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Black servicemen and women have served in the Royal Air Force since it was founded in 1918. Their contribution has been “valuable, consistent and essential” explains RAF veteran and project lead Donald Campbell, “even when the prejudice against them was institutional and deliberately offensive”.
Lest We Forget – organised by heritage group The Forgotten Generations – seeks to tell the stories of those men and women, from the Second World War to the present. The project highlights experiences of migration, prejudice, service and community.
Donald and a team of heritage experts, volunteers and veterans are producing films, an exhibition and digital resources to save these stories with the communities of the West Midlands and educational settings across the UK.
Personal stories of global significance
Of the seven veterans recorded for the project, Prince Albert Jacob, known as Jake, is the oldest. Born in Trinidad in 1925, Jake trained as ground crew at RAF Filey in Yorkshire during the Second World War.
It wasn’t until 2023 that Jake’s service was formally recognised. “The first time I saw Jake was on television, getting his service medals after 75 years,” recalls Donald. “His neighbour had asked him where his medals were, and he goes ‘Medal? What medal?’.
“I was able to meet him, and we’ve now been all around the country – to colleges, universities and schools – where Jake tells his story, including both his time in the RAF and his experiences of racism returning to Britain post-war, as part of the Windrush generation.”
Through this project, the team hope to promote understanding and recognition of the contributions made by black servicepeople in the RAF – ensuring that stories like Jake’s are heard and remembered.
Recording rarely shared histories
Ahead of interviewing their subjects, both Donald and project researcher Andrew Wrenn explored the Heritage Fund’s oral history guidance. “It gave us a deep understanding of how to get the best out of people, and the types of question to ask,” says Andrew. “It helped me understand that how people respond to something often depends on how they’re prepared for it. If you share questions too far in advance, for example, they can reflect too long and it can be less spontaneous.”
As part of his work with the Forgotten Generations, Donald has now led more than 100 interviews. “It’s very important to make the individuals as comfortable as possible. I often say: 'look, we’re just going to go down the highway and come off on some lanes'. It’s a chat; if they relax, they’ll tell you what they’re about.”
A lasting digital legacy
Full-length accounts of the veterans’ testimony will be available online, as well as becoming part of the permanent collections at RAF Museum Midlands and the Library of Birmingham.
The project is also creating short clips, curated by subject, which can be easily built into lesson plans and shared in the classroom, and is producing longer documentaries.
“The documentaries will look at the RAF’s history and its treatment of black recruits,” explains Andrew. "They’ll draw upon the testimony of all our veterans, exploring the wider context of how black British identity developed in the post-war era.”
Connecting with the local community
On 26 September, the project will open a public exhibition at Library of Birmingham. The multimedia exhibition will display artefacts and documents outlining the veterans’ stories and explain the links between their experiences and Britain’s complex military and social history.
It will open with a cultural celebration, including a dance performance involving primary school pupils, reflecting the service of black RAF veterans. Local Air Cadets will be trained as weekend volunteers to support the project and engage younger visitors with the history on display.
“Our hope for the future is that this can be a learning experience for everyone involved,” says Donald. “We want the project to be a template to explore veterans’ experiences in the Navy, the Army, and beyond the West Midlands too. One day, it’d be wonderful to create a physical museum of this history – the first of its kind for African Caribbean people.”
How to design an exhibition
Planning an exhibition when you don’t have a space of your own can involve many practical considerations. Donald and Andrew share their top tips for working with external venues:
- If you’re planning to display audio-visual resources, you’ll need to know how many power sources there are and where they’re located.
- Understand the venue’s security requirements and limitations. These will influence what artefacts you can display and how.
- If you’re exhibiting in a smaller space within a larger institution, you might need to consider wayfinding and signage to draw audiences to you and simplify their experience.
- Don’t forget the installation process itself. How many days will it take? Where can you park? How will equipment and heritage objects be installed safely and efficiently?
Lest We Forget will be at Library of Birmingham from 26 September. Discover how we’re supporting heritage projects that explore culture and memory across the UK.
