Migration into Coventry

I lived in Holbrooks in 1973 and many of my neighbours were born in Wales. I did not know why that was so I asked them. I was told that when Dunlop built their new factory in Holbrook Lane in the 1930's there was a shortage of suitable labour in Coventry. Dunlop went to south Wales and recruited their new employees there. These newcomers to Coventry were often housed in the new houses which were springing up in Holbrooks. It is surely a good idea to get a house near to where you work. As these initial newcomers settled down it would have been natural for them to tell their relatives about the job opportunities in Coventry which were probably better than staying at home in Wales. This Coventry Welsh enclave in Holbrooks did have their own club, it was called Hen Lane Social Club and was located in Beacon Rd, Holbrooks. If you went to a function there in the 60's, 70's, or 80's you would have found that the Committee were all called Jones or Davies and were all good Welshmen, even if they had been born in Coventry. You will still find Coventry Welsh Rugby Club in Burbages Lane which is only a couple of minutes away from Holbrooks. I also had friends who were born in Scotland and the Irish Republic and who had come to Coventry just prior to the war. They came here simply because their work prospects were better here. Another chap came to Coventry in 1945, again for work. He was a 'Displaced Person', a man who found himself in Germany at the end of the war but unable to return to his native Poland. He was happy to make a new life in Coventry, as were many of his fellow countrymen and those from other eastern European countries who had also been displaced through war. Coventry had a labour shortage for many years up until the 60's. As a result the city acted like a magnet for those looking for a new job and a new home. They came from all over the UK, from Ireland, from Europe, and from the Commonwealth. There must have been friction as they settled into a new city and learned to live alongside those who had been here for generations and those who had not long arrived. To me the mix of accents, races, and cultures has always been part of the city.

Not Local - thanks for your response, much appreciated.

I agree with Not Local completely. It was one of the nicest districts in Coventry, Elmsdale police office was one of the quietest in the city, even on race nights, the crowds dispersed quickly. It had more church choirs than clubs, and John Dunlop, who was Irish came over, from Belfast 1900 time. I doubt your father ever saw a punch-up in Coventry. As for the irish, their problems were Irish problems not Coventry, much the same as the 70/80s in Ireland. And you know what, they were a spread over of retired canal people from Longford 1910-20 era. I had dozens of cousins in HenLane and around, the local graveyard is full of them.

Hi Kaga. I assume your race nights were at Lythall's Lane greyhound track. John Dunlop had sold his interest in the Dunlop business in 1895, according to Wikipedia.

Belushi, hi! It seems some members think I have been rude to you, but do not mention that you were extremely rude to me in the first place (probably taken off by the mods) about something you knew nothing about. Yes, we got off to a very bad start. Belushi, we live/d in a completely different city, a city for me that was was little out of Victorian ways and rules, that not even your father knew, for in 1936 it changed vastly. Now I know nothing of the Coventry of today, nor the education and the new fangled stuff, so you will have to excuse me on that. I have posted before, I was in the later stages of the war, and trained to kill, of the very brutal way, something you youngsters cannot really know. It took some longer than others to forget. The first twenty years of my life was all about war. But let's get back to this wonderful forum, 'cos I don't have oodles of time left. Belushi, I really don't see what your topic is about, there was never any discrimination of any sort worth mentioning in Coventry - as I said earlier, Coventry had received migrants for over 400 years. Around the 40s time it saw every nationality in the world, and most fights in dance halls with Yanks were between themselves rather than with British, despite what you may have heard. As I said, the Irish troubles were about their own country squabbles, not with neighbours.

Belushi Yes, correct, 27/28. They were a little noisy at first, but no one complained - in place of the flapping track in the Stoke/Walsgrave area.

In my last job I worked with a couple of people whose grandparents or great grandparents had come from Lithuania just after the WWI. On arriving in this country they were given "British" surnames, in their cases Smith and Jones so they wouldn't stand out as not being from this country and were told that their original name was never to be used - totally ignoring that their first names and their accents would make people notice them. Their descendants used the original names as middle names. I'm not sure how many families this affected altogether but they also knew of a Jones family who eventually hyphenated the two names together.

My dad told me, when I was a young boy, that Burton was a Jewish name. His evidence was that Montague Burton, the founder of Burton's Menswear, was Jewish. He obviously didn't know that Montague Burton was born in what is now Lithuania, and his birthname was Meshe David Osinsky. He arrived in Britain aged about 15, and when he went into business he felt a name change would be a good idea.

Belushi, a similar thing is true of Dixons. It was founded by Stanley Kalms but his name was obviously Jewish so he called his company by an English name instead. There are two theories as to why he chose Dixons as a name, either his first barrow was in Dixon Street, London or it was the most typically English name he could find and he chose it from a telephone directory. I met him on a couple of occasions and asked him which one was true but he just smiled.

Hi OL There's an excellent book "Bloody Foreigners" by Robert Winder about migration into Britain. He cites many examples of current British politicians and businessmen who (or their recent ancestors) changed their name to become more "British". The Queen's father, Albert, Duke of York was born with a family name of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Can't understand the Royal Family waited until 1917 before changing to their name to Windsor - they must have been the only family in the country with a German-sounding name not to have had their windows smashed! Perhaps they were hedging their bets waiting to see which cousin would come out on top!

Migrants What does he come for, what does he want Why does he wander, care worn and gaunt Up street and down street, with vacant stare Hither and thither, it doesn't matter where What does he mean by it, why does he come Hundreds of miles to prowl weary and glum Looking at houses, torn and threadbare Gazing here and there, with a dull stare Why doesn't he stay at home, save his train fare Drink his own native beer, his own casual wear Why does he come, why is he here.

Belushi. Your mother sent to Coventry - was that after the big raid? If so, that was very brave of her, and very compassionate. Now I know where you got it from. But she would have had a great reception, and help, Belushi, as a young girl in Coventry. You must have thought a lot about being in a strange city, no friends and no relatives, hence, I believe, your topic. Rhondda and Geordie must have been hilarious. Belushi - may I pry a little more? If not, just ignore. I know everyone had to register at sixteen, but would your mother have volunteered or been drafted? We were all directed at that time, but there was a little choice. Wonder if your dad had choice of pits, Binley for one?

Hi Kaga. My mother was born in 1920 and, I believe, was called up in about 1942, after the Blitz. She wanted join the WRAF, but she wasn't chosen (probably not posh enough!). She was offered the choice of making munitions in Manchester or planes in Coventry, and she didn't fancy working with bombs. She lived at a hostel in Finham, and from what she told me, she enjoyed her time there. She would reminisce fondly about going to dances at the nearby American Army camp, it was at Stoneleigh I believe. At the outbreak of the war my father was working for Rover and, as an experienced miner, was called up to work at Keresley Colliery. After a couple of weeks he was back at Rover, as the firm successfully argued he had been involved in essential war work. My dad always claimed it was because he captained the Rover cricket team! My parents met just after the war I believe. Neither had relatives by then in Coventry, and as I was an only child I had neither siblings nor cousins within 100 miles - good job I made friends easily! Luckily both my parents got on with their in-laws, and as a child I had some great holidays in Gilfach Goch and Dipton with my relatives.

Belushi Thank you for your reply. I was curious to the direction, how she chose Coventry, there were some strange directives. Your dad had some powerful people behind him, never heard of anyone escaping the mines. I had the forces or a coal mine, my brother, four years older, only had what arm of forces he preferred - strange times.

Belushi Did you ever check the Coventry paper just after your father's return to the Rover? I believe he may have created a little history of Coventry. He is the only person I know of to escape the Coal Board, to return to a normal job during the war, and yes, it would have been the cricket. No one on this forum will know, or they would have commented on the story.