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COURAGE: Holyhead School principal Martin Bayliss (right) with Le Roy Gillead (left) and Alexander Jefferson

TWO VETERAN black American fighter pilots who served in World War Two were an “inspiration” to youngsters when they paid a flying visit to their Birmingham school.

Le Roy Gillead and Alexander Jeferson, now both more than 90 years old, were among the Tuskegee Airmen. They recently wowed students at Handsworth’s Holyhead School with their stories of courage and racism in 1940s America.

The incredible story of the Tuskegee pilots was made into the film Red Tails by Steven Spielberg, which has just been released.

Detroit-born Alexander Jefferson has also written about his experiences in his own memoirs called Red Tail Captured, Red Tail Free. He tells of how he was shot down over France in 1943 before being captured by German soldiers and sent to a Luftwaffe prison camp.

Holyhead School principal Martin Bayliss said: “Their visit was an inspiration. Le Roy and Alexander were only due to speak for an hour, but they stayed for three.

“These guys are both over 90 but they spoke with such vibrancy about their experiences that they had the staff and students completely enraptured. It was incredible to hear Alexander talk of how he was treated as more of an equal when he was in a German prisoner of war camp than he was at home, while Le Roy talked of seeing PoWs [prisoners of war] in America get more freedoms than he had.

“They interacted with the students magnificently as they told of their experiences as American fighter pilots during a time when segregation was still the norm in America, and how they fought their own war with racism at that time.

“It was a very special day and their big message to the students was to stand up for yourself, aim high and stay in education as long as you can.”