‘Kitch Come Go to Bed I Have a Strong Bow to Scratch Your Head’

The area around Cable Street was the centre point for black people around London. It did not matter what status you held in your native land, all class barriers were broken down. I met doctors, lawyers and many other Westindians who in their own country would not be seen in an area such as Cable Street.

During the months that I lived and loitered around Cable Street, I met many bright young people. Some were excellent musicians, one in particular was Stewart Smith who played the piano. There was also a Saxophone player named Frank Sterling and a trumpet player called Dizzy Reece. There was our great Calypso singer Lord Kitchener, and Edmundo Ross, who later became the most famous Latin American band leader in England, he used to visit Cable Street frequently.

MUSIC

I remember once having a discussion with Edmundo Ross and Lord Kitchener where Edmundo made it quite clear of his intentions to make it big. His desire was to sever his links with the black community and it was in his opinion the only way to achievement. Lord Kitchener said he was not going to stay in England and returned home to Trinidad. I said I had to fight against Racism and I became a Hyde Park Speaker for 10 years.

Lord Kitchener began to compose calypso songs about the life and conditions in England. The two most famous of his songs were “Kitch Come Go To Bed I have A Strong Bow to Scratch Your Head” and the other “Thousands Of People Asking Me How I Spend My Time In London City” . The piano player Smith, pledged himself to be the first postman in England and he was the first. He then pledged himself to be the first Policeman but this escaped him.

There was also the great Kid Hartley one of the famous boxers to leave the Westindies, but he was now on his way out. Other people visited Cable Street from time to time, there was the man with no fingers Robert V. Mathews who spoke in Hyde Park for years at Speakers Corner. Every now and then you would meet the imposing figure of the African Prince Mona-Loo-Loo completely dressed in his princely regalia. He was noted to be the most famous race horse tipster in history, he was nicked-named ‘I gotta horse’, this was because he stood along the street corners and on most race-courses in England shouting ‘I gotta horse’.

BOXING

There were the Bygrave brothers, the most famous was Joe, who knocked out Britain’s pride and joy Henry Cooper. It is odd how no-one ever mentioned Henry Cooper’s defeat by a black man when Henry Cooper was at his prime. The British media still gloats on the knock-down of Mo-hammed Ali by Cooper.

It was also time for the rise to fame of the Turpin brothers, Dick, Randolph and Jackie. Although Dick was one of the greatest boxers in England at the time and defeated the British champion Vince Hawkins twice in 1948, he was never officially recognised.

It was prohibited for a black man, whether he was born in England or elsewhere to hold the British title. Lord Lansdale made it clear in the terms of his Will that a black man should not hold the Lansdale belt.

All the present black British boxing champions owe a lot to the Turpin brothers, who helped in their own way to punch some of the racism out of the sport.

It was the power of Dick Turpin, whom Britain saw as their only hope in bringing a world title to Britain, and the outcry of the public, which caused the British Boxing Board of Control to change its rules in Turpin’s favour.

To the East End of London came black visitors from other areas, such as Liverpool and Cardiff. We were often told of the plight of the black community in these areas and the violence of the Police, especially in Liverpool.

For us in the East End, we had no complaints in this direction, but our time was soon to come.