Although there was a Black presence in England prior to 1948 it appears as if the greatest number of immigrants who arrived at any one time came on the Empire Windrush. The Empire Windrush arrived at the Tilbury Docks in London on June 1948 with four-hundred and ninety West Indians. The significant influx of immigrants during the late 1940s may have been partly the result of the British Nationality Act which was passed in 1948 and confirmed the right of entry to UK for British subjects. Immigration was not limited to Black people from the West Indies but people were also migrating from the Asian continent. Why did Asian and Caribbean immigrants migrate? Apparently there was no one reason why Black people from the West Indies and the Asian continent migrated to England. Oral and written evidence suggests that there were many reasons for immigration. However, it appears as if the majority of persons migrated on economic grounds. Employment Initially many of the males migrated without their families. Their main intention was to seek employment and acquire some capital in order to return home within a few years but the fact is that many remained for a lifetime. Peter Edmead provides an explanation for this: Upon arrival employment was sought and then gained. Once there was a regular income this enabled wives and offspring to come over to Britain. The money from employment helped to secure a mortgage and the well-being of the family unit continued to develop naturally. In time the original five year plan evaporated as the unit built a future in the new surroundings for the parents and older children. Continuity was maintained as the new country was considered home for the younger members of the family unit and there ensued a familial division of loyalty when considering what constituted 'home'. (Edmead 1999 p. 12). An October 1954 report to the town clerk by the 'liaison officer for coloured persons' in the Birmingham City Council's General Purposes Sub-Committee Minutes 11 January 1954 - 14 December 1954 helps to support the idea that some persons immigrated in an effort to seek employment and improve their financial condition: "The greatest number of immigrants is undoubtedly from Jamaica and there are several important reasons for this fact. In the first place the economic situation in Jamaica has created much unemployment especially amongst the youth of the country. It is estimated that 40% of the population is under 21. The standard of living in consequence is very low, and glowing tales of prosperity in the Midlands have attracted those people who are able to gather the necessary passage money to the UK." Recruiting Schemes As a result of recruiting schemes that were being conducted in the West Indies and Asia by the English during the 1950s and 60s some of the immigrants arrived in England with the prior knowledge that they would be certainly employed. The recruitment included jobs in areas such as health, transport, engineering, and bakeries (Black in Birmingham 1987). The following is an oral account from "Black in Birmingham" of an immigrant from Barbados who was recruited to work on the railways: " In 1960 I was in charge of the Barbados police canteen. British Rail were recruiting in the West Indies at the time, and my superintendent said it would be a good experience to spend two years overseas before returning to train as an officer. So I went through the recruitment stages at the Barbados Labour Office, you had to take a test, write an essay on why you wanted to go to England and what you intended to do. Then there was a medical, and they checked that you didn't have a criminal record. At the end I was given a contract as a guard on the trains. They gave you a loan. You had to repay your fare over a period of two years. I came to Britain in November, 1960, and the same night caught a train to Birmingham. I arrived at old Snow Hill at 4 a.m. As I got off the train a guy on the platform said, 'You are from Barbados', and I said 'Yes', and he said, 'Well you've the same contract and he was pushed into being a porter at Snow Hill. I think about a week after being sent to Leamington to do my training as a shunter it really sunk in. Shunting is dangerous, and if you are training to be a shunter and you make a mistake, then the train is going to run over. I felt I had let myself down. I just came from a cushy little number at home - my clothes had never been dirty, and I'd had all my freedom." ( Black in Birmingham 1987 p. 14). The following is an oral account of how people were recruited from the Punjab to work in Birmingham cited in Black in Birmingham: " I remember when I was ten or eleven, it would have been in the early 60's. This was in the Punjab. There were big notices and signs and boards up on the walls in prominent positions in the village asking people to come and work in England. You had to go and see the agent about it. They were advertising secure jobs. I remember one was from one of the foundries. The agents would be in the town and they would have a person like a sub-agent in the village. A number of people went to England that way. The other way was if you had someone in your family who was already working in industry. They would be given vouchers by their company so they could sponsor people. It helped the personnel officers because they had a ready made market of people who would come over to fill the jobs." ( Black in Birmingham 1987 p. 13). As the British industries continued to grow and the need for manual workers increased some Asian seamen chose to relinquish their jobs and seek employment in Birmingham's industries. Peer pressure Another factor that caused some individuals to immigrate was peer pressure. The following is an oral account by Eloise Crichlow cited in Edmead (1999). "I was working in the Roman Catholic College in Barbados during the 1950s and pay and conditions were good. I did not have to come over to Great Britain for any economic reasons. However, a lot of my friends had made the trip so I was anxious that I may be left over there. I flew from Sewell Airport to London, then made my way to Birmingham. Even though I was lucky in that I hadn't got to find digs with any strangers my first reaction was 'give me Barbados' all the time. " (Edmead 1999 p.15). This oral account indicates that some immigrants were in secure jobs in the West Indies and had no economic need to migrate however, because of the influence of their peers they chose to leave their homes to experience life in a different land. Some left the West Indies because of parental influence. The following is an oral account by Enos Clarke cited in Edmead (1999): "My parents were always telling me that they were going to send me over to finish my education in Great Britain. They said that the Education system was bound to be better than the one in Jamaica. I did not want to go to Great Britain. Britain, I thought, was a place always at war. I did not want to be walking down the road and have a bomb land near me! That is how naive I was about Britain." (Edmead 1999 p.15). Apart from the parental influence it can also be derived from this oral account that some of the immigrants migrated to England in order to pursue educational studies. There were individuals from the West Indies who were facing various social problems and migrated in search of a new identity. Some immigrants actually changed their names as part of the beginning of a new life in the 'Mother Country.' (Edmead 1999). The Immigrants' Initial Impressions of Birmingham Most of the immigrants who left the West Indies had high expectations of what they considered the 'Motherland'. They were in high hopes of receiving well paid jobs and decent housing. Many were rudely awakened when they realised that the conditions here were sometimes worse than what they had left in their homeland. However, these problems were further aggravated when they discovered that they were not readily accepted by many of the local people. Stuart Hall, who was head of the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies at Birmingham University was quoted to have said: " I felt Birmingham and the West Midlands generally, and the Black Country, was a very mean spirited place. It had something to do with its sort of isolation, it was as if it wasn't true that Birmingham was an immigrant city. Actually, because of the motor industry, a lot of workers had come there, as well as black workers, so there was movement in and out. "But it was a place which wanted to protect or defend itself, set up barriers around itself. And so, I wasn't surprised that Birmingham and the East Midlands found it extremely difficult to deal with the influx of substantial numbers of black people. " (The Birmingham Post). Some of the immigrants found the city to have a very dull atmosphere. As one immigrant remarked: "These are very odd people I thought. They paint their buildings black. Well I wasn't to know it was soot was I?" (cited in Edmead 1999 p. 17). Although some immigrants were disappointed when they realised that conditions were not as they expected others were still happy that they had migrated. For example, Agnes Dupont from St Kitts was quoted to have said: "It was not such a disappointment to me, as I had always wanted to leave down there, and our ship also had a big party. I was so glad that I did not notice the coldness and the surroundings in Birmingham that were industrial and smoggy. The funny thing was that if I had seen something like 'Halfwaytree' (St Kitts) then I would have been very upset as I did not want to be reminded of back home." (cited in Edmead 1999 p. 17). Birmingham's Reaction to the Immigrants Support Offered to the Immigrants In an effort to effectively manage the immigrant situation Birmingham established district associations in order to find solutions to the social problems of immigrants. The Sparkbrook Association was one of the first of these types of associations that was established (Birmingham Post, October 22, 1965). In March 1950 a voluntary body referred to as The Co-ordinating Committee for Overseas Nationals was established in Birmingham. The Venerable S. Harvie Clark (Archdeacon of Birmingham) was chairman of this committee. The duty of the committee was to consider what could be done about the problems surrounding the Black members of the community. According to a report of Town Clerk to the General Purposes (special Purposes Sub-Committee) for 6th April 1954 the Information Department was receiving twenty to twenty-five requests a week from coloured people. Most of these concerns were related to issues surrounding accommodation, employment, civic information, and the locality of the government departments. As a result of this, consideration was given to the appointment of a Welfare Officer to deal specifically with enquiries from the Black immigrant community. The following draft resolution was therefore submitted for the Sub-Committees consideration: "That it be a recommendation to the General Purposes Committee that authority be given, subject to the approval of the Establishment Committee, for the appointment on the Town Clerk staff (to serve in the Information Section) of a Welfare Officer whose duty shall be to deal with enquiries from , and assist in dealing with the problems of, coloured persons in the City and that the Staff and Accommodation Sub-Committee be authorised to take all the necessary steps to attract suitable candidates for the post and to make their appointment at such grade and salary as they may determine. " According to the report, Councillor Mole had also seen the need to employ additional staff to cater for the needs of immigrants. He stated that: "The welfare services in the City were open to all British Nationals in the same way as they were available to our own people. It was likely, however, that the officers of the Welfare Department would not be able to deal with all the queries and problems raised by members of the local coloured community owing to their specialised nature and in these circumstances the Welfare Committee were of the opinion that the City Council should be asked to authorise the appointment of a special Welfare Officer who would be on the staff of the Town Clerk and under the control of the Public Relations Officer." In 1953 the Afro-Caribbean association had put forward a request to the Birmingham City Council for : '... the establishment of a self-supporting social centre in the city for coloured citizens and their friends.' Such a need was created for a number of reasons. One of these was the incidence of Black people being banned from certain social clubs. This meant that there was a lack of adequate facilities to cater for their social needs as a result of the colour bar. One of the draft resolutions that was put forward by the Town Clerk to the General Purposes (special Purposes Sub-Committee) for consideration was: "That it be a recommendation to the General Purposes Committee and the City Council that the proposed establishment of a non-residential social centre for the use of the coloured community, be approved in principle; that, subject to such approval, the Special Purposes Sub-Committee be authorised o seek suitable premises and to submit recommendations and to confer with the Co-ordinating Committee and representatives of their coloured community upon the steps to be taken for the management and running of such a centre ." The Sub-committee was also of the opinion that it was necessary to establish a non-residential non-licensed social centre which could be made available for every member of the Black community in Birmingham. It was also suggested that if possible some office space be made available in the centre for the Welfare/Liaison Officer so that enquires from coloured individuals could be handled on the spot. A Birmingham branch of the 'Co-ordinating Committee for Work amongst Coloured People' was also established. Reports and correspondence for this committee covering the period 1960 - 62 are accessible in the Social Sciences Department of the Central Library (AF 301.451). In 1967 the 'Birmingham Liaison Committee for Commonwealth Immigrants' commenced operations. It was later referred to as the Birmingham Community Relations Council but closed operations in 1992. Their annual reports from 1971 - 89 are available in the City Archives (MS 1952). Reaction of the Locals Towards the Immigrants There were a number of ways in which the locals exhibited their displeasure towards the influx of immigrants into the City. For example, they accused the immigrants of bringing diseases into the city and placing an excessive burden on the health services however, investigations conducted by the Ministry of Health proved otherwise. The ministry explained that: " When large numbers of newcomers are added to the population of any areas, this imposes a strain on the local health services because of the sheer weight of extra numbers; but there is NO evidence that in any part of the country has the situation got out of hand. The Minister of Health says there is no reason to think that, to any large extent, immigrants from the Commonwealth bring disease into this country, or constitute a danger to public health." (Birmingham Christian News, Mid-September 1961 edition). It is possible that the deplorable conditions under which the immigrants lived when they arrived in England was the major contributing cause for the deterioration of their health (Birmingham Christian News, Mid-September 1961 edition). The immigrants also faced rejection in the schools. There were cases where white parents removed their children from schools where many immigrant children attended. Select here for more information on 'Aspects of Black People and Education in Birmingham'. The attitude of non-acceptance towards the black immigrants was also present in the churches. Select here for more information on 'Aspects of Black People and Religion in Birmingham'. Growing Concern There is evidence which suggests that the government eventually became very concerned about the influx of immigrants. As time progressed various laws were put in place which made it more difficult for immigrants to enter the country. In referring to the immigrants from the West Indies the Colonial Secretary was noted to have said: "These people have British passports, and they must be allowed to land ...There's nothing to worry about, because they won't last one winter in England. " (cited in Edmead 1999 p. 18). One may be able to deduce from this statement that although he appeared willing to allow the immigrants entry, he did not expect, and maybe did not want them to remain for a long period. Although Birmingham tried to establish various support groups to assist the immigrants there were some who held the opinion that they were placing a strain on the city's resources. As a result efforts were made to cut back on the flow of immigrants into the city. The following article which appeared in The Times on 22nd October, 1954 cited in Birmingham City Council's General Purposes Sub-Committee Minutes 11 January 1954 - 14 December 1954 may help to provide some insight of how the City became concerned over the influx of immigrants:

JAMAICAN INFLUX AT BIRMINGHAM COUNCIL'S CONCERN APPROACH TO MINISTER LIKELY From our special Correspondent BIRMINGHAM, OCT. 21. A deputation from Birmingham City Council are likely to ask to see the Colonial secretary soon about West Indian immigration. They will tell him that by their policy of 'deliberate laissez faire' which is said to show itself in a complete absence of control over the inflow of Jamaican labour, his department are evading their obligations at the cost of creating unbearable problems for local authorities. This action has nothing to do with a colour bar or racial discrimination. Nor does it signify that Birmingham does not want all the labour it can get at the present time. Birmingham like some areas of London, has been for some time attracting fairly considerable numbers of Jamaican immigrants. In the Midlands region of the ministry of Labour (Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Shropshire, and Herefordshire) there are today more than 45,000 industrial vacancies, and there is such a scarcity of labour in Birmingham itself that hardly anybody, irrespective of colour or creed, could fail to find work if he is able-bodied and willing. Many firms, including local units of some of the largest industrial organisations in the country, are 'clamouring for Jamaican workers', whom they are willing to train for semi-skilled tasks if need be. Long Housing List That explains why Jamaicans are coming here in growing numbers and recommending their friends in Jamaica to come. It also explains why trade unionists are ready to welcome them cordially, at least for the time being, but with one or two reservations about their future. Once here the Jamaicans have to be housed, and Birmingham already has a waiting list of more than 50,000 white would-be tenants. The city does not know where to look for new housing sites. The Jamaicans, therefore, are overcrowding an already overcrowded city. They are living, here and there, as many as twenty in a house, or five in a room, and paying a landlord - he is often a Jamaican, too £1 a week for the privilege. The request that corporation spokesmen will make when they meet the Colonial Secretary owes nothing to colour discrimination, as Birmingham's recent record shows. It springs from what is considered to be the insoluble dilemma created when an uncontrolled regular intake of immigrants swells the unceasing inflow of workers from the rest of Britain. Scots, Irish, and Tynesiders, not to say a mixture of races that make Birmingham as cosmopolitan as any larger port, are pouring into the city every week.Some Control Urged The Corporation strongly believes that the Colonial Office should at least bring Jamaican immigration sufficiently under control to ensure that the immigrants are of a suitable type for industry and that they have some hope of getting a decent room when they arrive. An Englishman going to some of the self-governing Dominions has to fill in personal forms and provide some evidence that he will not be destitute and homeless at the other end. This, it is argued, is not an unreasonable reply to the suggestion that because Jamaicans are British citizens, they must be free to come in without surveillance. It is necessary to add that no community could do more for the Jamaicans in their midst than Birmingham. The corporation successfully employs more than 250 men and women on their buses. They have lately appointed an official with a lifetimes colonial experience 'to integrate into and not segregate them from' Birmingham life, and a club is to be built where white and coloured may meet on equal terms. Employers and trade union branches have also shown admirable breadth of mind by making it possible for coloured men and women to get work; the Methodist Church have appointed a full-time missioner to coloured people; and Fircroft College are carrying out a prolonged study on coloured employment for the Birmingham Christian Social Council. It is one thing, Birmingham civic leaders say, to welcome immigrants when they have arrived. It is another to face the doubling itself year by year. 'Colonial Office laissez faire' as one civic leader put it, means throwing upon local authorities a burden that they have no statutory powers to bear. Another 481 Jamaicans who hope to get work in Britain landed at Southampton last night from a Dutch liner."

An October 1954 report to the town clerk by the 'liaison officer for coloured persons' in the Birmingham City Council's General Purposes Sub-Committee Minutes, 11 January 1954 - 14 December 1954 suggests that it was necessary to control the flow of immigrants into the city. He made the following statement in his report: " It is ... essential that immigration should be limited in order to allow Local Government Authorities to assimilate those who have already settled here. The impact of coloured people in Birmingham has been great and a breathing space would be most beneficial to all concerned in the task of helping immigrants, and in particular extending assistance on the availability of satisfactory accommodation." In the officer's opinion the problem of overcrowding in the city could only be alleviated if some effort was made to stop the flow of immigrants into the city. His report also suggests that the coloured people who had already settled for a few years would have preferred a lull in immigration. The main reason being that this would have provided those who had previously settled to obtain better housing and ease the overcrowding before more immigrants arrived. It is also interesting to note that there was some resentment among some members of the Black community towards the influx of immigrants from Jamaica. According to a report to the town clerk by the liaison officer for coloured persons in the Birmingham City Council's General Purposes Sub-Committee Minutes, 11 January 1954 - 14 December 1954 there was some resentment from the West African immigrants towards the Jamaican immigrants. He stated in the report: " I have questioned a number of West Africans who, incidentally, have little sympathy and little in common with the West Indians, and there is amongst this section of the coloured peoples growing resentment against the ease of access on the part of Jamaicans. In West Africa the Emigration Laws are much stricter and very few passports are granted unless it has been ascertained that the applicant is (a) worthy of a passport, (b) has obtained accommodation or will be provided with accommodation by a responsible authority, i.e. Colonial Office, British Council, (c) has a definite task to perform in the UK." In a 1st November 1954 report from W. T. Bowen the chairman of the General Purposes Committee he raised the following concern: " I suggest that the Sub-Committee should consider whether the time has arrived for them to recommend to the General Purposes Committee that representations should be made to the Secretary of State for the Colonies on the whole matter, with a view to some measure of control being imposed upon the flow of immigrants especially from the West Indies, having regard to the very serious difficulties which are being caused by the large number of such persons who continue to arrive in Birmingham." Did Birmingham have a need for the Black Immigrants? Although there was concern over the influx of immigrants from the Caribbean into the City, it appears as if there was actually a need for their labour. This view was reflected in articles that were published in the local press during that period. The following extract was taken from the Birmingham Christian News, Mid-September 1961 edition - " Disaster Without Them": "Immigrant labour has become vital to the welfare of Birmingham and its sudden and complete withdrawal would be a civic disaster. The coloureds being the latest arrivals in the labour market gravitate to the jobs which other people will NOT do. This often means that they are manning essential services-hospital and transport-or are employed in factories and the building trade." The following is an extract from the Birmingham Post 22 October 1965 edition - "Positive Pioneers at Sparkbrook" " Booming industry requires workers of all kinds beyond the numbers available in the local communities. For two centuries Birmingham's industrial and commercial development has been a magnet for immigrants. The city's prosperity has been dependent on a steady supply of labour. Today they are needed here as never before and are being attracted from further afield than ever before. Can we solve the problems created by our need for workers - complicated as they are by our legacy of rapid 19th century urban expansion and housing decay?" We can of course, say we will solve the problem by stopping immigration. But that means stopping growth, impairing our capacity to produce, and ultimately condemning Britain to a minor place in the world and her people to static standards of life ." In an October 1954 report to the town clerk the Liaison Officer for coloured persons also acknowledged that there was need for immigrant labour. However, he was concerned that the immigrants would remain even when their labour was not needed. He stated: " There is at the present time in the Midland area an almost unprecedented demand for labour both unskilled, semi- and skilled. The demand is the magnet which draws the coloured people to this area, and will continue to draw them, but will Jamaica and West Africa draw them back when the demand no longer exists, and unemployment descends on the country, and in particular in this area?" (Birmingham City Council's General Purposes Sub-Committee Minutes, 11 January 1954 - 14 December 1954). What action did the British Government Take to Control the Arrival of Immigrants? Eventually the government passed a number of acts in an attempt to control the inflow of immigrants into the country. In Birmingham the Birmingham Immigration Control Association was established in 1960 with the intention of opposing immigration. The following are some of the laws concerning immigration to the UK that were passed from 1962 to 1981:

The 1962 Commonwealth Immigrants Act removed the right of entry to UK for British subjects without a work-voucher. The Labour Government's White Paper on Commonwealth Immigrants of 1965 aimed to restrict work-vouchers and entry of dependants. The 1968 Commonwealth Immigrants Act removed the right of entry for Asian UK passport-holders. The 1971 Immigration Act restricted absolute right of entry into UK to 'patrials' (This refers to an individual who has gained the right to live in the United Kingdom as a result of the British birth of a parent or grandparent). The British Nationality Act of 1981 confirmed the effects of immigration legislation, and removed automatic British citizenship through birth in UK.

Employment Opportunities Many immigrants settled in Birmingham because the factories generated a lot of employment opportunities. Major C. R. Dibben, Chairman of the Midland Regional Board was quoted to have said in the December 15, 1959 edition of the Birmingham Mail that: "The industrial outlook remains set fair, production continues to rise, and there is only a small diminishing amount of slack capacity." (cited in Black in Birmingham p. 13). The skilled West Indian immigrants apparently had very little difficulty in finding employment during the late 1940s to 1960s. During that period Enoch Powell was trying to recruit nurses from Guyana and therefore trained nurses also gained employment with relative ease. Although it may have been easy for the Black immigrants to gain employment in factories and as nurses they were somewhat restricted in finding jobs in some areas. Teachers faced the problem of having to retrain or seek other types of employment even though they had qualifications from their home country. They discovered that these qualifications were not recognised in England. Many of the immigrants found this quite disturbing because their qualifications were gained through examinations that were set and marked in England. Other workers faced the problem of being either under-skilled or over-skilled. One major factor that prevented Black people from gaining employment in other sectors was racial prejudice. There were 'No Coloureds' notices in Labour Exchanges which contributed to the colour bar which was created in the 1950s (Edmead 1999). It was reported in The Times newspaper (cited in Edmead 1999) that: "Officials of the TGWU in Birmingham have invited a Colonial Office spokesman, who is a Jamaican, to meet Birmingham Corporation bus workers in an attempt to persuade them to accept coloured workers for platform duties...The services of coloured men and women had been neglected although there were 860 vacancies for conductors, it is probably the worst case of the colour bar in the country." (p 23) The Birmingham Christian News Mid-September 1961 edition also states: "In some quarters there is a reluctance to allow them (the immigrants) to join office staff, though in the same establishments they are employed on the shop floor. Unacknowledged colour prejudice is sometimes rationalised into the assertion that they are too slow for clerical work. This raises the whole question of the future status of the West Indian in our society, especially as a new generation benefits by our standards of education. Are the professions to be open to them on the same terms or do we expect them to remain for the most part "hewers of wood and drawers of water"? This is a vital question for long-term integration." The following oral account which is cited in Black in Birmingham provides further evidence that Blacks did encounter problems in securing employment in certain areas. When this gentleman left Barbados he was told that he was being recruited as a guard to work on the railways however, when he arrived in Birmingham he was sent to undertake training as a shunter which was a very dangerous job: "British Rail said I was going to be a guard, but the union was against blacks all the time going straight to be guards, and they said you have to start as a shunter. Even that caused problems, because the union said you should start lower, as a sweeper or porter." (Black in Birmingham 1987 p. 14). According to the Birmingham Christian News Mid-September 1961 edition the West Indians performed their work credibly. It states: "...in public service - and particularly on the buses - the West Indians have earned for themselves in Birmingham a reputation for helpfulness and courtesy." The British employers sometimes paid the immigrants less than their English counterparts because they were aware that immigrants were desperate for jobs and took advantage of their situation (Edmead 1999). However, there were still few cases where the West Indians allowed themselves to be exploited as cheap labour. They joined the British Trade Unions and therefore rarely experienced the injustice of being underpaid (Birmingham Christian News Mid-September 1961 edition). The Housing Situation The immigrants had generally settled in the inner city areas such as Sparkbrook which was already over-populated. They had to accept the poorer housing conditions mainly because they were not eligible for other types of housing. Some of the houses were overcrowded with about twenty to thirty people living in one house sharing one toilet and kitchen facilities. Sometimes the houses consisted of one room while in the West Indies the houses usually had two or more rooms. A report by the 'liaison officer for coloured persons' in Birmingham cited in Birmingham City Council's General Purposes Sub-Committee Minutes, 11 January 1954 - 14 December 1954 also indicated that there were serious problems of overcrowding in the immigrant areas: "The situation must be faced, there is gross overcrowding in certain areas where the coloured peoples reside. I myself have obtained eye-witness accounts from members of the police, and the conditions can only be described as appalling..." Sometimes it was also difficult for the immigrants to find accommodation because even if places were available for rent there were instances where the following notice was displayed: "ROOMS FOR LET - SORRY NO COLOUREDS, NO IRISH, NO DOGS" However, most of the immigrants had the ambition to move out of the ghetto's and eventually own their own decent home but this ambition was not always realised without difficulty. As Peter Edmead explains: "Sadly prospective house purchasers often found themselves either isolated from family and friends or faced with vendor's inflated house prices to prevent them devaluing the properties around them" (Edmead 1999 pp 21 - 22). The immigrants brought along a savings system from the West Indies referred to as the 'pardner hand' programmes. Under this system each member of the 'pardner hand' programme was expected to contribute a fixed amount of money to a kitty each week. This money was then given to one member of the group who could use it to purchase whatever he or she wanted. The 'pardner hand' operated in a cycle so that each person in the programme received a sum of money when it was his or her turn. Many of the immigrants on this system used the money collected to assist with purchasing their own property (Edmead 1999). Ernest Dyche Photographs In spite of the difficulties that many of the immigrants faced they often took photographs to send to their families back home to give the impression that they were doing well in the 'Mother Country'. They endeavoured to be smartly dressed in their best apparel for these photographic shoots. Others attired themselves in their work uniforms such as the nursing and transport uniforms to provide evidence that they had found employment. The immigrants also took photographs of their children who were born in the 'Motherland' to provide those at home with a glimpse of the new generation. A gentleman by the name of Ernest Dyche was responsible for taking many of these pictures during the 1960s and some of these form part of Dyche Collection in Archives and Heritage. Photographs of immigrants from the West Indies taken by Ernest Dyche. Photographs of immigrants from the Asian continent taken by Ernest Dyche. Suggestions for further reading and viewing: Akhtar J. (1999) Destiny - Memories and Experiences of First Generation Pakistanis Choudhury Y. (1993) The Roots and Tales of Bangladeshi Settlers Edmead P. (1999) The Divisive Decade - A History of Caribbean Immigration to Birmingham in the 1950s * Price D. and Thiara (1992) The Land of Money - Personal Accounts of Post-War Black Migrants to Birmingham Rex J. and Tomlinson S. (1979) Colonial Immigrants in a British City The Video "Being Here" : The story of immigrants from the West Indies and Asia arriving in Birmingham after World War II * The Divisive Decade - A History of Caribbean Immigration to Birmingham in the 1950s is also available for sale at a cost of £9.95. To order contact: Bookings and Sales Central Library Chamberlain Square Birmingham B3 3HQ Tel: 0121 303 2868 Fax: 0121 303 2861 e-mail: publications@birmingham.gov.uk NB - All of the books including the video are accessible in Archives and Heritage, Floor 6 of the Central Library.