Caribbean Aircrew

[Kyt]

Whilst looking for some information I came across this site. Is pretty good:

Caribbean aircrew in the RAF during WW2 » Home

[Adrian Roberts]

Interesting, but it does not always specify the race of these men. For instance, Alexander Cunningham from Guyana was born in 1888, was an airship pilot with the RNAS in WW1, and became an Air Commodore. I think with this record it was highly unlikely that he was black.

On one level of course, you could say it doesn't matter, but if you are interested in how difficult it was for non-white people to join RAF and become aircrew, you would need to know how many of the men listed on the site were black.

[Kyt]

I agree, Adrian, that it would be fantastic to ascertain the race of those mentioned, and those mentioned in the other threads in this sub-forum. However, it is nearly impossible to do so in any systematic way. In most cases, I have only found snippets of information which have lead me to believe someone is/was non-white. There is a possibility that the Hendon Museum may have a partial list (which has been mentioned by one source) but I have been unable to establish whether the names have corresponding race stated.

But any confirmed information would be gratefully received on Chat

[liverpool annie]

Originally Posted by Kyt

I agree, Adrian, that it would be fantastic to ascertain the race of those mentioned, and those mentioned in the other threads in this sub-forum. However, it is nearly impossible to do so in any systematic way. In most cases, I have only found snippets of information which have lead me to believe someone is/was non-white. There is a possibility that the Hendon Museum may have a partial list (which has been mentioned by one source) but I have been unable to establish whether the names have corresponding race stated.

But any confirmed information would be gratefully received on Chat

This is the man who started up the Caribbean Aircrew site ....

Author Cy Grant, born in Guyana the son of a distinguished Moravian minister, enlisted in the RAF in 1941 after it had lifted its ban on the recruited of "men of colour". He was commissioned as an officer and flew as a navigator of a Lancaster bomber. After his bomber went down in flames (1943), he became a prisoner of the Nazis for two years.

After the war, Grant learned that although people of color were welcome to fight and die for the Mother Country, they were not welcome to seek a seat at the high table of the military establishment. No Othellos allowed! Subsequently, in the hope of doing something about racial discrimination through politics, Grant studied hard and became a barrister. But here again he found the door to opportunity barred. It began to dawn on the war hero that he was a prisoner still - the prisoner of a paradigm ….

Blackness & the Dreaming Soul by Cy Grant

( Just as an aside some time ago while looking for a large group of soldiers who joined the Rifle Brigade in WW1 from the US .... I discovered they were all from the Caribbean ..... and all black - the fact noted on the US records but not the British !! )

[liverpool annie]

Originally Posted by liverpool annie

This is the man who started up the Caribbean Aircrew site ....



Blackness & the Dreaming Soul by Cy Grant

( Just as an aside some time ago while looking for a large group of soldiers who joined the Rifle Brigade in WW1 from the US .... I discovered they were all from the Caribbean ..... and all black - the fact noted on the US records but not the British !! )

You've probably seen this already ... but just in case !! ....

The men of bomber command: the navigator, Cy Grant - Telegraph

[Kyt]

Ah, I hadn't noticed that it was Cy's site. I hadn't seen the newspaper article but have read his book, which I reviewed:

What are you reading at the moment?

[liverpool annie]

Originally Posted by Kyt

Ah, I hadn't noticed that it was Cy's site. I hadn't seen the newspaper article but have read his book, which I reviewed:

What are you reading at the moment?

Heres a bit of trivia for you AR ( is this him ?? ) .........

Over the years, there has been a lot of speculation about the derivation of the term blimp.

The most plausible explanation, experts claim, is that the name originated with Lt. A.D. Cunningham of Great Britain's Royal Navy Air Service. He commanded the air station at Capel, England, during World War I.

As the story goes, while conducting a weekly inspection of the station, Cunningham playfully flipped his thumb at the envelope of His Majesty's Airship SS-12 and an odd noise echoed off the taut fabric.

"Blimp!" he cried out humorously, imitating the sound. As they say the rest is history.

The Goodyear Blimp || Blimp History

[liverpool annie]

Originally Posted by liverpool annie

Heres a bit of trivia for you AR ( is this him ?? ) .........

Over the years, there has been a lot of speculation about the derivation of the term blimp.

The most plausible explanation, experts claim, is that the name originated with Lt. A.D. Cunningham of Great Britain's Royal Navy Air Service. He commanded the air station at Capel, England, during World War I.

As the story goes, while conducting a weekly inspection of the station, Cunningham playfully flipped his thumb at the envelope of His Majesty's Airship SS-12 and an odd noise echoed off the taut fabric.

"Blimp!" he cried out humorously, imitating the sound. As they say the rest is history.

The Goodyear Blimp || Blimp History

And this is how the story got about ......

A young midshipman, who later became known as Air Marshal Sir Victor Goddard, repeated the tale of this humorous inspection to his fellow officers in the mess hall before lunch the same day. It is believed that by this route the word came into common usage.

[Adrian Roberts]

Annie
I had heard this story, but thought it was Goddard who actually tapped the airship and said "blimp!" But if he is quoted as giving the credit to Cunningham, then that is probably the truth.

[liverpool annie]

Did anybody see this ?? ....... I know this isn't Air Crew ... but .......

Stars to celebrate life of black footballer and war hero

Stars to celebrate life of black footballer and war hero » Communities » 24dash.com

Walter Tull, the son of joiner, was born in Folkestone in April 1888. Walter's father, the son of a slave, had arrived from Barbados in 1876 and had married a girl from Kent. Over the next few years the couple had six children.
In 1895, when Walter was seven, his mother died. Walter's father remarried but died two years later. The stepmother was unable to cope with all six children and Walter and his brother Edward were sent to a Methodist run orphanage in Bethnal Green, London.
After finishing his schooling Tull served an apprenticeship as a printer. Walter was a keen footballer and had a trial at Clapton, a East London amateur club. By the beginning of the 1908-09 season Tull was playing for the first-team. A talented inside-forward, he helped Clapton enjoy a successful season. They won the Amateur Cup, the London Senior Cup and the London County Amateur Cup. The Football Star praised Tull's "clever footwork" and described him as being the "catch of the season".
Walter Tull was invited to join Tottenham Hotspur and the club decided to sign this promising young footballer. It has been claimed that Tull was only the second black man to play professional football in Britain. The first was Arthur Wharton, who signed for Preston North End in 1886.
In May 1909 Tull went on a tour of South America with Tottenham Hotspur and played games in Argentina and Uruguay. In a letter he wrote to a friend he complained that he was suffering from "sunstroke and feeling very queer for a few days." He also complained that "none of the waiters spoke English".
On his return to England Tull joined Spurs for a £10 signing-on fee. It was agreed that he would be paid the maximum wage of £4 per week. Spurs had just been promoted to the First Division of the Football League. Tull made his debut against Sunderland. Spurs lost 3-1 and they suffered a second defeat against Everton the following week. They got their first point with a 2-2 draw against Manchester United.
Tull got considerable praise for these early performances. The Daily Chronicle claimed that "Tull's display on Saturday (against Manchester United) must have astounded everyone who saw it. Such perfect coolness, such judicious waiting for a fraction of a second in order to get a pass in not before a defender has worked to a false position, and such accuracy of strength in passing I have not seen for a long time. During the first half, Tull just compelled Curtis to play a good game, for the outside-right was plied with a series of passes that made it almost impossible for him to do anything other than well."
Tull scored his first goal against Bradford City a week later. The Daily Chronicle pointed out on the 4th October, 1909, that he was "a class superior to that shown by most of his colleagues". However, after playing just seven first-team games he was dropped and played the rest of the season in the reserves.
In the 1910-11 season he played in only three games. This included a goal against Manchester City. He also scored 10 goals in 27 league games with the reserves. Disillusioned by his lack of first-team appearances he was transferred for what was said to be a "heavy transfer fee" to Northampton Town in the Southern League. He was signed by Herbert Chapman who was later to become a highly successful manager of Huddersfield Town and Arsenal. Chapman had originally played under Britain's first black player Arthur Wharton, when he was the coach of Stalybridge Rovers.

Tull scored four in one match while playing as an inside forward for Northampton Town. However, he played most of his 110 games for Northampton as a wing-half. Tull became the club's most popular player. Tull did not always get a good response from the fans of the opposition. The Northampton Echo reported on 9th October 1909: "A section of the spectators made a cowardly attack upon him in language lower than Billingsgate... Let me tell these Bristol hooligans (there were but few of them in a crowd of nearly twenty thousand) that Tull is so clean in mind and method as to be a model for all white men who play football whether they be amateur or professional. In point of ability, if not in actual achievement, Tull was the best forward on the field.''
Tull's ... display on Saturday must have astounded everyone who saw it. Such perfect coolness, such judicious waiting for a fraction of a second in order to get a pass in not before a defender has worked to a false position, and such accuracy of strength in passing I have not seen for a long time."
Other clubs wanted to sign Walter Tull and in 1914 Glasgow Rangers began negotiations with Northampton Town. However, before he could play for them the First World War was declared. Tull immediately abandoned his career and offered his services to the British Army. Walter, like many professional players, joined the Football Battalion. At the time it was commanded by Major Frank Buckley. The Army soon recognised Tull's leadership qualities and he was quickly promoted to the rank of sergeant.
In July 1916, Tull took part in the major Somme offensive. Tull survived this experience but in December 1916 he developed trench fever and was sent home to England to recover. Tull had impressed his senior officers and recommended that he should be considered for further promotion. When he recovered from his illness, instead of being sent back to France, he went to the officer training school at Gailes in Scotland. Despite military regulations forbidding "any negro or person of colour" being an officer, Tull received his commission in May, 1917.
Tull became the first Black combat officer in the British Army. As Phil Vasili has pointed out in his book, Colouring Over the White Line: "According to The Manual of Military Law, Black soldiers of any rank were not desirable. During the First World War, military chiefs of staff, with government approval, argued that White soldiers would not accept orders issued by men of colour and on no account should Black soldiers serve on the front line."
Lieutenant Walter Tull was sent to the Italian front. This was an historic occasion because Tull was the first ever black officer in the British Army. He led his men at the Battle of Piave and was mentioned in dispatches for his "gallantry and coolness" under fire.

Tull stayed in Italy until 1918 when he was transferred to France to take part in the attempt to break through the German lines on the Western Front. On 25th March, 1918, 2nd Lieutenant Tull was ordered to lead his men on an attack on the German trenches at Favreuil. Soon after entering No Mans Land Tull was hit by a German bullet. Tull was such a popular officer that several of his men made valiant efforts under heavy fire from German machine-guns to bring him back to the British trenches. These efforts were in vain as Tull had died soon after being hit. One of the soldiers who tried to rescue him later told his commanding officer that Tull was "killed instantaneously with a bullet through his head." Tull's body was never found.

Walter Tull

BBC - London - History - Celebrating Walter Tull