BRAITHWAITE – Eustace Edward Adolphus Ricardo
1898688 – BRAITHWAITE – Eustace Edward Adolphus Ricardo – British Guiana [Guyana]
The online Oxford Dictionary of National Biography lists him as “Braithwaite, Eustace Edward Adolph Ricardo [known as E. R. Braithwaite]”, but he enlisted in the RAF as Eustace Adolphus Braithwaite, at Euston [London], early in 1943.
[courtesy AD]
[Source: the Guardian, obituary]
RAF Pilot from Guyana
E. R. Braithwaite, the author of “To Sir With with Love” (a book remembered for its film and theme song) was a pilot with the RAF
[Source: forum.keypublishing.com]
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]
Promoting the Noble Heritage of Caribbean Air Crew who Served in Freedom's Cause in World War II - The Law Firm of Gabriel J Christian & Associates, LLC.
Albert Applewhaite from Guyana was in the west indian RAF
January 12th, 2011 at 2:51 pmJellicoe Scoon was my grandad and he was from Grenada
November 7th, 2013 at 3:09 amPlease note that E.R.Braithwaite is my father in law Randolph Theophilus Braithwaite.
September 7th, 2016 at 12:29 amFrom Trinidad.
Please delete the comment prior I mistook Mr.Cross for my father in law
September 7th, 2016 at 12:57 amIt seems I am incorrect.
September 7th, 2016 at 1:04 amWith the passing of E.R. Braithwaite this picture may get more attention. It would be good to add it to the Wikipedia article on Mr. Braithwaite. Are you sure he is correctly identified? It appears he is wearing a noncommissioned officer’s uniform, not a pilot’s?
December 14th, 2016 at 8:00 pmIn my view ER Braithwaite is second from the left in the front row. This is not to disrepect Dusty Miller; I compared ERB‘s Obit photo from the Times (15 Dec 2016, with different DOB). The 3rd row person has different cheekbones. Does anyone have ERB‘s war service record? JGB
December 20th, 2016 at 2:38 amMany RAF pilots were NCOs, not officers, in the Second World War. Is there any evidence that Braithwaite was commissioned? Miller, on the other hand, was definitely commissioned.
January 19th, 2017 at 5:56 pmone of the men is Vivian Rivero . front row very right. is my father.
January 22nd, 2018 at 2:28 amSome years ago, here in the States, I heard E.R. Braithwaite being interviewed on a local radio station about his life and works. During the interview, he briefly touched upon his wartime service with the RAF. He was a pilot in Fighter Command and had flown combat missions over Occupied Europe. (I would like to know what squadron(s) he served with and if he flew Spitfires in combat.)
April 2nd, 2018 at 8:03 pm[6] Vivian Romero,
April 2nd, 2018 at 11:11 pmshould be Vivian Rivero =D
I am writing a piece about E.R Braithwaite’s memoir. I think it is interesting that he just skips over his war service with a line or two. Many WW2 veterans did the same.
May 25th, 2018 at 8:26 amI’ve always been moved at Winston Churchill’s statement about the RAF fliers; that…”never has so much been owed to so few.” In Andy Rooney’s book, My War I got a real glimpse of the courage it took for the fliers to get back in their planes and go up again.
I would like to know more about Mr. Braithwaite’s service so I can include it in my piece.