William Robinson Clarke

Sergeant William Robinson Clarke (4 October 1895 – 26 April 1981) was a Jamaican World War I airman who was the first Black pilot to fly for Britain.

World War I

On the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, Clarke, aged 19, travelled to England at his own cost. He joined the Royal Flying Corps on 26 July 1915. He served initially as a mechanic and then as a driver for an observation balloon company.

In December 1916 he began pilot training, gaining his wings on 26 April 1917. Promoted to Pilot Sergeant, he was posted to No. 4 Squadron RFC at Abeele on 27 May 1917, flying R.E.8 biplanes over the Western Front. On the morning of 28 July 1917 during a reconnaissance mission flying five miles behind the German front line near Ypres, Clarke and his observer, Second Lieutenant F. P. Blencowe, were attacked by armed German scout aircraft. After Clarke was seriously wounded and lost consciousness, his observer brought the aeroplane back across British lines before making a forced landing near Godewaersvelde. He was honourably discharged in 1919, receiving the Silver War Badge.