Past event · Arts & Culture

Unknown Soldier: Celebrating Lilian Bader | African Routes: Fair Play 2026

Name: Unknown Soldier: Celebrating Lilian Bader | African Routes: Fair Play 2026
Start: 2026-11-11T17:30:00.000Z
End: 2026-11-11T20:30:00.000Z
Location: The Black-E

Wed, Nov 11 · 5:30 p.m.GMT

The Black-E · Liverpool

A talk and performance by Alison Ray Dance Company celebrating Lilian Bader and her remarkable life, service and legacy. About this Event Unknown Soldier: Celebrating Lilian Bader African Routes: Fai…

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Unknown Soldier: Celebrating Lilian Bader | African Routes: Fair Play 2026

photo: AllEvents

When

Wed, Nov 11 · 5:30 p.m.Ends 8:30 p.m.GMT

Where

The Black-E1 Great George Street, Liverpool

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When and where

Date and time: Wed, Nov 11 · 5:30 p.m.Ends 8:30 p.m.GMT — local Liverpool time
Location: The Black-E1 Great George Street, LiverpoolLiverpool

About this event

A talk and performance by Alison Ray Dance Company celebrating Lilian Bader and her remarkable life, service and legacy.

About this Event

Unknown Soldier: Celebrating Lilian Bader

African Routes: Fair Play 2026 continues beyond the festival weekend with Unknown Soldier, a special talk and performance by Alison Ray Dance Company on Wednesday 11 November. The evening celebrates the life and legacy of Lilian Bader, a pioneering Black British woman whose remarkable story began in Liverpool.

Her story

Born Lilian Mary Bailey in Liverpool in 1918, Lilian Bader became one of the first Black women to serve in Britain's armed forces. She was initially turned away because of her Barbadian heritage, but went on to join the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) in 1941. There she trained in the highly skilled role of instrument repairer and rose to the rank of corporal.

Her achievements did not end with her wartime service. She later earned a history degree from the University of London and trained as a te