She based a character in her 2021 book, The Lion Above The Door, on Wing Commander Tan Kay Hai.
British author Onjali Rauf based a major character in her book on Singaporean World War II pilot Tan Kay Hai.
“He represents all the millions of brave men and women who fought during World War II, but whose names and efforts can barely be found in our history books.” His daughter, Madam Tan Mui Hua, told ST in a 1991 interview: “My father told us that many Englishmen would make fun of the Chinese and said they could not be pilots. He took up flying to prove that the Chinese could be pilots too.”
He would fly at low altitudes to entice German anti-aircraft emplacements to fire at him to give away their locations. He would then turn around to fire on them, successfully silencing them. After the war, Mr Tan returned to Singapore and worked with the Department of Social Welfare until he retired. He died in 1991 at the age of 77, leaving behind his wife, three sons, a daughter and eight grandchildren. One of his sons is Mr Tan Thuan Heng, a former national swimmer and Singapore’s first Sportsman of the Year in 1967.Ms Onjali first heard of Mr Tan’s exploits while travelling alone in Seoul in 2017.
In March 2023, Ms Onjali’s agents were contacted by Authors Abroad, a British-based organisation that arranges for authors to visit schools, libraries and festivals worldwide, with an invitation for her to speak about her books at international schools here.
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