‘JUMBO’
MAJUMDAR CENTRE
INDIAN AIR FORCE MUSEUM
INDIAN AIR FORCE STATION
PALAM
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| Jumbo with his first DFC |
In September 2013, Sailen Majumdar, a well to do Indian
Chartered Accountant settled in the UK, was approached by an unknown
Punjabi-speaking gentleman, who apparently had Sailen’s father’s World War II
medals and wanted to sell them. Sailen acquired them next year in a
surreptitious deal made without meeting or speaking with the Punjabi gentleman.
Sailen had a sister, Anjali Noel Lobo, in Pune, India. He rang her up mid 2014
to tell her how he had acquired their father’s medals. She felt very happy that
the medals had been found as they would enhance the already strong undercurrent
of recognition of her late father’s exploits. She asked him why he didn’t meet
or speak with the Punjabi gentleman, to get an odd reply that he didn't
understand Punjabi, but the medals were safe and with him.
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Mrs Anjali Lobo
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He called her up again in October 2014 to tell her that
he didn’t want their children and grandchildren to squabble over this issue, so
he had decided to sell the medals. In fact, he had already put them up for
auction through a Central London Auction House specialising in the sale of
collectors' coins of all periods and historical medals. He had set a reserve
price of £20,000. He went on to say that he believed that their father would
have been very happy and proud that he was doing so. Anjali was furious and
heatedly replied, 'I am sorry, I don’t think our father would have been happy
or proud that you are selling his medals. He died for the Indian Air Force
(IAF) and for the country.” That was the last conversation she had with her
brother.
When contacted telephonically by the media, Sailen had
his own side of the story. He insisted that he had been completely honest with
his sister and when told about the medals, she didn’t express any particular
interest in them. She had nonchalantly quipped that were she in his place, she
wouldn’t bother. Everybody knew their father had a Distinguished Flying Cross
(DFC, UK) and Bar. She was now conveniently saying that she didn't remember any
of their conversations.
Her riposte to the media was on expected lines. "I
feel really sad about it. What else can I say? My father died for the IAF. He
would be very sad at this impasse. These are my father's medals and it is
shocking that they have become an object of commerce. The auction was called
off because bidding did not reach the cutoff price of £20,000. After media pressure, the IAF bought the
medals for £30,000. I am glad that they have reached the IAF. It is what my
father would have wanted but I don’t think it was very nice that the Air Force
had to pay to acquire them.”
So what was the bond that connected Anjali Lobo, Sailen
Majumdar and WW II gallantry medals? The two were siblings, both the offspring
of Wing Commander Karun Krishna Majumdar DFC & Bar, the first Indian
Officer to reach the rank of Wing Commander and also to be twice decorated for
valour. In fact, he was awarded the first DFC on the Burma front in 1942 and
next, deep in Europe in 1945. He also baled out once on each front, escaping
through raw guts and derring do and setting an example in Leadership.
Wing Commander Karun Krishna Majumdar DFC & Bar, a
six foot two inch tall lad, with equally commanding personality, courage and
forthrightness, had been given the nickname ‘Jumbo’ by his friends in the
Indian Air Force (IAF). He was born on September 6, 1913 at Calcutta to an
illustrious family of ardent nationalists. His cousins Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri
and Hem Chaudhuri also joined the Forces; the former joined the Army and
ultimately became the Chief of Army Staff, while the latter followed Majumdar
into the Air Force and rose to a high rank. A bright child, he was honest,
fiercely independent and not afraid of going his own way, even in the face of
criticism.These traits were abundantly manifest in his role as one of the
prominent pioneers of the Indian Air Force.
From early childhood, he had only one passion, one
purpose for living – to ‘Fly’. He took
the entrance exam to join The Royal Flying College, Cranwell, UK and stood
second in the order of merit. On
commissioning, he joined the newly raised and prestigious first Squadron of the
IAF, No. 1 Squadron, as a Flying Officer in the mid 1930s. Flying the Wapiti
and later, the Hawker Hart aircraft, he was soon identified as an outstanding
flier with tremendous potential for leadership. On June 27, 1941, Jumbo was
promoted to Squadron Leader (Sqn Ldr) and took over command of No. 1 Squadron
in anticipation of action during the ongoing WW II. The IAF in those days was a
minuscule force and clearly under the influence of long-standing British
tradition. Majumdar, however, was all for ‘Indianising’ the Air Force
environment, famously stating, “The IAF must be an Indian Banyan tree and not
an English Oak”.
On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbour.
Plans were hurriedly made to contain the Japanese and Jumbo’s No. 1 Squadron,
now equipped with the Lysander aircraft, was moved to Taungoo Airfield in
Burma. One morning, the Japanese attacked the airfield and damaged several
aircraft. Only the IAF’s Lysanders remained untouched. Majumdar planned a retaliatory
attack and flew out in a Lysander with two 250lb bombs. Flying at treetop
level, he entered the Japanese base and dropped the bombs with precision,
destroying the hangar and the aircraft in it. The very next day, he led his
Sqn, the Tigers, to lay siege to and demolish the Japanese base.
Jumbo and his squadron of Lysanders flew offensive
missions that inflicted extensive damage to enemy airfields and installations.
For his leadership of the Squadron and daring performance in the Burma
Campaign, Squadron Leader Majumdar was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
(DFC), thus becoming the first Indian Officer in World War II to be so
decorated. Promoted to Wing Commander (Acting) in 1942, the first Indian to
reach this rank, he voluntarily returned to the war front in England in March
1944, demitting his Acting rank and reverting to Sqn Ldr.
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Jumbo Getting his Second DFC
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He flew the Mustang and Typhoon aircraft during the
Allied invasion of Europe in numerous reconnaissance and ground attack missions
deep into occupied France and Belgium, totally unmindful of personal safety.
For his gallant role in these operations, Majumdar was awarded a Bar to his DFC
in January 1945, again the first and only Indian to be so decorated. The London
Gazette praised him for his operational skills and LIFE magazine listed him as
one of the 12 best pilots in the allied air forces for his work in Burma and
Europe.
On his return from Europe, this avid flier commanded
the Air Force Display Flight. He toured the country extensively, conducting
aerobatic shows and displays. He was scheduled to carry out a display near
Lahore on February 17, 1945 on a Hawker Hurricane aircraft.The aircraft had a
history of snags and he was advised by the Flight's Engg Officer Flt Lt
Harjinder Singh to be extra cautious and carry out only safe manoeuvres at a
reasonably high altitude. In the aerobatic display flight, his aircraft developed a serious snag, became
unstable and crashed, tragically killing him. Jumbo Majumdar died as he had
always wanted to, with his flying boots on in the cockpit of an aircraft,
flying to his heart’s content.
Mid 2015, the Indian Air Force (IAF) used its internal
discretionary funds to acquire the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) and the war
medals of the World War II veteran Wing Commander Jumbo Majumdar from the
auction house. This was because the apathetic Ministry of Defence (MoD) refused
to sanction 30,000 pounds (approximately Rs. 28 lakh), the price fixed by the
auction house which had acquired the medals from Jumbo Majumdar's son Sailen
Majumdar. MoD said that the decision was that of the Ministry of
Culture-typical stalling tactics- and that they had sent the file to the
Culture (agriculture?) Ministry to take a call on whether the medals should be
acquired in the first place. After waiting several months, the auction house
Morton and Eden set a May 26 deadline after the IAF had entered into a binding
contract with the auction house but failed to reach a settlement. Keen to avoid
defaulting on an agreement, the IAF went ahead with the purchase on its own
through its Air Attache in London.
Despite the government's rejection, the Indian Air
Force has been clear that the memory of the man they consider the father of the
modern IAF must be honoured. Yet, in a strange order to avoid controversy,
where they should have raised the roof, the IAF decided not to celebrate the
return of the medals to India and made no press release on the acquisition of
the World War Two treasures. The medals, now in India, were showcased
prominently at the Air Force Museum, Air Force Station, Palam, in a formal
function on 16 July 2019.
In a statement to NDTV, the AOC-in-C Western Air
Command, Air Marshal R Nambiar, PVSM, AVSM, VM&Bar, had said, "Jumbo's
contribution during the Second World War both in Burma and in the Normandy
Campaigns has been acknowledged in professional circles. He was the first and the only IAF pilot to be
awarded DFC and Bar. Having understood
the importance of Air Power at a very early age, he worked relentlessly to
build a strong Air Force for India.
Jumbo led from the front by personal example and worked relentlessly to
lay the foundation of the IAF. His
spirit shall live as long as there are young men to take up the challenge of
his legacy, and the trail of glory shall be remembered and cherished by the IAF
for all time to come."
The auction documents states, "Jumbo Majumdar's
seeming disregard for his own safety on solo bombing raids and leading others
against what appeared to be insurmountable odds made him a legendary figure
both in the Royal Air Force and among his own countrymen. It is generally
agreed that had he lived, his example and vision for Indian air power would
have seen him rise to the highest level in the post-Independence Indian Air
Force."
Sailen Majumdar revealed that he also has somewhere the
crucifix that his paternal grandmother Jonaki Agnes Penelope Majumdar (nee
Bonnerjee) had made from the metal of the ill-fated Hurricane that his father
crashed in. In addition, a note book where he made very personal and
philosophical comments about his role in World War 2 (sic). He had to decide
what to do with numerous letters between his parents during World War 2.
Personal, but such a long time ago, that perhaps they should now be in the
public domain for anyone who is interested, rather than them being binned or
left in a drawer forever!
As eulogised by Air Marshal R Nambiar, late "Wg Cdr Karun Krishna 'Jumbo' Majumdar was the
ultimate flier, a hero in the truest sense of the word."
