About the "Remember The Times" Project
A foreword by Hilton Callaghan – Treasurer of SWIPE
The main thrust of the “Remember The Times” project is to
research, record and archive some of the memories of the early Caribbean people
who came to Slough in the late 1950s and 1960s and settled here.
We documented the music, dance, food and leisure activities that sustained them through that unsettled period of their lives, as a great number of them were in their late teens and early twenties, coming from a mostly agricultural environment to a foreign industrialised country. Their moves were tinged with bravery, as the young people left the safety of the life they knew to venture 5,000 miles to a country they had only read about.
There was a labour shortage in Britain as it started to rebuild its economy after the Second World War and an active recruitment drive was carried out in the Caribbean. For example, in 1956 London Transport began an enrolment programme in Barbados and extended it to Jamaica and Trinidad. As the Conservative Health Minister from 1960-63, Enoch Powell invited women from the Caribbean to train as nurses and work in the hospitals.
In the post war years Slough had a thriving industrial estate. By the end of the 1960s an estimated 13,000 immigrants had moved from the Commonwealth nations to Slough. Immigrants, notably from Anguilla, Antigua and Barbados, were attracted to the town and settled predominantly in Chalvey.
In every community, family, neighbourhood, workplace and school there are people who have knowledge and skills to share. Ways of knowing and doing that often come from years of experience and this knowledge has been preserved and passed down amongst generations. These bearers of traditions are the primary sources of culture and history. They are the living links in the historical chain, eye witnesses to history and shapers of a vital and indigenous way of life. They are unparalleled in the enlightenment and direction they can bring to local history and culture.
Through documenting their memories and stories, the past comes to life in the present, filled with vivid images of people, places and events. And it is not only the past we discover – we also learn about the living traditions, the food, celebrations, customs, music, occupations and skills that are a vital part of everyday experiences. These stories, memories and traditions are powerful expressions of community life and values. They anchor us all to larger bodies - connecting us to the past, grounding us firmly in the present – giving us a sense of identity, roots, belonging and purpose for the future.
Out of shared telling and remembering grows identity, connection and pride – binding us all to a place, time and one another.
Thank you to all those who took part in making this project happen. I hope as you reminisce you will “Remember the Times”.
We documented the music, dance, food and leisure activities that sustained them through that unsettled period of their lives, as a great number of them were in their late teens and early twenties, coming from a mostly agricultural environment to a foreign industrialised country. Their moves were tinged with bravery, as the young people left the safety of the life they knew to venture 5,000 miles to a country they had only read about.
There was a labour shortage in Britain as it started to rebuild its economy after the Second World War and an active recruitment drive was carried out in the Caribbean. For example, in 1956 London Transport began an enrolment programme in Barbados and extended it to Jamaica and Trinidad. As the Conservative Health Minister from 1960-63, Enoch Powell invited women from the Caribbean to train as nurses and work in the hospitals.
In the post war years Slough had a thriving industrial estate. By the end of the 1960s an estimated 13,000 immigrants had moved from the Commonwealth nations to Slough. Immigrants, notably from Anguilla, Antigua and Barbados, were attracted to the town and settled predominantly in Chalvey.
In every community, family, neighbourhood, workplace and school there are people who have knowledge and skills to share. Ways of knowing and doing that often come from years of experience and this knowledge has been preserved and passed down amongst generations. These bearers of traditions are the primary sources of culture and history. They are the living links in the historical chain, eye witnesses to history and shapers of a vital and indigenous way of life. They are unparalleled in the enlightenment and direction they can bring to local history and culture.
Through documenting their memories and stories, the past comes to life in the present, filled with vivid images of people, places and events. And it is not only the past we discover – we also learn about the living traditions, the food, celebrations, customs, music, occupations and skills that are a vital part of everyday experiences. These stories, memories and traditions are powerful expressions of community life and values. They anchor us all to larger bodies - connecting us to the past, grounding us firmly in the present – giving us a sense of identity, roots, belonging and purpose for the future.
Out of shared telling and remembering grows identity, connection and pride – binding us all to a place, time and one another.
Thank you to all those who took part in making this project happen. I hope as you reminisce you will “Remember the Times”.