After meeting initial resistance, Reginald de la Rosa became one of the few Black Canadians to join the Royal Canadian Air Force before it lifted formal barriers to enlistment by visible minorities, in March 1942. De la Rosa trained as an aircraft engine mechanic, and later became a flight engineer.
This photograph shows Reginald de la Rosa (right) and his neighbour, Keith Jones, in Toronto. Keith Jones served in the Royal Canadian Navy, including during the D-Day landings.