These are extracts from a report written by a ‘colonial student’, Derek Bamuta, at the University of Bristol in 1950. It describes ‘Conditions of Colonial People in Stepney’. He was invited to write the report whilst volunteering at the Bethnal Green Family Welfare Association in 1949. The report was later sent to the Prime Minister, Clement Attlee. Catalogue ref: CO 876/247
Contains original language used at the time, which is not appropriate today.
- Which British subjects were identified in the report?
- What was their experience of living in Britain?
- What can be inferred about race relations at that time?
- Why did people choose to settle in Britain according to the report?
Transcript
(a)
POPULATION – This can be divided into two main groups. (a) The residents (b) The floating population. The latter can again be sub-divided into the group that comes into Port and is ashore until financial resources are exhausted and eventually signs on with another ship for another Port, and the group that moves from one town to another looking for means of sustenance. I was unable to get statistical data as this would have meant interviews with the dock authorities and registration bureaux. Even then a true picture would have been most difficult to arrive at. The greater number of these people come from the Colonial Empire and are British subjects in this country so apparently there is no special form of registration for them. Most probably one could get this information from National Registration offices. Before going on to speak about the people it should here be indicated which main groups form this population-they are Indians, West Indians and Africans, (I do not intend to touch the Chinese at all), and I will deal with them under these heads.
(b)
INDIANS
They are of different caste and are from different parts of India or where Indians are resident, i.e. South African, East African, etc. They mostly work as pedlars, running eating houses, ships cooks, small shops, etc.
Although of different castes they seem to live peaceably together. The only time they mention differences of caste is when they have a row over some woman or money, and then they are prepared to cut each other’s throats. But generally they seem to hold together and they have their own eating houses and particular way of life. It is most difficult to understand these people. They have a very different outlook as to recreation and amusement; their form of entertainment seems to be sitting round talking and smoking for hours on end. A great deal of ‘hashish’ smoking goes on.
The residents have been able in some cases to obtain houses which they sub-let to their friends at the most high rates. To give an example of this, I became friendly with four Indian lads; they had come over as ships’ cooks. They had come on shore for a holiday, so they put it, i.e. they were sending their earnings and when exhausted intended to sign on again for another port, or if they could obtain employment preferred to stay. They were a very happy group and a nice bunch of chaps and seemed to enjoy life immensely which was divided between…
(c)
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When I asked these lads if they ever intended going back to their own homes, they said they preferred to stay away. They gave me the impression that they the conditions they were living under were far better than they have at home. In England they are free and have no restrictions as long as they do not violate the law.
Quite a number of the Indians have their women folk and families with them. They are very conceited about the ‘freedom of India’ and brag about it a great deal as to how they have their own government in England i.e. Indian Government representatives. This feeling holds them together in more of a community and they look down the other coloured peoples as inferior. As they are more wealthy and able to lend, they hold quite a status amongst the less fortunate.
WEST INDIES
Mostly from Jamaica. They work on the docks, railway porters, run eating houses, some very shady clubs and gambling dens etc.
The majority are residents and seem to have little or no inclination of ever returning to their own homes. These people have been more used to the white peoples’ ways of life in their own countries and soon settle down in their surroundings. They are a very merry people but very sensitive. They seem to have a great colour consciousness; this may be caused by the relationship that exists between themselves and the white people in their own homes.
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(d)
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AFRICANS
Are from different parts, as follows: –
West Africans– Nigeria, Gold Coast [Ghana], French West Africa
East Africans- (very few- Arabs, Somalis, Zanzibar, Soudan [Sudan]
The greater number of these people is the West African. Therefore, the following concerns them more than the rest who, although under this head, should in the case of Somalis, Egyptians and Arabs, be dealt with separately; but as their numbers are so small it will not really matter. It would have been too ambitious single-handed to have hoped to learn very much about all the groups as shown above, even if given the time and facilities.
These people are for the greater part illiterate, but all speak a “kind of English”. They take on all kinds of jobs, such as factory cleaners, stokers, porters etc. One or two have houses in the back streets that they sub-let to their friends. They all seem a healthy & strong lot of men. Quite a number are resident and live with white women. It was difficult to find out if these marriages were legal or not as the women referred to their men as their husbands, but I am sure very few of these unions were legal marriages; yet all parties seemed to be quite content, and indeed some of the women had the greatest pride in their husbands.
This group of people live in some of the worst conditions, and I have reason to suspect that a lot of them actually sleep in bombed out houses. It would appear that they hang about the streets till 1-2 a.m. and then find a reasonably sheltered spot for a night’s rest.
They are a very happy group as a whole and enjoy London as much as they possibly can. The main amusement is sitting in cafes and drinking tea and talking, later, in the evenings, going into pubs for a drink and looking for girls. They are not as a rule heavy drinkers, and in a pub usually ask for half-a-pint, but they indulge in a far greater evil than beer, and this is hashish. This Indian hemp they pay for from very well “kept” places at the rate of 2/6 [two shillings and six pence].
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(e)
RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES
These are very poor indeed. There are one or two clubs; the Colonial, which I understand is very limited. There is a club in Cable Street run by some Franciscan Brothers. Although it is a very fine effort made by these Brothers, the place is situated in rather a bad area, and the surroundings are not ideal. Another club is the Jamaican Club- this is more of a dancing place with drinks.
(f)
In other words, there is no properly organised way in which these people could spend their leisure. To break the monotony of their very bad living rooms, there is the street with the cafes, and in the evenings the pubs, or when they have money, the cinema, or to the West End to dance halls.
COLOUR BAR
A few words perhaps should be said about this problem, if indeed it is a problem. It must first of all be appreciated that between men there is really little or no colour bar. This colour bar question is aggravated when the women-folk come on to the scene, and it must be remembered that the colour bar is by no means one sided as some people believe, but is mutual on both sides, that is, of course, if it has been aggravated by the women, as I have said.
The white people resent their women consorting with black men, and they show this by belittling the black man to their women. The black man on the other hand is aware of this mode of attack (does he not use the same tactics in his own land when whites make off with black women?) and therefore makes sure that if he gets a white woman she does not get a chance of talking to these men. However, I have known a white man to ask a black friend of his to get him a girl (white) and has been obliged. It will be seen that in this part of London amongst the younger people, the colour bar seems to revolve round a jealousy basis more than the actual feeling that one colour is superior to the others.
I saw one girl standing at the corner of a street, and when spoken to by a coloured man, said: “I don’t talk with coloured men”. This was for the benefit of a group of young white men a few paces off, but as soon as they had moved off, she went off on the arm of the coloured man- so it would appear, in some instances, that these girls are afraid of being looked down upon by their men folk.
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(g)
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In spite of the fact that in England a man has a higher cost of living, he can earn in accordance with this cost of living. He is a free man and has no petty restrictions such as would be imposed on him in his own country by a District Officer or other Government officials. He is all round far better off in England and intends to stay and recommend to his friends at home to come over to England. This sense of freedom and wellbeing does not merely apply to these people alone but can be extended to include the students in the country, and it will be noticed that there is a tendency for them to wish to stay in England, after qualifying. It boils down to the fact that they get far better deal than in their own countries under the Colonial system.
From this it will be seen that these people will come over to England and continue to do so rapidly. The answer would, I think, be such alterations in Colonial administration so that with a certain higher standard of living and social freedom they will have more encouragement to stay at home.
One might suggest that if these people are here and continue to come over, they should be allotted a special area where they could live in their own way and at the same time have the benefits and freedom of England. This would be a form of segregation, which would only lead to a “South Africa” in London, which would be most undesirable. Both the above two answers are very debatable points.
I personally think that as these people are in the country and have come to stay, and it is evident that there will be more and more coming into the country. The answer is to devise some organisation that will help these people to become full members of the community with a sense of responsibility towards the community as a whole.
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