Information booklet called ‘A West Indian in England’ written by H.D. Carberry and Dudley Thompson.
The pamphlet was designed to give early immigrants some idea of life in Britain. It was distributed by the Colonial Office to colonies in the Caribbean, 1949-1951. Catalogue ref: CO 875/59/1
In the preface, the authors state, ‘the picture we have here painted is inadequate to express the full reality behind it, but we have attempted to give the visitor from the West Indies as fair and frank a picture, neither too fair nor too dark of the circumstances he will find on his arrival in this country’.
Contains original language used at the time, which is not appropriate today.
- How do the writers describe post-war London?
- What advice is given concerning finding somewhere to live?
- How do they describe race relations in the country?
- How realistic is the content of this pamphlet do you think?
- Why do you think this document was created?
Transcript
(a)
The Approach to London
After several hours’ travelling we got into London. Frankly, this first sight of the world’s largest city, especially by rail was disappointing. About half an hour before reaching the terminus I became aware that we were passing through something; there were rather more houses, and the nearer we got to London the greater their density. To me the buildings looked all the same. Row after row of rather dreary brick houses, all with chimney pots some six or more to the house and with the washing hanging out in the back garden, which overlooks the railway line. In English towns the houses are usually run together, and bungalows or detached houses such as we have at home, each standing in its own yard, are less common.
As you approach, you will not come suddenly into a world of skyscrapers. No statue of Liberty will rise from the sea to greet you. Your entry will be casual and undramatic. For all that the place will grow upon on you, and you will come to love certain parts of it, such as the view at Westminster, where the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, with Westminster Abbey in the background, rise quite dramatically from the river as the Statue of Liberty, and their delicate spires and traceries, black with age, form a pretty picture against the background of clouds, whether the sky is dull or grey, or as sometimes happens, when a perfectly blue or cloudless day occurs and the wonderful stonework gleams bronze and gold on the blue background. The light in England is never as fierce in intensity and brilliance as it is at home, nor is the range of natural colours as great. Instead, there is a soft pastel effect, with light blues and greys, and days of really brilliant sunshine are so rare that when they do come the entire scene is transformed and seems quite strange and foreign. On the whole the softer light is kinder and more suited to the old, weathered-stone buildings and the mellow brick to be seen in most quarters of London.
As you get closer into London, you may begin to notice the effect of the blitz. Several houses and warehouses beside the railway lines are mere shells, completely burnt out and gutted, mute reminders of the German effort to dislocate the complex railroad system that connects London with the rest of England.
You are likely to remember for ever the scene of your arrival… the vast railway station with some twenty or more platforms
…
(b) [This section relates to post war rationing]
The scheme ensures to every person who has a ration book the basic essentials of his food for the week at a very low cost. No one will be without the opportunity of obtaining these goods because some selfish person has bought more than he really needs and is hoarding it. Further in some special cases people who have extra needs recognized as worthy of protection are given more than the ordinary person. Thus, expectant mothers and invalids may get special priorities of milk, butter and eggs, and babies will be given special orange juice and co-liver oil.
After living at home in the West Indies under a “free” or open market system those of you who attempt to feed yourselves instead of leaving it all to the landlady, especially if you have had some experience of marketing at home, with its rising costs of everything, the high profits of the middlemen who handle food, the periodic scarcity of things like meat and butter, will concede the efficiency of the organisation of food distribution here. The raising standards of health among the poorer classes of the population, particularly the children, are convincing evidence of the value of the scheme.
…
(c) [This section relates to finding accommodation]
You can only do this by moving out of the hostel (for unfortunately the hostels are limited to colonial students only and not shared by other English students) and getting “digs” on your own. This is not always easy. It is particularly difficult in London, where the blitz destroyed thousands of houses and even the English student finds it difficult to get lodgings. You have an additional difficulty, “colour prejudice”. You may find that on answering an advertisement for lodgings by telephone or letter and saying you are a student or tourist you will be told by the landlady that the rooms are available, that the rent is so much, and would you like to come and have a look at them? On arrival, the landlady, suppressing a gasp, and puzzling over the fact that a coloured person could have so English a name as Smith or Brown, will politely tell you that she is very sorry, but she has just let the rooms to someone else who also answered the advertisement. This will hurt, because in most cases you will be sure that it is untrue, but there is little that you or anyone can do about it. The basic cause is the misconception behind the prejudice. Often the landlady might have been prepared “to risk the unknown”, but fear of what the neighbours would say has deterred her.
There are on the other hand landladies who will be quite willing to take in West Indian students, because they have had others before and have been favourably impressed, and some indeed will show a great deal of real kindness in doing your mending and sewing as well as serving you also with your midday and evening meals (most landladies offer only bed and breakfast). It is largely a matter of luck, although you are more likely to get this hospitable type of landlady in the outer suburbs of London and the provincial towns rather than in the places closer in. Here your own attitude to the problem will be of the greatest importance in deciding whether your stay in this country will be happy or not. Over self-consciousness and sensitivity will often cause you to feel a hurt where none is intentioned. You may resent people staring at you on the bus or as you walk by, but remember they may seldom have seen anyone like you before. For example, an English friend and I were travelling the other day in the bus and after the little girl aged four sitting behind me had studied my hair for some time she announced to her mother “Mother, his hair is just like little clock springs!”
(d)
No Colour Bar
It is important to realize that while there is a certain amount of colour prejudice in England, there is no legal colour bar, and that what colour prejudice does exist is not as deep-rooted and specific as it is even in the North of America, A West Indian is entitled to demand that he be served in any public place of entertainment, just like anyone else, provided of course that he is suitably dressed and conducts himself properly. As an illustration of this you may remember that the famous cricketer Learie Constantine, was denied accommodation at a fashionable hotel in London where he had reserved it beforehand, because the manager feared that his American guests might protest. Later he successfully sued the hotel for breach of contract and recovered damages. A decision such as this, and the sympathetic publicity it received in the English press, reflects the attitude of liberal and informed public opinion and is supported by the official statements of every political party in England. The Government has however no direct power or the means of striking at private persons who refuse to board West Indians. Where it can act it does, as in the recent case where the Minister of Food threatened to withdraw the catering licence of a small restaurant which refused to serve a coloured person who went there with some English friends.
Getting to Know Each Other
The Government also by the use of films, pamphlets and exhibitions attempts to present the man in the street with more accurate pictures of life and conditions in the Colonies, though it is perhaps unfortunate that the emphasis is usually more on the problems from the colonial administrator’s point of view, and less on the problems and human angle as the colonial people see it.
There exists also a large number of unofficial bodies who have as one of their main objects the promotion of good relations between Britain and the Colonies through hospitality to colonials in England, conducted tours, etc. They include the Victoria League, the British Council, the Y.M.C.A and the Y.W.C.A. Several of these organisations also run hostels which offer accommodation to colonials as well as English members. Indeed the British Council now looks after the welfare of colonial students.
…