Vivian Blaker

Vivian Blake also came to Britain during the War. In fact, he travelled to Britain on the same ship as Stan Boreland, although they did not get to know each other until they were in England.

Born in Buff Bay, Portland, Jamaica, at the age of 17 he had taken a test to join the RAF, and decided to sign up rather than taking advantage of a government scholarship for higher education.

Whilst in Virginia, U.S.A., at Camp Patrick Henry, he experienced segregation. The camp was in effect two camps; a white one and a black one. The Jamaican recruits were treated as 'honorary whites', placed in the white camp and were forbidden to mix with the black Americans. However, the white Americans were not pleased with this arrangement.

Vivian recalls a white American officer reminding his men, “These ain't Uncle Sam's Niggers, these are King George's Niggers”. He worked in the commissary and had charge of a group of AWOL white American recruits, one of who claimed to be Dillinger's brother.

On arrival in Liverpool, the troops were taken to Lime Street Station, where Vivian recalls they were greeted with cheers from the local people. Following his basic training, he went to Causwall in Scotland, to undertake three months training in air/sea rescue. He was then posted to Ilfracombe in Devon, and later Pembroke Docks in Wales, followed by a number of postings to other bases until he left the forces in 1948.

It had been his intention to return to Jamaica to resume his studies, but by this time he had become accustomed to Britain and saw the opportunities available.

He moved around the country for a while, living and working in Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Bradford. He worked for British Rail for a while and then took up a career in engineering. He moved to Gloucester in 1960 with his wife, who had relatives in the area, working at the Hawker-Siddeley plant in Hucclecote. He left Gloucester for a few years to work in Birmingham, but returned in 1966.