Remembering Denzil Keelor and the IAF's Anglo-Indian Legacy

His passing is a moment for us to thank him, his brother Trevor, and every Anglo-Indian who has flown for the IAF.

Photo of Denzil Keelor.

(File Photo)

It is 1965.

India is at war with Pakistan. Two brothers, Denzil and Trevor Keelor, who always dreamed of serving their country, are Indian Air Force fighter pilots, both Squadron Leaders.

On 3 September, Trevor, flying the tiny but feisty Gnat fighter jet, becomes the first IAF pilot to shoot down a Pakistani fighter, the much-touted American F-86 Sabre, over Chhamb in Jammu and Kashmir. He becomes an instant national hero.

Days later, on 19 September, it was elder brother Denzil’s turn. He too is flying a Gnat in a dogfight over Sialkot in Pakistan, when he brings down a Sabre.

India erupts in celebration yet again.

The Keelor Brothers Legend – When Fact Beats Fiction

Two brothers. Two kills. It’s the stuff of films. Who could script a more dramatic story, complete with hi-octane action, daredevil patriotism, and a takedown of the arch-enemy, Pakistan?

"We were not great, but Pakistan got irked. And India hyped it up to such a level that even today people say, You won the war for us," said Air Marshal Denzil Keelor, 50 years later in 2015 to The Quint, as modest and grounded about his achievement as ever.

Those who served with Denzil during his proud 37-year-long career in the IAF, which wrapped up in 1991, are not surprised by his statement. Former Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal SP Tyagi, speaking to The Quint, says, "Denzil was a soldier who knew how a war is won. A country needs heroes, but Denzil always said it’s never a one-man show."

Or, a two-man show, in the case of the Indian Air Force’s Keelor brothers. On 28 August 2024, Denzil passed away, easily one of modern India’s most famous soldiers. Trevor died in 2002.

The Anglo-Indian Trailblazers of the IAF

Their deaths also mark the end of a great chapter in the history of the Indian Air Force – about the trail blazed over the decades by some incredible Anglo-Indian pilots and officers.

"India’s Anglo-Indian personnel - pilots, flying instructors, test pilots, even chopper (helicopter) pilots, were outstanding. For them, and for India’s Parsi service personnel, I have the greatest admiration," says Air Marshal KC ‘Nanda’ Cariappa, speaking to The Quint. The son of Independent India’s first Army Chief, Field Marshal KM Cariappa, is 86 today and witnessed the heydays of the IAF’s ‘Anglo-Indian Era’.

When World War II broke out in 1939, thousands of enthusiastic Anglo-Indians stepped up to support the war effort. March 1941 saw the commissioning of Pilot Officer Maurice Barker, the first Anglo-Indian to join the IAF.

By 1947, hundreds of Anglo-Indians were serving. Retiring in 1976, Maurice Barker remained a pioneer, becoming India’s first Anglo-Indian Air Marshal. His finest hour was during the Liberation of Bangladesh in 1971, when as Central Air Command chief, he masterminded the night bombing of Pakistani forces in East Pakistan.

Shaping the Indian Air Force – The ‘Anglo-Indian’ Era

In British India, the Anglo-Indian community was often misunderstood.

For many of the English, they were not English enough, and for some Indians, they were not Indian enough. They faced questions about their loyalties and even their abilities.

But the secular traditions of the defence forces didn’t doubt them. Instead, they were welcomed, even celebrated. Anglo-Indian pilots were the vanguard of the IAF in the early years. In 1948 itself, in Kashmir, Flight Lieutenant MPO (Mickey) Blake and Flying Officer GD (Nobby) Clarke were the first Anglo-Indians to earn Vir Chakras (VrC).

 In those fragile decades, during the 1962 Indo-China War, the 1965 Indo-Pak War and the 1971 War for the liberation of Bangladesh, many key air bases and fighter squadrons were led by Anglo-Indian officers, like Group Captain WM Goodman whose leadership won him the Maha Vir Chakra in 1965, one of only 2 awarded to IAF officers in that war.

The Heroics of Flt Lt Alfred T Cooke in 1965

While the heroics of the Keelor brothers fired the imagination of the Indian public, there were other Anglo-Indian heroes in the 1965 war. Flight Lieutenant Alfred Tyrone Cooke was one of them, the man regarded as the ‘Savior of Kalaikunda’ a key air base in Bengal just west of Kolkata.

On 7 September, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) targeted Kalaikunda in a surprise dawn attack, destroying six aircraft on the ground. A few hours later, they sent another wave of Sabre aircraft to inflict further damage.

Flt Lt Cooke and his wingman, Flying Officer SC Mamgain, from the No. 14 Squadron IAF, flying Hunter jets, were patrolling the India-East Pakistan border.

Cooke sensed that the PAF would target Kalaikunda again, and so, ignoring two decoy aircraft that were hovering at the border, he raced back to Kalaikunda, getting there just as six PAF Sabres were lining up to attack. Despite being outnumbered, Cooke went after four Sabres, while Mamgain took on the other two.

In a classic mid-air dogfight, Cooke brought down one Sabre, and badly damaged another, which crashed just within East Pakistan. The ferocity and skill of Cooke’s and Mamgain’s counter-punch forced the remaining Sabres to abandon the attack and turn back.

Wing Commander Raghubir ‘Dicky’ Law, Kalaikunda’s OC Flying, who watched the dogfight from the ground, wrote in his Action Report, "…the very brave, Flt Lt Alfred Cooke, the last man standing over our overwhelmed base, saved the day for Kalaikunda."

Both, Cooke and Mamgain, were awarded Vir Chakras.

Remembering Christmas Cakes and Wine

Air Chief Marshal Tyagi speaks with similar awe about Group Captain PM (Pete) Wilson, who commanded Jamnagar air base when Tyagi served there in 1968-70 as a young Flight Lieutenant. ‘If you asked me then, who I wanted to be, I would have said Pete Wilson’.

The legendary bomber pilot won a Vir Chakra in the 1965 war and was inspirational in 1971 too. Tyagi says it was his ‘unconventional’ DNA, common to several brilliant Anglo-Indian officers, that gave him the idea of lighting up a decoy strip away from the actual airfield, to mislead Pakistan’s bombers when they targeted Jamnagar.

The author’s dad too, Air Vice Marshal Kamal Khanna, is a fighter pilot from the same era, having flown Gnats and the MiG-21 through his career.

He speaks with tons of affection about his Anglo-Indian colleagues. He says it was not just a pleasure to fly with them, but they were great fun on the ground as well. "Every Christmas, we used to ‘bounce’ (a surprise home raid) all our Anglo-Indian and Christian pals, and enjoy several rounds of cake and wine. I would be fairly tipsy by the end of it, so one of them would get me back home to your mum!"

The Anglo-Indian Love Affair… Gracefully Ended

But every good thing does come to an end.

By the late 1960s and early 1970s, the love affair of the Anglo-Indians and the IAF slowed down. Across India, for the Anglo-Indian community, migration to countries like England and Australia was seen as a move to greener pastures, better work opportunities, and for some, greater acceptance. Naturally, it affected the Indian Air Force too.

‘Mickey’ Blake and ‘Nobby’ Clarke, the bravehearts who helped save Kashmir in 1948, while they did go on to become Group Captains - both chose early retirement and migrated to Australia.

Tyagi’s personal hero, Group Captain ‘Pete’ Wilson, moved to England, where he went on to work with Scotland Yard. Even the hero of Kalaikunda, Alfred Cooke, called it a day just three years after his heroics in the 1965 war and went off to Australia.

Of course, some did stay and did well in India itself. Air Marshal MSD ‘Mally’ Wollen a 1965 and 1971 war hero, went on to be Chairman and MD of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in 1984. Air Chief Marshal Denis La Fontaine was the first Anglo-Indian to head the Indian Air Force.

Speaking to The Quint, a long retired Anglo-Indian IAF fighter pilot said, "Why would I have left ? The Air Force gave us a huge amount… where would we meet socially and professionally with persons of differing castes, creeds, cultures, religions, food habits.. If my wife, sons and I are what we are today, the Air Force has had a huge role to play.”

He believes the IAF ethos evolved from officers of all communities. He says he served under ‘cracking bosses’ from all communities, and saves special thanks for his mentor – "Wing Commander ON ‘Piloo’ Kacker, the man who taught me to fly. Were it not for him, I would have possibly floundered in mediocrity."

Thanks for Everything, Denzil Keelor!

And of course, the Keelor brothers never left either. Denzil was Chairman of the YMCA for 10 years, and in 2001, at the age of 68, instead of resting on his laurels, he founded Special Olympics Bharat, with the aim of bringing sports into the lives of children and adults with intellectual disability.

So, what did these daredevil, pioneering, intrepid Anglo-Indians bring to the Indian Air Force? What is their legacy?

Air Chief Marshal Tyagi sums it up well, "Our Anglo-Indian pilots, men like Pete Wilson and Denzil Keelor, and so many others, they showed us that being a ‘Fighter Pilot’ was not just about the ability to fly, it was an ‘attitude’, a way to lead your life."

As Denzil Keelor flies into the sunset as an immortal in the annals of Indian Air Force history, his passing is a fine moment for us to pause, and thank him, his brother Trevor, and every Anglo-Indian pilot who has flown for the IAF, giving it their blood, guts and lives. They shaped the Indian Air Force into what it is today. We truly thank them for their service.