Newport Race Riots 1919
Our Race Riot Project is a partnership Project with ‘The Bigger Picture’ and investigates the history of the Riots of 1919 in Newport. We aim to add a human element to the events that unfolded and to use the information in educational workshops and exhibitions. We first focused our attention on the men who were in the boarding house in George St on June 6th, many of whom it is stated were ‘arrested for their protection’ and were acquitted later. These men are also part of our African Connections project which charts the migration of African seamen to Britain prior to the first world war.
Our Publication Titled ‘Newport’s Forgotten History’: The 1919 Race Riot, is available from ourselves and also available on Amazon.
People
Many of these men were part of a community from Liberia and Sierra Leone. By 1919 many had settled in the Ports of Newport, Cardiff and Barry and had families.
Some of the men in the boarding house on the Night of June 6th include:
Tom Savage, Joe Ellis, John Davies (Boarding house owner), Patrick Galland, John Roberts, George Hemmic, Daniel Smart, John Shilling, Tom Glasgow, Jack Harris, Toby Jackson, Charles Morris, John Brass, Wyman Morris, Jack Purser (Also known as Prosser), George Smith, Charles Brown, Jacob Brown, James Watts, James Payne, Charles David, Texas Brown (Possibly African-American) and Jack Savage.
Daniel Sinclair was reported as wanting to speak on behalf of the men in court however Illness prevented him. Research suggests he wasn’t African and was Cardiff’s ‘Danny Sinclair’.
A letter sent to the Colonial Office dated April 9th 1919 suggests the house was also the residence of Mr William Clark. Mr Clark wrote asking for assistance on behalf of himself and 200 other seamen who were unemployed.
Records indicate that an African Seaman, Percy White was part of the crowd attacking the Boarding house in George Street. Percy was later arrested at the Young Men’s Christian Association in Newport and he skipped bail. Later found in Bristol, Percy was brought back to Newport. Records Indicate he remained in Newport and returned to seafaring. We have added his picture however it remains unclear whether he had connections to these men at the time of the Riots.
It should also be noted that Tom Savage was one of 5 Brothers all known as Tom. Tom’s brother recently died at the lodging house after collapsing at Newport Dock. His death was registered on the 6th of June, the day of the riot. It remains unlear as to whether his body was in the house that night and we have been unsuccessful in locating a burial location.
These Images are subject to Copyright and are courtesy of the National Archives.
Many thanks to Gwent Archives who provided crucial material for this project in the form of the Race Riots Depositions and to Newport Council for allowing us to publish the Depositions.
