From Pondicherry To Normandy
There was a strangely persistent — but entirely appropriate — French influence through the short life, sudden death and 62-year interim following the burial of Pilot Officer Sayana Puram Duraiswamy Thyagarajan, a Royal Air Force officer killed in World War II.
He grew up in Pondicherry, India, where the early colonial influence was so strong that the French tricolour only came down for the last time on October 31, 1950, four years before France officially handed over the territory to the now-independent nation. And he was on a mission over France on August 25, 1944, when he was shot down. It is a significant date, for it was the very day that Paris was liberated and General Charles de Gaulle led the victory parade down the Champs Elysees.
He was buried in the little village of La Lande St. Léger in Normandy, where his Typhoon fighter crash-landed. For six decades, his grave has been tended by locals in the area, which is 65 kilometres north-west of Evreux. Now he is to be honoured with a special plaque, to be unveiled near his resting place on June 2 next year, in the presence of the Indian ambassador to France and ex-RAF World War II veterans.
6 comments:
Hi ,
I am Manu Pubby, a reporter working with the Indian Express in Pune. I have been following your blog since you carried my German warplane story. I must compliment you on the selection stories and photographs on your blog.
Now i need to urgently get in touch with you to follow up that amazing story of the RAF pilot, buried in France,whose kins have been called for a reunion.
It is a great story and I need your help to peice it together. Can we get in touch over the phone or email?
Please mail me at manupubby@gmail.com with contact details and time when i can call you up.
Thanks
Hi David, How strange life is. I am from Pondicherry and now live in Melbourne. If you need help in locating this man's relatives, I could help as I can possibly put you in touch with the Editor of the major local language (Tamil) newspaper (http://www.dinamalar.com). Let me know at vaidy.swaminathan@gmail.com.
Hi Manu,
Great to hear from you. Happy to give you any information that you need.
You can certainly give me a call. I'll email you with the details.
Good to hear that you've been enjoying the blog.
Cheers
David
Hi Vaidy,
What a small world it is. Thanks for your kind offer. Will get in touch with you by email.
By the way, have a look at Manu's comment - I'll give him your contact details as well in a three-way email.
Sounds like he would also be grateful for your assistance.
Thanks for taking the trouble to contact me.
Cheers
David
Hello
I have read your reports on FO Thyagarajan with great interest. He was a close friend of my uncle when they were both at university in Bristol, UK, in the early years of the war. 'Bill' as he was known to his university friends, often stayed at my uncle's home and it was his mother who told my uncle of his loss in action.
Last year my husband drove my uncle, now in his eighties, to France to find the grave. Unfortunately the MOD had given him the name of the wrong village. since then the CWWGC has given him the correct details. In a couple of weeks time they are to make another trip.
My uncle would very much like to make contact by phone or email, to share information with you, and perhaps others who have responded to your post, about his friend. Would you be kind enough to let me have your contact details so that I may put you in touch? My email address is rosemary@rowntree.me.uk.
Thank you.
Sayanapuram Duraiswamy Thyagarajan was the suject of a full page feature in the Mail Today (New Delhi)on 2nd December 2007, p.29. The website URL is http://www.mailtoday.in Go to archive,which is free for the time being. He can also be found on the Indian military website Bharat Rakshak http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1940s/Thyagarajan.html. Interested to find he went to Bristol University, which is near my part of the world (Somerset). The great Hindu reformer Raja Rammohan Roy is buried at Ashton Gate cemetary near there and a few years ago a statue of him was erected in front of Bristol Cathedral.
Adrian
Delhi
Post a Comment