O HS Ratnagar
F/O HS Moolgavkar
F/O Satyanarayana
F/O Ananthanaryana
F/O Sk Ibrahim
P/O Noel Ruxton Murcott
P/O Anand Ramdas Pandit
Our Thanks to Air Chief Marshal Moolgavkar for
providing these photographs exclusively to Bharat Rakshak.
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| Hurriane AG291 under Inspection by ground crew. | AG291 carries the name 'Dolly under the cockpit, in honour of Moolgavkar's Girlfriend of that time | |||||||||
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| Arakonam
Dec 42, Ground Crew looking over NB-F AG-291 'Dolly'. |
Hurri at Trichy | |||||||||
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| Arakonam
Dec 42, Fg Offr HS Ratnagar and Noel Ruxton Murcott. Murcott was later lost on operations in Burma |
An Army officer inspecting 'Dolly' | |||||||||
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| 'Andy' Ananthanarayan strapped in a Hurri Cockpit. Ananthanarayan later moved onto Transports | F/L Arjan Singh with the GLO Capt Brian 'something' at Arkonam Dec 42 | |||||||||
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| 'Fanny' with some B Flight boys. | Tuby, Rati, Andy , Nazir (F/O Ibrahim, F/O Ratnagar, F/O Ananthanarayan, F/O Edwin Nazirullah) | |||||||||
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| Aerodrome under construction at Arakonam Dec 42 | Landing Strip at Arkonam Dec 42 | |||||||||
