‘Black People Provided Cheap Labour in 1940’s – 1950’s in England’

During the period of 1948 the immigration from the West Indies gained momentum,  people came on the Ship ‘The Empire Windrush’  ’The Eros’, and many other ships which visited the West Indies, some went to Italy, France, and Belgium, so there were arrivals at Victoria Railway Station London of black people coming in from the West Indies, via Europe.

There were also a vast amount of people who stowed away, and although these stowaways had no passports, providing they had their birth certificate proving the country of their birth, the only penalty, was being charged with stealing their passage.  Many stowaways were sentenced, some to a week’s imprisonment, and others to 2 weeks.  At the end of their time, they were set free, and would be directed to the Cable street area of the East End, by the Prison authorities.

Many did not go to Prison because of good reports from the Captain because of the hard work they under-took after they were discovered on the voyage.

We heard of many tales from these stowaways, how badly some were treated on the ships when they were caught.  We also heard of many cases where stowaways were transferred at sea, from one boat to another, this was done mainly to anyone who was unfortunate to have stowed away on the Ship ‘The S.S Gascony’, the Captain always made sure all his stowaways were transferred at sea, on any Ship which was bound for the West Indies.

There were stories of floggings, and outright maltreatment of stowaways on English ships.  There were thousands of West Indians and other black people still in the RAF, and in the Merchant Navy stationed in remote parts of England.  But now the RAF had no use for them and they were demobbed, they too came to London.

At the same time black people who were in the Merchant Navy finding they were no longer wanted, requested to be signed off in England, and they too swelled the population of black unemployed people within the London area.

The position was now becoming acute with regard to living accommodation, for the first time the Hostels had no other alternative than to open their doors to black people.

The Salvation Army Hostel, and the Rotten Houses now became the temporary home of most black people.

One group of hostels did not fall in line these were the Church Army Hostels their doors remained closed to us, as they claimed to cater for a better clientele.  In other words according to the Church Army there were two different kinds of Christians, the superior white Christians, and the inferior black Christians.

There was now a pool of cheap labour in and around London, because black people came here to work in the first place, they were compelled to take any type of employment open to them.  This was mainly in the catering industry, washing dishes, mopping floors, and all other menial jobs to be done. 

The English workers who were now returning from overseas as ex-Army and Navy personnel, were looking for a better life, they did not want the dirty low unpaid jobs, the best jobs were reserved for them.

The black people found themselves queuing up everywhere these jobs were advertised.  At one stage most black people around London were forced into Asbestos factories, where they would work night shifts with absolutely no protection not knowing the danger which lay ahead.

The British Railway also opened its doors to black employees, but only as cleaners of carriages and sweepers of stations, they were not even allowed to be porters.

‘Firestone’, the Milk Factories, and other companies began to employ black people, but only if they were ex-RAF while the ex-Merchant seamen queued up in their hundreds each day waiting for jobs on the Ships, which never sailed into Harbour.

However, nothing could dampen the spirit of the black people, with all the hatred and contempt around them, from many of their fellow workers and from society at large.  They would not be deterred as they set out each day to seek employment.