My dad gave 67 years to this country building a life, working and raising a family. When he died he was 84 years old. I have got friends whose fathers died at ninety seven! There are some fathers still living. People say we have just come!! Uuumm I know for a fact there have been African people in London 200 years ago and there was a lot of mixed race too. Maybe not exactly 200 years, but there were – even in Queen Victoria’s times - there were a lot of black people here and mixed race children. And I think she even made a comment at one time saying that there were too many black people mixing with the locals. Obviously she didn’t like it. I always knew I was different to my friends, my white friends that is, compared to them I always knew I was different. I don’t know about you, but I remember going to places as a child and they’d all say ‘oooh let me feel your hair’ you know and things like that. I always knew I was different. I am British but some days I can walk down the street, probably the same as you, in an area where there are not many black people and they will just assume that you are from Jamaica or African or America even. They don’t or won’t let you be British – Maybe that is why my dad’s moods would change. There were times when he was a happy man but there were times when he would be not so happy. It might have just been how hard it was at the time, you know, I think even white people during those days were unhappy at times. I think though, if it wasn’t for the women, our Mothers, because they helped the Africans a lot, I think it would have been harder if it wasn’t for our Mothers. Most of the women who the Africans were with were white and there weren’t a lot of black women around. Mum? She was OK but it must have been hard for her. But I know families who had it harder, but I don’t think I will mention their names, but it was hard for some of them. Mum’s maiden name was Daisy Walsh, she came from Oldham. Her family stayed in touch but there was a distance, a coldness that even as kids Kathleen my sister, brothers David and Edward and I could sense. They married in 1949 and went to live in a house in St Bees Street owned by a Ghanaian, Mr Nelson, and he came to England in 1911! Later we moved
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