In two world wars, black people from the Caribbean, Africa and Britain volunteered to serve in the Royal Air Force. These volunteers fought, and died, for the ‘mother country’ and for freedom, alongside their white counterparts. Now, the RAF Museum is telling the inspirational story of these volunteers with the exhibition Pilots of the Caribbean: Volunteers of African Heritage in the Royal Air Force.

“From World War One pilot William Robinson Clarke to the young volunteers of today, Afro-Caribbean men and women have played an integral part in the development of the RAF and the defence of our freedoms and liberties,” says Peter Dye, director general of the RAF Museum.

“In this exhibition, the museum aims to celebrate their contribution to the development of modern Britain, while providing young people with a series of role models to inspire and guide them in realising their own ambitions and dreams.”

The exhibition, curated in partnership with the Black Cultural Archives, will be formally opened on Friday by Baroness Floella Benjamin.

The exhibition will also highlight the RAF’s success in embracing diversity, curator Peter Devitt explains.

“The first Jamaican pilot in the RAF was William Robinson Clarke. The RAF has always been very integrated, everyone received very good treatment. The air force was always far in advance of society in terms of its attitudes to race and integration, it was written down in 1944.

“Putting this together, we were very focused on motivation, and we went right back to the times of slavery. Why would these men and women identify with Britain? Many were brought over as slaves.”

Back in August, the museum appealed for stories and photographs from former and serving black personnel and their families, and the results of this call-out will feature in the exhibition alongside the museum’s own archive materials.

“We’re delighted in the way it’s turning out,” Peter continues, “we’ve had such a positive response from both black and white people. It’s very important that the stories come from the veterans and their families themselves.”

  • Pilots of the Caribbean is at RAF Museum, Grahame Park Way, Hendon from November 1 until April 20, 2014. Details: 020 8205 2266, rafmuseum.org.uk