Description:My name is Lydia Shirley and I am a Jamaican born in the Parish of St Thomas. I had a strong desire from a young age to go and live in England. My opportunity came when the British Government invited people from the commonwealth to come to England because there was lots of work for everyone. We were taught in school that England was our Mother country and thousands of people jumped at this opportunity. I was sad though to leave my two brothers and sister behind.
I left Jamaica in February 1961 from Palisadoes Airport and landed in England at Heathrow Airport. The weather was very cold compared with Jamaica. All I could see was smoke coming from top of the buildings and I wondered where the houses were. When I enquired I was told that the smoke was coming from houses, not from factories as I had assumed.
I came to Handsworth in Birmingham, where the living conditions were bad and work was not as easy as I expected because there was a lot of discrimination against black people. Jobs that were offered to you were hard and dirty and what the British people did not want. I worked at Imperial Metal Industries (IMI) on the shop floor in Witton, Aston. They were manufacturers of ammunition and other products. They also made zips and copper pipes which were used in gas and water industries. I worked very long and hard hours for nearly 20 years.
I met my husband and we had a family of three sons. We worked very hard and managed to buy a house. It was one of the happiest days of my life when we got the keys to that house in Aston. Unfortunately I am widowed and lost my husband 10 years ago. Things have changed a whole lot in UK since 1961 but there is still room for improvements.
Photograph courtesy of Veena Gogna