Lilian Bader

Second World War

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Lilian Bader (née Bailey) was a Leading Aircraftwoman with the WAAF during the Second World War, and one of the first black women to join the RAF. Born 18 February 1917 in Liverpool, Bader’s father was originally from Barbados and had served in the Royal Navy during the First World War. In 1927, aged just nine, Bader was orphaned and sent to a convent, where she remained until the age of 20.

With the outbreak of the Second World War, Bader left her job in domestic service to join the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI). Not long after joining NAAFI, however, she was forced to leave because of her race. In 1941, after learning that the RAF was accepting black recruits, Bader successfully applied for the WAAF. Starting in March 1941, she trained as an Instrument Repairer. During her training, her brother – who had been serving in the Merchant Navy – was killed at sea. Despite this tragedy, Bader managed to pass her course ‘First Class’  and became one of the first women in the air force to qualify as an Instrument Repairer.

Posted to RAF Shawbury, Bader worked long hours, where she was responsible for checking for faults in the aircraft. Excelling in her job, she became a Leading Aircraftwoman in December 1941 and soon went on to gain the rank of Acting Corporal.

In 1943, Bader met and married Ramsay Bader. Falling pregnant in February 1944, she was discharged from the WAAF and went on to raise two sons. After the war, Bader gained a degree from London University and became a teacher.

She died in March 2015, aged 97.