Invited by the government

hugh passportBorn in 1934 in Jamaica, Hugh grew up with his father and siblings helping on his father's farm and then working at a sugar factory until he came to England in 1961. Hugh moved to the UK for work in response to appeals in Jamaica for workers from Commonwealth countries to help rebuild the country after the Second World War. He was one of 1,000s of young men from Jamaica that travelled to the UK for work.  In this passport photo, you can see Hugh as the young man who left Jamaica in 1961.



Jamaica been ruled by the British for three hundred and six years, we were part of the old commonwealth system, you know the old colonial rule. And we were told that British, that England is the mother country, so that's why we were all invited here after the world, the second war, to come and help, back, to build Britain back.

And so when we came here some of the jobs that when West Indians came here, some of the jobs, that we get to do, that's what you people wouldn't do! You see? So that's why so many of us came here because we were all invited. In Jamaica, every travel service you go, we didn't have television like we do here you know, no it was radio, it was advertising on the radio, how many jobs in England, they England there were so many, fifteen thousand people needed for trains, buses whatever have you. So they need us to come here to fill all those gaps you see and that's why so many, so many, of us came here. 

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