Rewind Pause Forward
Following on the heels of National Inclusion Week, Recruits on McTeague and Jackson Flights at Recruit Training Squadron (RTS) at RAF Halton have researched Black History Month and given presentations to their colleagues highlighting any inspirational Servicemen or Women of colour. After the war with lots of men missing the country reached out to the Commonwealth for people to come and start a new life, and they responded in their hundreds filling all sorts of roles.
The Royal Air Force marks Black History every year and this year’s theme is Rewind Pause Forward, and Chief Of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston reflected on the importance of Black History, saying: “The RAF will be Honouring the Past, Pausing in the Present and Forging ahead together into the next generation Air Force”.
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Image by: RAF Halon Photographics Section
Group 1 focussed on Lilian Bader, the daughter of a Barbadian.
Group 2 focussed their presentation on Statesman, Errol Walton Barrow, who was the first Prime Minister of Barbados who, at the onset of war, travelled to Britain to volunteer for the Royal Air Force.
The final presentation, Group 3, told of Robbie Clarke, who was born in Kingston Jamaica and was Britain’s first black pilot.
The presenting Recruits expressed the opinion of being inspired by the research they had carried out and a gained understanding of what people of colour went through to be accepted.
Their final thoughts were that ‘whatever your religion, race or colour you can succeed if you are determined’.
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Image by: RAF Halon Photographics Section
Their research came from the following links:
https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/blog/william.robinson.clarke/
Sgt Marc Constardine praised the Recruits for the high standard of their research, saying: “I am proud of the Flights who have produced first class presentations in a short amount of time”.
