Page 22 - RAF Magazine

1950s-1980s

INDEPENDENCE

The RAF’s training and ethos of efficiency, Lt Thompson was also the man who assembled
teamwork and achievement provided black the international legal team that defended Jomo
veterans with valuable skills to take back to Kenyatta in his trial after he had been seized by
their homelands. British colonialists in 1952. Mr Kenyatta would go
After helping to win victory in the Second World on to become the first prime minister of Kenya in
War, black volunteers returned to the Caribbean 1963 and then the first president in 1964, following
and Africa with a boost to their personal the country’s independence. Flt Lt Thompson,
confidence, fresh skills and the go-ahead attitude who also played a role in the independence
that had been embedded into them during their movements of both Belize and the Bahamas, was
time in the RAF. While some later headed back appointed a Queen’s Counsel in 1963.
to the UK to look for employment opportunities, Squadron Leader Ulric Cross, who was
others stayed in their homelands, taking up born in Trinidad and Tobago and served in
careers such as politicians, journalists, lawyers the RAF between 1941–47, later became
and teachers – determined to change their a judge in both Africa (Ghana, Cameroon
nations for the better and thus lay the and Tanzania) and Trinidad, and was
foundations for independence. eventually appointed Trinidad’s High
For example, following his service Commissioner in London (read
in the RAF, the late Errol Barrow more on p14).
became Prime Minister of his His close friend, Flight Lieutenant
homeland, Barbados (read more ’Johnny’ Smythe, went on to
on p13). became Attorney General in

Flight Lieutenant Dudley JOHNNY SMYTHE Sierra Leone. (read more on
Thompson, born in Panama and p11).
raised in Jamaica, was one of Britain’s Flight Lieutenant Cyril ‘Cy’ Grant from
first black pilots serving between 1941-45 in British Guiana (Guyana), who served from 1941-45
RAF Bomber Command, for which he was and was a prisoner of war, shared the same goal,
awarded several decorations. In 1946, he saying: “I decided then, that I would study law,
attended Merton College, University of Oxford, because I wanted to go back to the Caribbean.
studying jurisprudence. He went on to become My ambition was to help get the British out of the
an eminent Pan-Africanist, the Jamaican foreign West Indies.”
minister, an international lawyer and chairman
of the People’s National Party of Jamaica. Flt Lt Flt Lt Grant qualified as a barrister in 1950. He
Thompson was also appointed Ambassador and went on to be an actor, musician, writer and poet,
High Commissioner to several African countries, becoming the first black person to be featured
including Nigeria, Ghana, Namibia and regularly on television in the UK during the 1950s.
Sierra Leone. By the end of the 1960s, most of Britain’s

He also made it a personal mission to educate African and Caribbean colonies had achieved
the Jamaican people on furthering links independence. No doubt the contributions of the
between Africa and the Caribbean, visiting aforementioned men and others helped to usher
schools to deliver inspirational addresses. Flt in and cement that independence.

20