Gilbert Clarke, who was with the RAF as a LAC Leading Aircraftman, was part of the Windrush generation as he was born in Jamaica and then moved to Britain in 1944
Tributes have been paid to a hero World War Two veteran — a member of the Windrush Generation — who has died at the age of 100.
Gilbert Clarke joined up as a 17-year-old from Jamaica to play his part in fighting Hitler’s Nazi regime. In 2023, the Daily Mirror joined Gilbert as he paid his respects to Caribbean colleagues at a cemetery in Belgium. It was an emotional journey and Gilbert was keen to stress how much the world owed to the young men who travelled from the Caribbean across the world to help the Allies war effort. He was with the RAF as a LAC Leading Aircraftman and could vividly recall seeing hundreds of planes in the air on D-Day.
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Paul Chambers, chair of the British West India Regiment Heritage Trust (BWIRHT), said: “Gilbert Clarke represented the very best of us. He was a National Treasure.
“He served his country with honour during wartime and dedicated his later years to ensuring the memory of Black Caribbean servicemen would never be forgotten. “His loyalty to BWIRHT, his annual participation in our CumByYah pilgrimage, and his unwavering commitment to remembrance touched everyone who had the privilege to know him.
“We mourn his passing deeply, but celebrate a remarkable life of service, resilience and dignity. Gilbert will remain forever part of our story.”
“As we mourn Gilbert’s passing, we also give thanks for a life richly lived — marked by courage, sacrifice, migration, memory and service.
“Rest in eternal peace, Gilbert Clarke. Your duty is done. Your story will never be forgotten.” He added: “To many within BWIRHT, Gilbert was more than a veteran — he was living history. He embodied the often overlooked contribution of Caribbean people to Britain’s wartime survival and post-war rebuilding and remained steadfast in ensuring the sacrifices of Black servicemen would never be forgotten.”
Born in Montego Bay, Jamaica, Gilbert grew up hearing stories of the First World War West Indian soldiers whose service and sacrifice shaped Caribbean memory. Those stories stayed with him. Inspired by the example of those who served before him, Gilbert made the decision to join the war effort at just 16 years old, volunteering to serve in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
Travelling across the Atlantic to Britain in 1944, Gilbert trained and worked on radar and radio systems supporting military aircraft during a pivotal moment in the liberation of Europe. He would later recount witnessing the skies alive with aircraft on D‑Day — memories he generously shared to educate younger generations about sacrifice, duty and service.
British army veteran and High Sheriff of Lincolnshire Sue Liburd said: “The death of Gilbert marks more than the loss of a remarkable man and a centenarian; for me it marks the fading of a living generation who carried the weight of war, sacrifice and service on their shoulders. “Gilbert did not simply witness history, he helped shape it. As one of the few remaining Caribbean veterans of the Second World War in the UK, Gilbert represented a chapter of British military history that for too long sat at the margins of public memory.
“His life reminded us that the defence of Britain was a shared endeavour across nations, islands and communities of the Commonwealth.
“Even in his later years, he continued to show up with dignity, humour and an unwavering commitment to remembrance. He understood that memory matters, and that future generations must know the full story of who served and sacrificed.”
“Gilbert’s death feels especially poignant because there are now so few Second World War veterans left with us, and even fewer from Caribbean heritage communities.
“We are losing not only individuals, but first-hand testimony, lived memory and direct connection to a defining moment in our history. That places an even greater responsibility on all of us to continue telling these stories.
“Gilbert Clarke’s legacy will endure not only in a stone or ceremony, but in the lives he touched and the historical visibility he helped restore for Caribbean veterans across this country.”
Gilbert was a caring father-of-eight who lived in Plaistow, East London. His wife died before him. cHe was a grandfather of 11, great-grandfather of 10, and great-great-grandfather of three.
After the war he worked as a TV and radio serviceman He once recalled in an interview about why he came to Europe: “I volunteered like so many millions of others from Britain, the Commonwealth and elsewhere out of a sense of duty, to fight for king and country, and play my part in ensuring we left the world a better place for everyone.
“It was important not to do nothing because Hitler… there was word in the Caribbean saying any time he could be colonising the Caribbean and South America, and so we had to do something..”
