Ricardo P Lloyd to Star in Docudrama FLYING FOR BRITAIN

Ricardo P. Lloyd - the British actor and presenter increasingly being recognised for his striking theatre and film performances - is proud to be starring in a leading role as World War II Royal Air Force navigator and seminal Windrush Generation figure Johnny Smythe in the upcoming historical docudrama Flying For Britain.

Funded by the Heritage Fund with support from the Royal Air Force, Flying For Britain captures the run-up to the Second World War and the Windrush Era from the perspective of Johnny Smythe. Born a Sierra Leone Creole, Smythe was one of the handful of West Africans to serve in the Royal Air Force as the navigation officer of a Stirring Bomber. Shot down in 1943, Smythe spent 18 months in a German prisoner of war camp and was highly decorated for his military service.

After World War II ended, Smythe joined the then-Colonial Office and was responsible for the welfare of demobilised Royal Air Force personnel from Africa and the Caribbean on the troopship Empire Windrush. Upon discovering that it would be hard for demobilised personnel to find jobs in the Caribbean, Smythe persuaded the Colonial Office to let the men return to the United Kingdom, thus establishing the Windrush Generation. After retiring from service, he returned to Sierra Leone and became that country's Attorney General.

"I'm so grateful to have been able to participate in the making of this film, an incredible story about some of the unsung heroes of World War II and about Johnny Smythe specifically - a legendary figure of his time," said Ricardo P. Lloyd. "It's my sincere hope that, through "Flying For Britain", the public can learn more about great men like Johnny Smythe, figures that are too often forgotten in our history."

Lloyd added, "Portraying him on screen was an honour, and I hope the film leads the public to have a better understanding of everything that he - and others like him - did for our country."

Book a free place on Armistice Day talk, Pilots of the Caribbean with Peter Devitt, RAF Curator via www.eventbrite. co.uk. Armistice Day talk, Pilots of the Caribbean with Peter Devitt, RAF Curator will be open on Friday, 11 November 2022, 11:15 - 13:00 GMT, at Westminster City Hall 64 Victoria Street London SW1E 6QP.