On this Victory Day we remember two outstanding Malayans from Kuala Lumpur - Henry and Cyril Talalla. The two brothers enrolled in the Malayan Volunteer Air Force in 1940. Cyril became the first Asian and non-European to pass the rigid RAF entrance test - an achievement within the Commonwealth. This was followed by his brother, Henry. However, dark clouds gloomed over as the Second World War took a toll on the family's livelihood. In Malaya, the family was relentlessly tormented by the Japanese. On the European front, Henry's plane was shot by the Nazis as it flew over France.
In 1996, the route between Airan and Moult in France was officially named Rue Henry Talalla. A plaque was erected on a farm in Airan, France where Henry Talalla was found dead by the side of his Typhoon plane. Henry was part of the Allied forces liberating France from the clutch of the Nazi rule. Today, Europe celebrates D-Day to remember those who have fallen, giving their lives to defend the world from the tyranny of fascism.
Today, the Embassy of Malaysia in France remembers the Talalla brothers for their courage, which was witnessed by France more than seventy years ago.
