Caribbean World War Two veterans honoured with new plaque
BBCA memorial garden and plaque have been unveiled in Leeds to honour Caribbean war veterans.
The garden has been opened in memory of the Caribbean World War Two RAF veterans who settled in Leeds after the war.
More than 40 relatives of the RAF veterans attended the private opening event on Friday evening in Chapeltown, at the Jamaica Society Leeds' (JSL).
Wendy Henry, Chair of JSL, said she hoped the garden would be "a long lasting, impactful space where people from the community and far and wide can come to just reflect, reminisce and just remember."
The JSL has worked with families and the local community since 2019 to compile the list for the plaque, which features the names of 49 veterans.
As part of the roll call of honour, family members and RAF cadets read out the names of veterans on the list, which also acknowledged unnamed veterans.
Henry said that hearing the personal stories of veterans from their relatives at the event made it more relatable.
"It just makes it so tangible and so emotive because you're hearing it from the voices of the people who were part of the veteran's life and history," she said.
"When you are reading a book, you are looking at pictures, it is very emotive and it resonates, but not as much as people actually knowing the people who served and experienced the war, and the challenges that they had through the war, through Windrush and building the community."
Henry said she wants it to increase understanding of the experiences of Caribbean war veterans and the challenges they faced.
"The takeaways would be just bringing the culture and that experience of what these veterans went through," she said.
"Raising awareness of the different cultures and what the veterans of the Caribbean went through... for us to be where we're at now."
The memorial garden and plaque was funded and supported by Unity Housing, Wades Charity and the University of Leeds' Yorkshire and Humber Policy Innovation Partnership (YPIP) grant support.
Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
