Uploaded April 2022 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
On 20 November 2021 the Royal Air Force Museum held a special one day workshop at its London site where it explored the lives of the African, Caribbean, South Asian and Irish volunteers who proudly served in the RAF despite many of these individuals being opposed to British rule in their home countries.
Speakers at this workshop included Sunday Times best-selling author Shrabani Basu and Dr Joseph Quinn, a specialist on Britain and Ireland during the Second World War.
As well as exploring the diverse nature of those who served in the RAF the panel also critically examined the motivations of those who fought in the RAF and identified a complexity that is marginalised in British Military History.
The event was moderated by Dr Harry Raffal the Royal Air Force Museum's Historian.
Three volunteers were considered in detail: Noor Inayat Khan from India; Errol Walton Barrow from Barbados; and Irishman Robert Gregory.
In this video we broadcast the afternoon session where we focus open the life of Errol Walton Barrow and also those Indian Pilots who flew with the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force during the First World War.
The ‘Freedom Fighters’ workshop was supported by the Institute of Historical Research
On 20 November 2021 the Royal Air Force Museum held a special one day workshop at its London site where it explored the lives of the African, Caribbean, South Asian and Irish volunteers who proudly served in the RAF despite many of these individuals being opposed to British rule in their home countries.
Speakers at this workshop included Sunday Times best-selling author Shrabani Basu and Dr Joseph Quinn, a specialist on Britain and Ireland during the Second World War.
As well as exploring the diverse nature of those who served in the RAF the panel also critically examined the motivations of those who fought in the RAF and identified a complexity that is marginalised in British Military History.
The event was moderated by Dr Harry Raffal the Royal Air Force Museum's Historian.
Three volunteers were considered in detail: Noor Inayat Khan from India; Errol Walton Barrow from Barbados; and Irishman Robert Gregory.
In this video we broadcast the afternoon session where we focus open the life of Errol Walton Barrow and also those Indian Pilots who flew with the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force during the First World War.
The ‘Freedom Fighters’ workshop was supported by the Institute of Historical Research
