Indra Lal Roy – First Indian Fighter Air Ace of World War I

Indra Lal Roy was the officially accredited the first Indian fighter air ace of World War I who served in the First World War with the Royal Flying Corps and its successor, the Royal Air Force.

Indra Lal Roy was born on 2nd December 1898 in Calcutta (now Kolkata), West Bengal. He was the second son of Lolita Roy and Peary Lal Roy the Director of Public Prosecutions in Calcutta. His elder brother was Paresh Lal Roy, who was known as the “Father of Indian Boxing”. His nephew, who became India’s first Chief of Air Staff of Indian Air Force, was none other than the iconic Subroto Mukherjee. Indra Lal Roy hailed from an affluent family and was educated from St. Paul’s School in Kensington in England. He had secured a scholarship to Oxford and aspired to be a part of the Indian Civil Service.

Indra Lal Roy in an RFC uniform
Source: Wikipedia

With World War I gathering impetus the British started recruiting Indians in the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) as front line combat pilots. Roy enlisted with the RFC in 1917 and he was commissioned as the 2nd Lieutenant on 5th July 1917.  He trained as a pilot at Vendome in France and also with RFC Gunnery School in Turnberry.

In late October 1917 he was posted with the 56 squadron and was a part of A-Flight which was commanded by, Richard Maybery, the flying ace captain. Unfortunately his plane was shot down by the Germans on 6th December 1917. The British rescued him from the “no man’s land”, where he fell and was taken to the British hospital where he was initially pronounced dead. However he regained consciousness and after treatment he was not declared fit for flying till 13th May 1918.

On 19th June 1918, he was assigned to George McElroy’s 40 Squadron of RFC in France. On July 6th he shot down the first a German fighter plane over Arras in northern France. Between 6th to 19th July he managed ten victories (of which two were shared). Of these he managed to shoot down four fighter planes within four hours on a single day (8th July).

On 22nd July 1918 his fighter plane was attacked by German fighters over Carvin in France. Roy succeeded in shooting down two German fighters but he was shot down by German Fokker D.VII aircraft belonging to Jasta 29. He was killed in action and fell in German-held territory. He was barely 20 years old at the time of his heroic death.

It is said that German air combatant Baron Manfred von Richtofen dropped a wreath on the place where Roy fell, as a tribute to his bravery. He was buried by the Germans in Levil near Arras.

Roy was awarded a posthumous Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), Britain’s third highest gallantry award in September 1918. He was the first Indian officer to receive this award, albeit posthumously.

Indra Roy Road in Bhawanipore, Calcutta, West Bengal is named after him. On his 100th anniversary, in December 1998 the Indian Government issued a commemorative stamp in his name. Also a unique inscription was made on his grave in French and Bengali.

The Bengali version read: Maha birer samadhi; sambhram karo, sparsha koro na. (A valiant warrior’s grave; respect it, do not touch it).

Source: The National Archives UK; FirstWorldWar.com; India Today Group; The Telegraph; The Times of India