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Today's post is a war supplement to the Jodhpur Government Gazette issued on 18th April 1942. This particular edition is special because it contains a photograph printed using cyclostyle method which is obsolete now. Even those days, very few gazettes used to carry photographs.
The gazette shows photograph of German planes lying in junkyard after shot down by allied forces with a comment below "What a fine bag!". It is a sarcastic comment on Nazi air power.
Finally, it urges people of princely state to donate generously to Shri Umed Singhji Air Defence Fund created to raise squadrons of RAF to fight enemy.
The text on Gazette reads:
The article will be incomplete without mentioning a brief note on Maharaja Umed (Umaid) Singhji of Jodhpur. He was a keen aviator besides being a great ruler. In the very first year of his accession to the throne of Marwar, he established the first landing ground at Jodhpur in 1924. The Maharaja was in fact the first Indian prince to earn an ‘A’ Level flying licence. In 1931, he established the Jodhpur Flying Club (JFC) with his two Tiger Moths. By 1938, the JFC was at the forefront of civil aviation in India, with three international airlines operating air services to Jodhpur. The Maharaja was also a stakeholder in the first aviation company in India. With the rumblings of World War-II, and as the Battle of Britain raged in Europe in 1940, the Maharaja - a true soldier complained to the then viceroy, “I have no use for the Honorary rank”. His position did not allow him to personally engage in dogfights in Spitfires and Hurricanes, so he had to be content with the command of his base at Jodhpur.
As the focus of the war shifted to Burma and the far East, Jodhpur became a hub of the air operations, and in 1941, Jodhpur Air base was transformed into the No 2 Elementary Flying and Training School.
One can now easily understand the reason behind such air defence fund advertisement in state gazette. Due to his distinguished services, he was conferred as Air Vice Marshal of Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF).
Sadly, Lt. Gen. Air Vice Marshal HH Umed (Umaid) Singh died in an air crash on 9th June 1947, on Mount Abu.
The gazette shows photograph of German planes lying in junkyard after shot down by allied forces with a comment below "What a fine bag!". It is a sarcastic comment on Nazi air power.Finally, it urges people of princely state to donate generously to Shri Umed Singhji Air Defence Fund created to raise squadrons of RAF to fight enemy.
The text on Gazette reads:
------------------
India needs more Fighter-aircrafts to drive the enemy away.
SHRI UMED SINGHJI AIR DEFENCE FUND.
(A PART OF THE COLLECTION GOES TOWARDS THE RELIEF OF JODHPUR SOLDIERS).
AND HELP TO MAKE INDIA STRONG.
Your contribution shall be gratefully accepted by the Hon. Treasurer.
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Issued by the P.O. on behalf of Shree Umed Singhji Air Defence Fund Committee, Jodhpur.
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India needs more Fighter-aircrafts to drive the enemy away.
Give generously to
SHRI UMED SINGHJI AIR DEFENCE FUND.
(A PART OF THE COLLECTION GOES TOWARDS THE RELIEF OF JODHPUR SOLDIERS).
AND HELP TO MAKE INDIA STRONG.
Your contribution shall be gratefully accepted by the Hon. Treasurer.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Issued by the P.O. on behalf of Shree Umed Singhji Air Defence Fund Committee, Jodhpur.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The article will be incomplete without mentioning a brief note on Maharaja Umed (Umaid) Singhji of Jodhpur. He was a keen aviator besides being a great ruler. In the very first year of his accession to the throne of Marwar, he established the first landing ground at Jodhpur in 1924. The Maharaja was in fact the first Indian prince to earn an ‘A’ Level flying licence. In 1931, he established the Jodhpur Flying Club (JFC) with his two Tiger Moths. By 1938, the JFC was at the forefront of civil aviation in India, with three international airlines operating air services to Jodhpur. The Maharaja was also a stakeholder in the first aviation company in India. With the rumblings of World War-II, and as the Battle of Britain raged in Europe in 1940, the Maharaja - a true soldier complained to the then viceroy, “I have no use for the Honorary rank”. His position did not allow him to personally engage in dogfights in Spitfires and Hurricanes, so he had to be content with the command of his base at Jodhpur.
As the focus of the war shifted to Burma and the far East, Jodhpur became a hub of the air operations, and in 1941, Jodhpur Air base was transformed into the No 2 Elementary Flying and Training School.
One can now easily understand the reason behind such air defence fund advertisement in state gazette. Due to his distinguished services, he was conferred as Air Vice Marshal of Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF).
Sadly, Lt. Gen. Air Vice Marshal HH Umed (Umaid) Singh died in an air crash on 9th June 1947, on Mount Abu.
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