Peter John Adeniyi Thomas

right|frameless Flight Lieutenant Emanuel Peter John Adeniyi Thomas (1914 – 12 January 1945) was a Nigerian born Royal Air Force (RAF) officer and first West African to be granted a commission in the RAF.

Early life and education He was born in Lagos to Peter John Claudius Thomas, a Sierra Leone Creole businessman and Josetta Mary Thomas (née Cole). His older sibling was Stella Thomas, first woman magistrate in West Africa. He attended King's College, Lagos and worked for his father before joining the Labour Department of the Nigerian Government.

RAF career Thomas was inspired to join the Royal Air Force (RAF) after reading about The Battle of Britain. His application to the RAF was supported by Charles Woolley, the chief secretary to the government of Nigeria, who personally forwarded Thomas's application to London.

He travelled to the United Kingdom to enlist in the RAF. On 17 September 1942, he became the first Black African to qualify as a pilot and was commissioned as an officer.