A de Havilland H82A Tiger Moth. Umaid Singh was a keen airman, whose appointment as Air Commodore in 1939 and Air Vice-Marshal in 1945 was not mere courtesy. He founded some twenty-three airstrips in Jodhpur, which he enjoyed subjecting to unannounced drop-in (literally) inspections. One of them was JFC Air Force Station, established in 1923: by 1938 it had grown from a couple of Tiger Moth training planes to handling civil aircraft for Air France, KLM and Imperial Airways. See High-flyer: The maharaja who pioneered Indian aviation (Times of India).
Part 1 of 2
“SONS and Daughters of Marwar!* My words to you on this occasion will be few, for the perilous times we live in call for deeds and not words.*
“Up to now many millions of us in India have watched the war from afar; we have sat in safe security while our troops and those of our Allies have fought bravely to keep the brutal invader from our shores. But the time has come for all of us to give more help and we must be prepared for the worst. I want you to assist the war effort in every way you can; to steel your hearts to resolution and courage.
The Princely State of Jodhpur, within the Rajputana Agency of British India, was formerly the Kingdom of Marwar. The Maharaja’s affection towards the British Crown was very much mutual, founded on the trust established by Colonel James Tod: see The Quiet Kingdom.
Umaid Singh was a man of foresight, more so than many in Westminster. On September 17th, 1938, days before Neville Chamberlain brokered the worthless Munich Agreement, the Maharaja sent a telegram to King George VI pledging his ‘unflinching loyalty’, and added: ‘I beg further to offer my personal services unreservedly and to place all the resources of my State, both Civil and Military, at the disposal of the Imperial Government in the event of war breaking out.’
Précis
In 1942, three years after the start of the Second World War, the Maharaja of Jodhpur in India, Umaid Singh, issued an appeal to all his subjects, asking them to do all they could to support the Allied cause, and in particular the many Indian troops at the front, to keep Nazi Germany from acquiring India. (55 / 60 words)
Part Two
Flying Officer P. C. Ramachandran stands beside his aircraft, prior to a test flight in England, 1942. The supercilious Nazis assumed that India’s princes would turn against Britain, being either nostalgic dreamers or weak-minded puppets who would serve any master for a price. By contrast, the British had over the years acquired a healthy respect for their integrity and progressive governance which sometimes bordered on awe: see Mysore’s Golden Age. The Germans had grossly miscalculated, and it cost them dearly.
“THERE are many ways in which you can help. You can set aside your quarrels for a time and stand united. You can help to maintain calm and confidence by refusing to credit alarmist rumours and false reports. You can join in war activities of various kinds.
“This is a hard and bitter test, but we are, I firmly believe, going to win through to victory and peace. Let it be our boast in the peaceful years to come that we, every one of us,* did something to secure the Victory and peace which we hope our children and grand-children will enjoy.”
Umaid Singh practised what he preached. He used his beloved Jodhpur Flying Club as a RAF training centre, and made his property at Juhu near Bombay available as a ‘holiday resort’ for the RAF. A special train toured the Rajputana States, educating the public on the war; the railway trained mechanics, and transported munitions, tools and building materials for the construction of airfields; it also repaired and manufactured items for the RAF and USAF, and contributed locomotives and rolling stock to the war effort. Railway employees raised money to buy aircraft; the Jodhpur Red Cross raised money for medical supplies; and English ladies at Jodhpur opened a canteen and not-for-profit shop for servicemen, selling Indian-made goods for them to send home as Christmas presents — though the Maharaja made a point of buying lavish presents for the RAF servicemen himself.
Précis
The Maharaja suggested ways that non-combatants could help the war effort, from giving no heed to enemy propaganda or defeatist talk, to manufacturing arms and distributing medical supplies. He emphasised that Indians owed it to their children to be able to say that they had done everything they could could secure peace and prosperity in their land. (57 / 60 words)
