Caribbean Spitfire Pilot
Jellicoe Esselmomte Norbert Cecil Scoon was born in Grenada on November 14, 1920. He would go on to become one of the few Caribbean men to serve as a fighter pilot in Britain’s Royal Air Force during the Second World War—a period when racial barriers were still very much in place. His journey from the Caribbean to the skies of war-torn Europe was not just a personal accomplishment, but a statement of courage, skill, and perseverance in the face of an empire struggling with its own notions of race and colonialism.
Scoon began his military aviation training in Trinidad, at a time when the RAF was beginning to recruit more widely from across the West Indies. By early 1942, he arrived in London as part of a contingent of West Indian recruits. In a rare wartime photograph taken in Parliament Square that March, he is seen among other young cadets—his presence symbolic of the growing involvement of Caribbean volunteers in Britain’s war effort.
Scoon quickly rose through the ranks, flying the iconic Supermarine Spitfire with No. 41 Squadron and later transitioning to the formidable Hawker Typhoon with No. 198 Squadron. These aircraft were among the most important in the RAF's arsenal, with the Typhoon in particular playing a key role in ground-attack missions in the latter years of the war. His skill and daring as a pilot earned him recognition—but also attracted attention for less conventional reasons.
One anecdote from Squadron Leader Michel Donnet of No. 64 Squadron offers a glimpse into Scoon’s bold character. Known by the nickname “Midnight,” Scoon had a strong preference for low-altitude flying, to the point that he reportedly refused to fly above certain heights. On one occasion, during his early days with the squadron, he flew extremely low in circles over a woman’s house—a flamboyant display that eventually led to his reassignment to the remote islands in the north of Scotland. It was a form of quiet disciplinary action, intended to curb his audacious style.
His RAF service was not without danger. On February 17, 1943, while flying a Spitfire during training at Fairwood Common in Wales, Scoon crashed and sustained injuries. Despite this setback, he continued in the service and was eventually commissioned as an officer in March 1945—an especially significant achievement given the racial policies of the British military at the time. The RAF had only begun to seriously recruit and commission Black personnel from the colonies a few years earlier, and many of those who joined did so in the face of prejudice and institutional resistance.
What stands out about Scoon’s story is not only his combat record, but the broader context in which he served. He was part of a generation of Caribbean men who, despite being born into colonial societies with limited rights, volunteered to fight for Britain in its hour of need. By the end of the war, over six thousand West Indian volunteers had served in the RAF, including more than four hundred as aircrew—pilots, navigators, wireless operators, and gunners. These men faced the dangers of aerial combat as well as the often unspoken burden of proving their worth in a system that had rarely seen them as equals.
After the war, Scoon returned to civilian life. He passed away on November 9, 1994, in Bedford, England. Much about his postwar years remains undocumented, but his service stands as a lasting testament to the Caribbean’s contribution to the Allied cause. His name, like those of his fellow airmen, forms part of a legacy that only in recent decades has begun to receive the full recognition it deserves.
