AN INDIAN RAF hero’s experiences of fighting during the Second World War have been made into a book.

For King and Another Country, the biography of Mahinder Singh Pujji, who now lives in The Grove in Gravesend, is released on August 14 - the day of his 92nd birthday.

The book describes Squadron Leader Pujji’s exploits during the war after he used his experience as an apprentice with Himalayan Airlines to answer an RAF appeal for pilots in an Indian newspaper.

His heroics included rescuing 300 American soldiers who were surrounded by Japanese troops in the jungle of Burma, which won him the Distinguished Flying Cross.

He said: “Every day was a question of life and death. Every flight we made we weren’t sure we were going to come back.

“It's a job which can't easily be described, escorting convoys over the English Channel, going over occupied countries looking out for enemies, escorting bombers and making interceptions.

“In one minute we would have to be strapped in and up in the air ready to meet enemy fighters. This was three to four times a day, throughout six months.”

The father-of-three was one of two-and-a-half million soldiers from India who fought for Britain during the war, and he flew 25 different types of aircraft, including Spitfires and Hurricanes.

His military achievements led to him meeting world leaders such as Winston Churchill, Gandhi, King Farouk of Egypt, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II.

For more information, contact the book’s publisher AH Stockwell Ltd by calling 01271 862557 or going to ahstockwell.co.uk