Flight Lieutenant Emanuel Peter John Adeniyi Thomas (1914 – 1945) was a Nigerian born Royal Air Force (RAF) officer and the first West African to be recruited into the RAF in WW2.
He was born in Lagos, Nigeria to Peter John Claudius Thomas, a Sierra Leone Creole businessman. His elder sister Stella Thomas was the first female magistrate in West Africa and his brother, Stephen Peter Thomas, became the first Chief Justice of the Mid-West region in Nigeria.
In 1942, Thomas qualified as an RAF pilot. He received two promotions during his service, the first to the position of Flying Officer in 1943 and then to Flight Lieutenant in 1944. Thomas also assisted the Colonial Office by welcoming visiting West African students to London in his spare time.
Tragically, Thomas died in an air crash in 1945. He is remembered as a pioneer, who paved the way for future generations of Africans to pursue careers in aviation and the military service. He is buried at Bath Cemetery.
Refs: Emanuel Peter John Adeniyi Thomas – Wikipedia;
Liberator : Flight Lieutenant Emanuel Peter John Adeniyi Thomas – RAF Museum
Image credit: Liberator : Flight Lieutenant Emanuel Peter John Adeniyi Thomas – RAF Museum
