I don’t want my trailblazing hero great-grandfather to ever be forgotten

I couldn’t clasp backmost the tears.

It was September 2016 and I was astir to unveil my great-grandfather’s bluish plaque.

I had expected lone a fistful of radical mightiness crook up for the lawsuit astatine what had been his Camberwell home.

In the end, though, determination was a scrum of dignitaries, assemblage figures, occurrence brigade apical brass and subject leaders who each turned up connected that sunny autumn time to honour my great-granddad, George Arthur Roberts: Activist, worker and London firefighter – and, successful 1938, the archetypal Black man to articulation the London Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS).

As the velvet curtain drew back, and the plaque, with its achromatic lettering connected the vivid bluish background, came into view, I was abruptly gripped by a substance of pridefulness and emotion astatine thoughts of my family.

The struggles my grandma – George’s daughter, Stella – had faced successful Trinidad: Her begetter astatine war, her mother, unsocial successful 1 of Port of Spain’s astir impoverished neighbourhoods, Belmont. My mother’s endless battles erstwhile she came to London to bid arsenic a caregiver – erstwhile determination was thing but ‘No Blacks, nary Irish, nary dogs’ signs and failing her final nursing exams five times portion raising 2 toddlers. 

And, of course, my great-grandfather. 

Being the archetypal Black antheral to articulation the AFS was conscionable 1 of respective firsts successful his bonzer life. He besides started a treatment radical question successful the occurrence service, with the purpose of alleviating the boredom and nerves experienced by firemen portion waiting for bombing raids during the London Blitz – and which, on with his occurrence service, earned him the British Empire Medal successful 1944.

As each of this deed me, for a moment, I conscionable couldn’t assistance myself and gave the remainder of my code with a insubstantial successful my hand!

Born successful Trinidad successful August 1891, small is known of George’s aboriginal beingness and helium apt worked arsenic an electrician.

He docked astatine Southampton successful 1911, erstwhile the First World War was looming. Unusually, helium joined a ‘white’ warring regiment, the First Middlesex, and was the archetypal Black antheral to bash so.

He stood an diversion 6 ft 2 inches gangly and was a superb bowler. Trench warfare would person been hard, but the bowling skills helium perfected arsenic a lad served him well, arsenic helium picked up force bombs and hurled them backmost 74 yards implicit force lines.

George was injured connected the Somme and furloughed retired successful 1916, erstwhile helium returned to Trinidad and utilized his clip determination to drum up much recruits for the warfare effort – which helium did, recruiting 250 men.

He returned to London successful October 1917 and was demobilised in 1919 – taken retired of progressive work – truthful helium threw himself into veterans’ welfare. Amidst wide outrage astatine the deficiency of authorities enactment for veterans, helium joined the Federation of Discharged and Demobilised Sailors and Soldiers, 1 of respective organisations warring for veterans’ rights astatine the time, arsenic an officer.

In 1 of the fewer pieces of his idiosyncratic penning we have, George eloquently describes The Battle of Westminster Bridge, a march that erupted into unit erstwhile veterans – galore of whom had returned from warfare into destitution and who were marching for jobs and the ‘homes acceptable for heroes’ they’d been promised – clashed with constabulary extracurricular Parliament.

He wrote: ‘A scrimmage betwixt our columns and the constabulary began. Our banners were torn to pieces and the poles breached and, erstwhile the constabulary started utilizing their batons we retaliated with our breached poles. The wounded and disabled, crippled for lasting up for their principles, utilized their sticks and crutches. Yet successful spite of this vicious authoritative enactment against those who had served their state truthful well, a ample proportionality of unit won done and crossed the bridge.’

After this, the assorted veterans’ organisations joined unneurotic to signifier the British Legion successful 1921, aboriginal to go the Royal British Legion – which campaigns for the payment of veterans – and to which my great-grandfather was to give the remainder of his life.

George moved to Camberwell successful 1923 and determination met a Jamaican GP, Harold Moody, who was 1 of the founders of an anti-racism organisation called The League of Coloured Peoples (LCP) successful 1931.

My great-grandfather was founding chairman.

The LCP was to go an influential UK voice, starting its ain civilian rights journal, The Keys, successful 1933 and involving specified luminaries arsenic historiographer and activistic C.L.R. James, writer and BBC shaper Una Marson and Learie Constantine, the archetypal Black antheral to beryllium successful the House of Lords.

Then, of course, successful 1938, George made past erstwhile helium was the archetypal Black antheral to articulation the AFS, and erstwhile helium started the treatment radical movement.

For a antheral with my great-grandfather’s energetic and selfless temperament, the AFS treatment groups were a earthy leap.

They started small, with governmental treatment of important matters of the time specified arsenic colonialism, war, racism and British society. Out of this besides grew the question of the Fireman Artists. 

Yet the commencement of the Blitz successful 1940 brought the amateur firefighters of the AFS into existent danger.

As London was flattened and burning, hundreds of firefighters mislaid their lives and it is apt my great-grandfather risked his ain beingness rescuing survivors and racing to douse the endless flames.

But helium survived, and helium was to beryllium honoured further for his service.

Artist Norman Hepple, aboriginal to overgarment Elizabeth II, painted my great-grandfather successful 1941 successful his AFS azygous – a coating that, until recently, was hanging successful the office of the London Fire Brigade successful Waterloo – and helium was made a beingness subordinate of the British Legion subdivision helium founded successful 1962.

He died successful 1970 from recurrent coronary thrombosis, aged 79.

My great-grandfather passed into anonymity with his death. While I had heard of this household fable increasing up, I did not judge it.

It was my great-aunt, Violet, his 2nd daughter, who passed maine the bonzer oral history. For a agelong clip I was bemused – however could I, an enthusiastic teenage historiographer calved and bred successful London, not cognize astir him if it was true?

But it turned retired that his beingness was adjacent much bonzer than the legend.

Shortly earlier her death, my great-aunt Terry, George’s daughter-in-law, and I had started to look successful item astatine the household tree. I started to believe George’s story when I saw his sanction mentioned successful respective books by the historiographer Stephen Bourne, who I past contacted.

The rest, arsenic they say, is history.

After his bluish plaque was unveiled successful 2016, I repeated my code successful 2018 – with nary tears this clip – erstwhile the London Fire Brigade enactment up his reddish plaque astatine New Cross Fire station, commemorating his clip arsenic a Lead Fireman determination successful World War II arsenic a subordinate of the AFS.

It was different time of pridefulness and reflection, successful which the London Fire Brigade mounted a defender of honour.

And the designation didn’t halt there.

In 2020, George was the cardinal absorption for an advert by genealogy institution Ancestry, encouraging viewers to larn much astir their ain household past erstwhile it came to the Second World War, and he was the 2018 figurehead of the 100th day of the Fire Brigades Union.

Not to mention, his relation successful some satellite wars is connected imperishable grounds astatine the Imperial War Museum. 

When I deliberation astir my great-grandfather’s bonzer beingness of service, I deliberation of his insatiable energy; his optimism, courageousness and focus, each traits helium passed to his granddaughter, my mother.

In my ain enactment arsenic an NHS infirmary oculus advisor I thrust connected his shoulders, seeing the presumption from his indomitable bequest and remembering however overmuch harder it indispensable person been for him, the archetypal Black idiosyncratic to bash truthful galore of the things helium did.

I’m honoured to proceed bringing his communicative into the light. 

MORE : I felt similar I stood retired similar a sore thumb until I met 4 different women

MORE : I legally changed my sanction to Bond, James Bond aged 49

MORE : I spent £400 connected a archetypal day and instantly regret it

This tract is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.