Life of one of last black RAF WW2 veterans to be remembered at service at RAF Central Church

A service to mark the life of one of the last black Royal Air Force Second World War veterans will now be held at the RAF Central Church in London.

Flight Sergeant Peter Brown, who flew in Lancaster bombers, died aged 96 alone in his flat in London's Maida Vale on 17 December 2022, with no known family to attend his funeral.

A campaign was then launched on social media to try to find any personal connections.

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A service is to be held at St Clement Danes in Flt Sgt Brown's home borough of Westminster at 11:00 on Thursday 25 May.

The announcement by the RAF and Westminster City Council comes after plans to have a funeral at Mortlake Crematorium were changed when organisers were inundated with attendance requests.

The council is working closely with the RAF and Ministry of Defence (MOD) to ensure Flt Sgt Brown is given the "send-off he deserves".

Six hundred spaces in St Clement Danes Church will be reserved for members of the public, organisers say, and priority access is to be given to those with a connection to Flt Sgt Brown.

Originally from Jamaica, Flt Sgt Brown came to the UK at the height of the Second World War to volunteer for service in the Royal Air Force.

He carried out missions as a gunner and radio operator in Lancaster bombers and stayed in the RAF after the war before joining civilian life.

In March, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted his support for the campaign to help find the family or connections of Flt Lt Brown in time for his funeral.