A statue of a Gravesend flying ace and war hero has been unveiled to honour all those fought for Britain in the last century.
The 8ft bronze statue of Mahinder Singh Pujji now stands proudly in St Andrew’s Gardens after it was unveiled by Air Vice-Marshal Edward Stringer on Friday morning (November 28).
Around 500 onlookers celebrated Royal Air Force Squadron Leader Pujji’s brave service during the Second World War, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Born in 1918 in Simla, India, he spent his last few years in Gravesend and died on in September 2010 aged 92.
Air Vice-Marshal Edward Stringer (image by Sarah Knight).
Addressing the crowd, Air Vice-Marshal Stringer paid tribute to “a stunning record, a wonderful pilot and a fantastic officer.”
His son Satinder Pujji, 62, told News Shopper: “I was really proud to see the statue of my dad there as a representative of all the volunteers and to show that many Indians supported the British and worked in their service during the war.
“I did get emotional when the statue was unveiled but my dad was a tough man and I never saw him cry or get emotional.
“He was very modest but he would have understood why he was being used as a symbol.”
In 1940 Mr Pujji was one of 18 qualified Indian pilots who volunteered for the RAF, aged just 22.
Sculptor Douglas Jennings (image by Sarah Knight).
He refused to wear protective head gear because of his Sikh faith and was shot down twice, losing many of his friends and colleagues.
Sculptor Douglas Jennings produced the £70,000 statue, which was sculpted on to a steel armature using 650kg of clay and rests on a Portland stone plinth.
He said: "Mr Pujji is a fantastic example of those who gave everything to fight for Britain and the Commonwealth.
“But it wasn’t just about him as I had to research his uniform, his turban, his medals and his buttons.
Image by Sarah Knight.
“Everything had to be right because obviously historians and officers would notice if it wasn’t.
“I’m incredibly happy with how it turned out and it’s exactly how my vision was.”
The statue honours all those who volunteered to serve Britain and the Commonwealth in combat between 1914 and 2014.
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