Page 12 - RAF Magazine

WORLD WAR II 1939-45

IMPACT IN SERVICE

AND ON SOCIETY

Black volunteers served with all UK-based RAF commands during World
War II. This included Bomber Command, which saw four-fi fths of African
and Caribbean aircrew in active service, and Fighter Command, where the
fi rst black volunteers trained as fi ghter pilots in 1941.

Some 6,000 black Caribbean men volunteered for the RAF – 5,500 as
ground staff and more than 400 as aircrew – while 80 women joined the
Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF). The largest Caribbean participation
came from Jamaica and in February 1945 there were more than 3,700
Jamaicans wearing Air Force blue.
Over in Africa, there was still some residual obstruction to black
volunteers by colonial authorities, which resulted in only 60 volunteers
being accepted.
Later, an additional 5,200 entered the West African Air Corps, a
local auxiliary force supporting RAF units based in Nigeria,
Gold Coast (Ghana), Sierra Leone and Gambia.
A number of black Britons also served.

Many who served during World War II took the
robust training and unmatched experience to
impact society beyond their RAF careers.

Flight Lieutenant William (Billy) Strachan But my
16 April, 1921 - 1998 own
Years of service: 1941-1945 experience,
together with
illiam Arthur Watkin Strachan was born in that of most of
W Kingston, Jamaica, in 1921. my colleagues,
From a young age, his ambition was to join showed that whenever
the RAF in the UK and learn to fl y. As soon as he fi nished one [black person] arrived
school at the age of 18, he left Jamaica to come to anywhere, he was always welcomed and treated well.
England to fulfi ll this dream, with £2.10 in his pocket and Two, they coped with. It was when three or more came
a suitcase containing just one change of clothes. that racism really got sharp.”
This was in March 1940, and after 12 weeks of basic In 1942, Billy became a bomber pilot. He gained two
military training, Billy trained to be a Wireless Operator/ more promotions to become Flying Offi cer and then
Air Gunner and later became a Sergeant. In 1941, he Flight Lieutenant.
joined a squadron of Wellington bombers, making After the war, Billy served as a liaison offi cer in the
nightly raids over German industrial cities. He retrained RAF, charged with sorting out racial disturbances,
as a pilot and was such a natural that he was allowed to before studying law and becoming a legal administrator
fl y solo after only seven hours’ training. in London.
Asked how he dealt with racial remarks and He was a political activist and a member of the
prejudice in the service, he said: “It was there, all right. Communist Party until 1967. He died in 1998.

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