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1965 war hero, Lucknow boy flies into sunset
Flight Lt. Alfred Tyrone Cooke, a 1965 Indo-Pak War hero and Vir Chakra awardee, passed away while battling cancer, just before a tribute event.
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Flight Lieutenant Alfred Tyrone Cooke, a 1965 Indo-Pak War hero, a valiant fighter pilot, and a Vir Chakra awardee, who studied at Lucknow’s La Martiniere College, died on Friday at the Base Hospital in New Delhi.
Interestingly, his squadron, the 14 Squadron, had invited him and was organising a programme in his honour on Saturday (September 19), in Ambala, and he had come from Australia to attend it. He flew into the sunset the day before.
Flt Lt Cooke had been suffering from terminal stages of prostate cancer. His brother, Dr Bryan Cooke (also an alumnus and teacher of La Martiniere College) flew in from the USA to join him, said Adrian Michael, bursar, La Martiniere College.
Alfred Tyrone Cooke came from a middle class, Anglo-Indian family and chose to defend the country through selfless service. He studied at La Martiniere College, Lucknow from 1950 to 1958 as a resident scholar of Lyons House. He completed his schooling and joined the Indian Air Force in 1961.
He was awarded the Vir Chakra, India’s third-highest wartime gallantry award, for his role in the air battle over Kalaikunda in West Bengal, during an air attack launched from East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, on September 7, 1965.
According to his gallantry award citation, Flight Lieutenant Cooke shot down a Pakistan Air Force Sabre Jet during the 1965 war. He was caught in the middle of the PAF’s second raid on the airfield while on combat air patrol in a Hawker Hunter fighter jet with his wingman, Flying Officer Subodh Chandra Mamgain.
The two pilots held off a force three times their size, an action that influenced the subsequent course of the war, particularly in the eastern theatre, the citation read.
Cooke settled in Australia after his retirement from the IAF.
He is the only Indian pilot known to have engaged multiple enemy aircraft in the air and prevailed. He was honoured with the Vir Chakra for shooting down a Sabre jet and severely damaging another, whilst flying a Hawker Hunter. This was while under anti-aircraft fire.
The 200-year-old La Martiniere College, Lucknow has an innate relationship with gallantry. In 2015, fifty years after the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war, the college honoured him and other ex-students who fought to protect the borders of the country.
It has been said that, “Flt Lt Alfred Tyrone Cooke is the only pilot in the IAF, who could claim to have engaged multiple enemy aircraft in the air and got the better of them.”
The college condoled his death: “It is with deep regret that we inform you of the passing of Flight Lieutenant Alfred Tyrone Cooke, VrC, a distinguished alumnus of La Martiniere College, Lucknow, and a war hero decorated with the Vir Chakra during the 1965 Indo-Pak War. His brother, Dr Bryan Cooke, was our chief guest on Founder’s Day 2026.
“Our prayers and heartfelt condolences are with his family in this hour of grief. May they find strength and solace in the memories they shared with him. The College flag shall be lowered to half-mast on September 19, 2026 as a mark of respect.”
The Indian Air Force paid tribute to the decorated war veteran, recalling his “legendary dogfight” over Kalaikunda.
“His legendary dogfight over Kalaikunda remains a masterclass in aggressive air combat and unwavering resolve. For his conspicuous gallantry, tactical brilliance, and disregard to personal safety, he was awarded the Vir Chakra. His memory will continue to inspire generations of Air Warriors.
“All Air Warriors of the Indian Air Force extend their deepest condolences on the passing of Flight Lieutenant Alfred Tyrone Cooke, VrC. A war hero whose courage is etched forever in the annals of military aviation, Flt Lt Cooke exemplified supreme valor during the 1965 Indo-Pak War,” an Indian Air Force post on X read.
