Patrick Desmond Callaghan (16 July 1926 – 6 April 1992) was a two-star air marshal in the

Pakistan Air Force The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when re ...

who is credited for his pioneering work in flight safety in Pakistan and his role during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. He is one the highest ranking

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

of the PAF.

Early career

Patrick Desmond Callaghan was born on 16 July 1926 into an

Anglo-Indian Anglo-Indian people are a distinct minority group, minority community of mixed-race British and Indian ancestry. During the colonial period, their ancestry was defined as British paternal and Indian maternal heritage; post-independence, "Angl ...

family from Lahore.He was commissioned into the

Royal Indian Air Force The Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) was the aerial force of British Raj, British India and later the Dominion of India. Along with the British Indian Army, and the Royal Indian Navy, it was one of the Armed Forces of British Indian Empire. The ...

(RIAF) as a pilot officer on 17 September 1945. Early in his commissioned service, he was posted to the RIAF base at

Kohat Kohat (; ) is a city that serves as the capital of the Kohat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is regarded as a centre of the Bangash tribe of Pashtuns, who have lived in the region since the late 15th century. With a population o ...

in 1946. He flew a variety of aircraft including

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the ...

s. In 1946, Callaghan belly landed his aircraft at Kohat airfield. The aircraft's engine had caught fire after an oil leak during landing practice. The aircraft was later written off in 1947.

Career in Pakistan

At the

Partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

in August 1947, he opted to serve with the

(PAF), and later married Maureen Viegas, whose sister, Jeanne, would later marry

Mervyn Middlecoat Mervyn Leslie Middlecoat (6 July 1940 – 12 December 1971) was a Pakistani fighter pilot in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) who was involved in a number of aerial battles during the Indo-Pakistani wars, 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pakistani wars, before b ...

, who went on to command the PAF's famed No. 9 Squadron and become a hero of the PAF. On 1 September 1951 a PAF two-seater Fury aircraft caught fire. Flight Lieutenant Callaghan was the second pilot on that flight. One of the pioneer officers of the PAF, Callaghan served for a number of the early years of the PAF as a flight instructor at

Risalpur Risalpur (Pashto/) is a city in Nowshera District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on the Nowshera-Mardan Road. It is nearly 45 km from Peshawar and 18 km from Mardan and is located at 34°4'52N 71°58'21E. In a basin some 316 meters abo ...

, where he helped to train many of the PAF's future leaders and top fighter and bomber pilots (including his brother-in-law by marriage, Mervyn Middlecoat). During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, although a "desk jockey" in Peshawar, he volunteered for and flew dangerous low, low-level, night-time strafing missions in old Harvards along the

Grand Trunk Road Grand Trunk Road (formerly known as Uttarapath, Sadak-e-Azam, Shah Rah-e-Azam, Badshahi Sadak, and Long Walk) is one of Asia's oldest and longest major roads. For at least 2,500 years it has linked Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent. It r ...

between

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

and

Amritsar Amritsar, also known as Ambarsar, is the second-List of cities in Punjab, India by population, largest city in the India, Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab, after Ludhiana. Located in the Majha region, it is a major cultural, transportatio ...

harassing

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

convoys. Years later, as a

group captain Group captain (Gp Capt or G/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British influence. Group cap ...

, he led the PAF team that investigated the crash of a PAF C-130 after it went missing while returning to Pakistan from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. This investigation was conducted at high altitude in mountainous country and was particularly trying and hazardous. By 1969 he had risen through the ranks of squadron leader and wing commander, working in staff jobs in Kohat and

Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...

, after earlier being based at Mauripur. In 1971, during the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

, Air Commodore Callaghan was the PAF Chief Inspector in

West Pakistan West Pakistan was the western province of Pakistan between One Unit, 1955 and Legal Framework Order, 1970, 1970, covering the territory of present-day Pakistan. Its land borders were with Afghanistan, India and Iran, with a maritime border wit ...

. in charge of the verification of Pakistani claims of enemy aircraft kills. Working closely with him and assisting his team was the then-

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

air attache/adviser to the PAF, USAF Brigadier General Charles "Chuck" Yeager (the first man to break the sound barrier). Callaghan was noted for his hardwork and dedication during this time. In the prelude to the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971, Callaghan was promoted to the rank of

Air Vice Marshal Air vice-marshal (Air Vce Mshl or AVM) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries which have historical British infl ...

and appointed as the Deputy Chief of Air Staff of the

. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, he was deployed to

East Pakistan East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1955 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, wit ...

, where he served as the

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

of the Eastern Air Force Command. In this capacity, he oversaw air operations in the region. Notably, on 16 December 1971, Air Vice Marshal Callaghan was present at the

Ramna Race Course Suhrawardy Udyan () is a national memorial and public space located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Originally known as Ramna Race Course, it holds significant historical importance due to its association with key events in the country's history. The sit ...

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

and was one of the signatories of the Pakistani Instrument of Surrender. After his repatriation to Pakistan, Callaghan retired from the PAF in 1976, Air Commodore Callaghan headed the Air Safety Branch of the Department of Civil Aviation and his internationally recognized expertise in investigating and solving the causes of air crashes led to his call out by a number of Arab countries to help them solve a number of crashes in their countries. Callaghan died in April 1992 at the age of 65.Air Commodore Patrie Desmond Callaghan
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Callaghan, Patrick 1926 births 1992 deaths Aviation safety pioneers Pakistan Air Force officers Pakistani military aviators Pakistani Christians Pakistani people of Anglo-Indian descent Pakistani military personnel of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Pilots of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965