SCOON – Jellicoe Esslemonte Norbert Cecil

F/O – pilot

[Source: CG/Jerome Lee]

From Grenada

[Source: Gillian Hill, granddaughter]

 

RAF_student_pilot_Jellicoe_Scoon,_a_West_Indian_from_Trinidad,_in_Parliament_Square_in_London,_26_March_1942._CH5213

West Indians in the Royal Air Force: A Trinidad (!) accountant, Jellicoe Scoon, recently arrived in England as a Royal Air Force recruit. Aircraftman Scoon was accepted as a pilot, completed elementary flying school training with at least fifty hours to his credit, and was then sent to Service Flying Training School.

[Photograph: IWM CH 5213]

 

 

 

 

 

Jellicoe ScoonJellicoe ‘Midnight’ Scoon, according to Squadron Leader Michel Donnet, DFC, of No. 64 Squadron: “…  a black from Trinidad of which we must get rid of because he refuses stubbornly to fly elsewhere than at low altitude…”  (From his book ‘J’ai volé la Liberté’, Mike Donnet, 1968, pages 170-171). In an interview conducted by Mehdi Schneyders in 2011 Mr. Donnet states that on his third day with the Squadron the ‘black from Jamaica’ (!) hedgehopped (his airplane) around a house of a girl he met. For this he was ‘chucked out’ to ‘the islands’ in the north of Scotland, as a means of doing ‘penance’.

[Picture from Mr. Dimitrios Vassilopoulos of Greeks-in-foreign-cockpits, courtesy Mehdi Schneyders]

 

 

A group of colored RAF-officers. Front row, from left: [1] unknown, from Jamaica or Belize; [2] Dusty Miller, from Guyana; [3] S/L Corbett (liason); [4] Ulric Cross, from Trinidad; [5] Johnny Smythe, from Sierra Leone; [6] Vivian Rivero, from Trinidad; (previously erroneously identified as: Mark Walker, from Trinidad);
Second row from left: [1] E.A. Gordon from Jamaica; [4] Percy Massiah, from Trinidad; [5] possibly his brother C.A. Massiah from Trinidad; [6] Vivian Thomas from Manchester, Jamaica; [7] Jellicoe Scoon from Grenada. Third row from left: [1] E.R Braithwaite from Guyana? The rest are as yet unknown to us. We invite our visitors to share the names of any person they recognise. [Names courtesy P.L.U. Cross a.o.; Photograph courtesy Audrey Elcombe, copyright unknown – click to enlarge]  

5 additions to “SCOON – Jellicoe Esslemonte Norbert Cecil”

  1. Anonymous adds:

    A wonderful picture!
    Jellicoe Scoon is actually from Grenada

    August 16th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
  2. A.E. Smith adds:

    Hello Jerome

    Jellicoe Scoon served briefly at 41 squadron flying Spit XII’s. Then at 198 Squadron flying Typhoons. He had a forced landing in a Typhoon after an engine failure on the 3rd May 1945.

    PS He is mentioned on the 198 squadron website.
    http://www.198archives.com/

    Kind regards,
    Andy Smith

    March 27th, 2010 at 4:16 pm
  3. Peter adds:

    Hello,I noticed there is mention of J Ferris but no information on him
    I have a photo of an raf group which has a Sgt J Ferris who looks like he could be West Indian. If someone would contact me I will be happy to send them a copy.
    Thanks.

    May 29th, 2010 at 9:22 pm
  4. william kerr adds:

    can anybody advise me if mr scoon was stationed at heathfield aerodrome in west Scotland.my father became friendly with a pilot stationed there.i have some gramophone records that he left in our house in ,low road whitletts,,which was 1 mile from the aerodrome.i thought that he used the name cecil scoon. many thanks if someone can help

    January 5th, 2015 at 10:05 pm
  5. Zerlina Mastin adds:

    Hi WIlliam,

    I am Mr Scoon’s granddaughter. I’m sure he used his other name (Cecil) as his full name is Jellicoe Esslemonte Norbert Cecil. My mother, who is based in London would be so excited to hear there could be some of his belongings around (we have so little), and to hear of people who knew him.

    July 16th, 2015 at 7:51 pm

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