Not many people are aware today of the contribution made by black Caribbean volunteers to the Royal Air Force�s fight against Nazism. Despite the existence of an official bar on non-white personnel becoming officers within the ranks of the British military up to late 1939, hundreds of black aircrew volunteers were recruited after that date, once the war was raging.

In total, around 500 men from the West Indies joined up to fly and a further 6,000 joined as ground crew, with a few hundred women among them. They came primarily from the islands of Jamaica and Trinidad, but there were representatives from almost every regional state amongst their number. They trained as pilots, navigators, flight engineers and wireless operators and air gunners and they flew both bomber aircraft, such as the famous Lancaster, as well as fighter planes like the Spitfire. These unsung heroes took part in all of the major operations of the war, bombing Germany, covering the D-Day landings and even flying against targets in Italy from bases in North Africa.

An important and very valid question that is sometimes asked is why black men from subjugated Imperial possessions, whose own grand or great-grandparents had been born in slavery, would now put themselves in harm�s way in order to fight for �King and Country�. John Ebanks latterly of Kingston, Jamaica, a Mosquito fighter-bomber navigator who completed a full tour over Nazi Germany, summed it up best when he told me:

�I did not go to fight for King and Country. I went to fight for myself, for Jamaica, and for all the little countries of the world that would otherwise be ruled by bullies.�

At this time, Hitler�s legions had conquered most of Europe and much of the Soviet Union. They were on the verge of victory. In the west, only Britain still stood her ground, but she had suffered terrible losses in men and equipment. The Caribbean volunteers were desperately needed.

John Blair of St Elizabeth, Jamaica, also explained his motives:

�Few people stop to think about what would have happened in Jamaica if Britain had been defeated, but we would almost certainly have returned to slavery.�

All was not rosy for these brave people and racism was encountered in various forms, but overall the success of the racially integrated crews setup by the RAF, in stark contrast with the racially segregated units deployed the US forces, stands as a shining example of what can be achieved when both sides are determined to overcome their differences.

In battle, the Caribbean men performed with distinction. Tragically, almost one third of their number lost their lives in Europe�s skies, shot down to smash into the fields and forests of Western Europe, or into the icy waters of the North Sea. Others were simply blown up at twenty thousand feet when their aircraft were hit by German night fighters or Flak, or when the all-to-frequent mid-air collisions occurred. Many of the bodies were never found and they lie to this day in hidden corners of the continent, or beneath the dark waters.

A small number of volunteers, including as Cy Grant of Guyana, actually parachuted to safety from their burning aircraft and survived the war in the German prison camp system. Grant was later rescued by the Soviet Red Army, and he settled in Britain, where he married a survivor of the Holocaust.

A remarkable twenty-five percent of the black fliers were promoted to officer rank and most of these were awarded medals, such as the Distinguished Flying Cross, for bravery and determination. Ulric Cross of Trinidad, who completed an astounding 80 combat missions, the last 30 being purely voluntary, became the most decorated Caribbean airman. He was also promoted to the rank of Squadron Leader. Cross passed away in 2013.

The contribution of these men was important for a number of reasons. Apart from the fact that they were standing up to the greatest tyranny of modern times, these were also independently minded men. Large numbers of them became politically active after the war and they helped to form the governments of their newly independent nations. Two became Prime Ministers and many others also achieved high office. Their courage, which was recognised in the highest circles, with the King and Queen honouring the volunteers with a visit in 1945, must surely have helped their respective nation�s cases for independence. Who could deny that right to peoples who had helped to in the fight to make Europe free?

Their story is important for another reason. As we face the rising tide of Xenophobia that is silently sweeping across Europe today, cloaked in the garb of a fear of Eastern European migrants, we are once again challenged to justify our presence here. The answer is simple; when you needed us, we gave our lives in a common cause. We therefore have as much right to be here as anyone else.

Mark Johnson is the author of Caribbean Volunteers at War, released by Pen & Sword Publishing in March 2014. You can find out more about this and his other titles at his website, www.markjohnsonbooks.com. Mark also helped with the creation of an exhibition on the black aircrew volunteers which is being put on by the RAF Museum.

Photo credit Mark Johnson: 'Flight Lieutenant John Blair, DFC of No. 102 Squadron RAF and Jamaica'