Thanks& Team

The information gathered on this blog is a result of an incredible team effort. Thanks are due to the following individuals who played key roles:

• Arzan Sorabji (Dinshaw Eduljee's grand-nephew) for starting the discussion that led to this blog and the Wikipedia page on Dinshaw Eduljee. Arzan sent his father Godrej (DE's nephew) a link to a page hosted by the Commonwealth Graves Commission that included a memorial certificate. The page noted that Dinshaw Eduljee's name was inscribed on Column 445 at Singapore's Kranji War Memorial. Arzan also sent a couple of images of old photos showing Dinshaw Eduljee which we have reproduced on our Images page
• Godrej Sorabji (DE's nephew and this author's cousin) for forwarding Arzan's email to a few family members including the author of this blog. His comment "After about 4 months in November 1944 he finally expired and was buried there in Singapore in the War Memorial" led to questions by cousin Mark Eduljee which in-turn led this author to make further enquiries. Godrej also forwarded copies of old family photos.
• Yezdi Chinoy  (DE's grand-nephew and Arzan's cousin), Godrej Sorabji's nephew for visiting the Kranji War Memorial and sending a video of the inscription, a copy of the Salute Magazine article and other documents. Yezdi also found records relating to Phiroze Noble (who may have found DE'd crashed aircraft a month after the crash) and determined that the 5th Indian Infantry Division was part of the Allied advance on Kalewa.
• Mark Eduljee  (DE's nephew, this author and Godrej's cousin) for raising questions about Godrej's statement noted above and forwarding information in his possession including links to pages at Bharat Rakshak as well as a link to a page on Find a Grave which noted "Final resting place unknown". Mark also began the process to locate the Burma site where Dinshaw Eduljee crashed.
• Purveen Meher-Homji (DE's niece, Godrej's cousin and this author's sister) for having been one of the first to visit the Kranji Memorial in Singapore and for forwarding a set of comprehensive links collected by her husband Xerxes and son Zal to several pages at Bharat Rakshak's web-site. 
• Xerxes and Zal Meher-Homji (Purveen's husband and son) for the comprehensive list of Bharat Rakshak pages on Dinshaw Eduljee. Zal researched the type of plane flown by Dinshaw Eduljee (presumably at the time of his crash) and Xerxes wanted to learn to fly an aero-model of the plane.
• Major Erauch (Eddie) Eduljee (Retd. - DE's younger brother, Purveen Meher-Homji and this writer's father) who this writer accompanied on many a visit to military grave sites and memorials in search for any information that may shed light on what happened to his elder brother. This writer has also spent hours asking his father to recount anything he could remember about his brother.
• Squadron Leader Om Prakash Sikka (Retd. Godrej's brother-in-law whose wife Yasmin sadly passed away after a struggle with cancer) for supplying various images of old family photos and who initiated a most valuable dialogue with his course mate Air Marshal Michael McMahon (Retd.). (Om also mentioned possibly including Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh (Dinshaw Eduljee's last CO) who, however, while settled in Delhi is very old and has been making few appointments after loosing his wife. Other possible inclusions suggested by Om were Air Chief Marshal Moolgaonkar (ex CAS) who had settled in Pune, and Air Chief Marshal Fali Major (Air Chief Retd.)
• Air Marshal Michael McMahon (Vice Chief IAF Retd.) who has been an anchor and motivator in the ensuing discussions. As Air Commodore, ;he had commanded the Air Force Station, Ambala. He has also served as Indian Air Attaché in Paris. His leadership was vital in seconding Jagan Pillarisetti (who owns and maintains the Bharat Rakshak web-site) as well as others such as Air Marshal Nanda Cariappa and Audrey Phillips into the discussion.
• Jagan Pillarisetti who owns and maintains the Bharat Rakshak web-site which provided the foundational information on which this enquiry and the resulting blog and Wikipedia page have been built. Jagan kindly provided copies of the No. 1 Squadron logs regarding Dinshaw Eduljee's last flight on November 27, 1944. The notations on the log sheets have provided greater clarity of what happened on that fated day. Jagan also gave us the key to understanding the map coordinates for Dinshaw Eduljee's crash site, RU 929661. In addition, Jagan provided a copy of an image taken at 151 OTU in Risalpur that included Dinshaw Eduljee - an image of a photograph provided by Arun Agnihotri.
• Arun Agnihotri's photograph was part of a collection left by his father O. D. Agnihotri who was Dinshaw Eduljee's course mate at 151 OTU. The information gleaned from the photograph, its location and date helped fill in a void in Dinshaw Eduljee's chronology being prepared by this writer. Arun kindly gave permission for the image to be placed on this blog's home page.
• Air Marshal Nanda Cariappa (Retd.) provided information on Codanda Machia Cariappa, Dinshaw Eduljee's wingman who is the only person known to have witnessed Dinshaw Eduljee's crash on November 27, 1944 and to know the circumstances surrounding the crash.
• Audrey Phillips, member of the Board of Management of Wynberg Allen Schools, Mussoorie, India, Dinshaw Eduljee's alma mater. She provided this author with recent photographs of the schools posted on this blog's home-page. Her husband Terence was the Principal of the schools until 2007 and served as Chairman from 2011 until he sadly passed away in March 2013. She visited Maj. E. F. Eduljee to personally invite him to attend the school's 125th anniversary celebrations.
• Jagan Pillarisetti pursued the quest for a higher resolution wartime map of Burma (1:63,360 scale vs the 1:250,000 scale US Army map initially available via the University of Texas archives on their website). In the process he contacted Matt Poole. As Jagan states, "Matt is an expert in WW2 maps and aerial imagery as well as the Aerial operations in Burma." Matt, a resident of Maryland USA, initiated a discussion at ww2talk.com which resulted in Charpoy Chindit providing a relevant section of a 1:63,360 map which he forwarded to Jagan who in turn relocated Dinshaw Eduljee's crash site, RU 929661 on a section of this map. Matt informs us that one of the discussion group participants Raj has shown an "interest in getting out there and interviewing villagers. He lives in Imphal... and he is an amateur historian who investigates battle sites and crash sites."
• Various web-sites cited. They have helped to provide information and images. Please click on the links and patronize the sites many of which have been set up for the sole purpose of selflessly storing archives for the public benefit. The information provided has helped us with our understanding immeasurably and this blog is the better for their effort.

On October 2, 2013, Air Marshal Michael McMahon wrote an email to his many well-wishers announcing his recovery from a serious health setback and subsequent operation. In the email, the Air Marshall wrote, "I apologise for being compelled to watch our project from the sidelines. For the info of all others to whom this mail is addressed, this is a project of the Eduljee and extended family who are determined to bring dignified closure to the loss of their relative Fg Offr Dinshaw Eduljee who was killed in action during WW II. The extraordinary lengths the family is going to achieve this beggars belief. Dinshaw surely knows that he belongs to a family with very strong ties. Since Dinshaw was School Captain at Wynberg Allen in Mussoorie, I brought the school - through Audrey - into the picture. It is surely a great coincidence that the school is honouring Dinshaw at its 125th Anniversary celebrations later this week."