From the British People. To Victory! We are With You!

70th Anniversary T-shirt from Philosophy Football marking the seventieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Front.

Design based on an original wartime poster by the English artist Reginald Mount. These were attached to aircraft sent from Britain to aid the Soviet war effort. In 1941 this included RAF No 151 Wing Hurricanes and their aircrew joining the Red Army in their fight against the Nazi
invaders.

Available from Philosophy Football

EDL gloating backfire

The EDL took great delight in reporting the death of Bertie Lewis, a 90 year old from Bolton who recently spoke out against them. "This was the old clown from Bolton who went on tv being a little daft dhimmi mouthing off about edl. 1 less commie rat to worry about," wrote the EDL on their Facebook site.

The only problem was that Bertie had a distinguished war record in Bomber Command and it wasn't long before EDL supporters turned on their leadership.

Michael Jones said: "Man was a war hero, regardless of who he supported. Get a grip admin, you sound just like the idiots we oppose."

Wayne from Blackburn joined the fray. "Stuff like this gives the Muzzies ammunition to ridicule. Remove this post."

Anyway, unlike the EDL I would like to pay our respects to Bertie. He was born in Chicago and grew up in New York and was one of the few Americans to enlist with the RAF. He was 19 when WW2 broke out and two years later worked his way across the Atlantic shovelling coal on a Norwegian ship intent on joining the RAF. He was eventually to become a Flight Sergeant in Bomber Command and took part in 40 missions over Germany.

In more recent years he became an active anti-war campaigner and every weekend would take to the streets of Bolton to spread a peace message.

Last year he took part in a demonstration against the EDL in Bolton. He was knocked over by police but continued his protest from a chair. He later told the Bolton News: “I fought the fascists during the Second World War and if I let someone like the English Defence League, which are the enemy, get away with coming here and protesting then what did I fight the war for?”

Hope not hate

Never was so much owed by so many to so few...

In September 1940 the Battle of Britain against Nazi Germany was at its height in the skies above southern England. Aircrew who had escaped occupied Europe joined the RAF with many others from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and all parts of what was then the British Empire.

In India, ordinary people collected much needed funds to finance the building of Spitfires to join the battle and in tribute, many RAF squadrons were named after Indian cities. But of all the nations that joined the RAF, it was Polish pilots who in particular distinguished themselves, losing more lives proportionate to their numbers than any single other nationality in the Battle. United for freedom, against fascism.

Philosophy Football have produced a commemorative shirt (above) to honour the Polish contribution, listing the Poles who gave their lives to join the 'few', with the symbol of the Polish airforce they carried on their Spitfires and Hurricanes, and the words 'For Freedom'. Wear it with pride, against fascism then and now.

Philosophy Football

‘My turban saved me in World War 2’

Squadron Leader Mohinder Singh Pujji was one of a few Indian ace flyers in the RAF and as the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain approaches, 91 year old Pujji has revealed how his turban had saved his life.

The young Sikh fighter was forced to crash land his fighter aircraft near the White Cliffs of Dover after a dogfight. After a dangerous crash landing and with serious head injuries, the young pilot was pulled from the wreckage of his Hurricane fighter plane. Sqdn Ldr Pujji gave his account of what happened and how his religious symbol saved him:

“The padding of my turban saved me, it was full of blood. I was taken to the hospital but after seven days I was back to flying again. In the fight a German bullet smashed into my dashboard and all my instruments were gone. Oil was pouring out of the engine and covered the windscreen. I asked for directions back to the nearest landing strip as I could see the Channel beneath me and it looked so cold – I really didn’t want to bail out.

“I could see the White Cliffs and I thought I would make it and then the landing strip appeared with fire engines around it. But as I put my landing gear down the fire took hold of the plane – there was blood pouring from my head but that six feet of wound cloth which makes up my turban saved me from worse impact injuries. People say you claim this as you are a religious man but I really think it was the case.”

Sqdn Ldr Singh Pujji explained that he signed up to the RAF after seeing an advert in an Indian newspaper titled: ‘Pilots needed for Royal Air Force.’ When he had learnt to fly in 1937 he became one of just eight pilots from the Empire colony good enough to fight. Mohinder Singh Pujji has also recently campaigned against the BNP and Nick Griffin for using the Iconic Spitfire as symbol; Pujji was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery.

The Sikh Times

Spitfire is not BNP's to use, says Sikh pilot who fought the Nazis

One of the last surviving Indian Second World War fighter pilots has launched an attack on the BNP after it used images of a Spitfire in its campaign.

Mohinder Singh Pujji hit out at the far-Right party, and urged all British ethnic minorities not to shun the forces. The 92-year-old RAF Squadron Leader flew a Spitfire in the Battle of Britain and also met Sir Winston Churchill. He was one of only 18 Indian pilots in the RAF in the war, and the only Sikh to fly wearing his turban.

Sqn Ldr Pujji said he was outraged at the way the BNP has used imagery from the war: "The BNP are wrong to use the Spitfire as representative of their party. They forget people from different backgrounds helped in the Second World War. I am proof of this - I was flying a Spitfire. I also met Winston Churchill. Even in those days, there were ethnic minorities fighting for the British. I would recommend the armed forces for young people, regardless of race."

Sqn Ldr Pujji was born in Shimla, India, and volunteered for the RAF in 1940 after qualifying as a pilot in 1937.He was shot down twice and flew missions in North Africa and Burma, winning the Distinguished Flying Cross. After the war he flew commercial airlines, settling in Newham before moving to Gravesend. He was made a freeman of Newham in 2005.

Last week BNP leader Nick Griffin announced his intention to contest the Barking constituency, in Newham's neighbouring borough, at the election.

London Evening Standard