Though Coimbatoreans are familiar with the Air Force Station, Sulur, very few must have heard of the Royal Naval Aircraft Repair Yard that once operated at Peelamedu during World War II.
Established in 1942 and known as HMS Garuda, it was located 200 km off northeast of the Royal Navy Air Section Cochin, as per records in the Royal Navy Research Archive Forums. The Sulur air base, which was also established during World War II, was known as HMS Vairi, from where the Royal Navy and Indian Royal Air Force operated.
One of the available accounts on HMS Garuda is that of Mary Pratt, which is available on the webpage WW2 People’s War, an archive of World War Two memories – written by public, gathered by the BBC.
“H.M.S. Garuda at Coimbatore, Southern India, looked very flat and dull with little vegetation, and many, many miles from the sea. The airfield was quite sizeable and home to a squadron of Expeditors of the Fleet Air Arm, planes that ferried 16/18 V.I.P.s between various airfields in Southern India and several in Ceylon” is how Ms. Pratt starts her account.
She described herself as one of the six ‘wrens’ stationed at the yard. Over 8,000 women were inducted into the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS) during World War II. Known as wrens, they were trained to don roles ranging from radio operators to meteorologists, as per Old Royal Navy College records.
Besides reminiscing about her duties at the yard, she also gives detailed accounts on the local women who assisted them with domestic chores, visits to the bazaar, the English Club in Coimbatore and vacations at Ooty. Her account says the wrens left India in September 1945, after the war ended.
According to Coimbatore chronicler Rajesh Govindarajulu, Peelamedu had all advantages to have strategic location for an airfield, with adequate uncultivated plain land.
“The regular airport also started around the same time in the 1940s. Probably not to get confused with the Royal Navy facility, the regular airport was named civil aerodrome,” said Mr. Govindarajulu.
HMS Garuda was decommissioned in September 1946.
“When civil flights started operating from Coimbatore airport in 1946, my grandparents Krishnan and Lalitha, my father Govindarajulu and great grand aunt Ranganayagi took a flight to Kerala and returned on the same day, just to experience flying,” added Mr. Govindarajulu.
Published - November 22, 2024 07:00 pm IST
