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[[newspaper clipping]]

Guianese Airman on W.I.-English R.A.F. Quarrels

(By FRANK O. PILGRIM)

[[note] Cicely's brother [[/note]]

SGT. CHARLES MC LEAN, Guianese Airman now back home on demobilization leave after six years' service is convinced that the inter-racial riots between West Indian and English R.A.F. personnel, of which Guianese have heard so much, only began after the West Indians had been segregated from English servicemen.

[[image: black & white photograph of Sgt. Charles McLean]]

Sgt. McLean emphasised that he had not returned to British Guiana with the spirit to quarrel or to stir up hard feelings but he felt that it was duty to let people know the facts as he saw them whilst in the R.A.F. Groundstaff and said, "I feel that the only solution to the age-long tangle between the races is straight talking."

McLean was in the R.A.F. from the early days of the war and so experienced all phases of treatment which West Indians received in England. Most of the West Indian boys only arrived late in the war and so did not get a really complete picture of things in Britain, he said.

IN THE BEGINNING

"Let me say from the beginning that I found that when the men were allowed to mix freely without hindrance from the officers there was a genuine feeling of comradeship and curiosity to find out the ways of life of each other", said Sgt. McLean.

SUDDENLY

"Suddenly, however, from official quarters there came into being a desire for the segregation of the men, and although West Indians spoke very strongly against it they were still compelled to live in Barrack Blocks separated from other servicemen  The white West Indian servicemen were more or less allowed to please themselves but in nearly all cases elected to live with the coloured West Indians."

McLean was stationed for most of his stay in England at the R.A.F. Camp at Stafford in the Midlands, where there were the largest number of West Indians.

NOT THE JAMAICANS

"News often reached me that it was the opinion out here that the behaviour of the Jamaicans was largely responsible for the racial clashes between English and Colonial troops. I would like to deny that in very strong terms, because in every racial clash that I was one of the eye witnesses or an investigator of the facts while in the capacity of Colonial Welfare senior N.C.O., I always found that the Jamaicans had been provoked in the first instance, ... ............. ...

Asked in what way the Jamaicans had been provoked, he replied that they were sometimes refused admission to dances because of their colour although wearing the King's uniform and on certain occasions they were actually shown very little welcome even at R.A.F. service dances for entirely R.A.F. personnel.

PROMOTIONS TARDY

Of promotions he said it seemed the R.A.F. authorities were very slow and not at all disposed to give promotions to to West Indian ground crews. This did not apply to the Air Force Crews because the promotion of air crews was laid down in Air Force Orders and took place according to length of service and was therefore automatic. In his own case, he added as early as 1943, he qualified as an instructor and should have been given the post with the appropriate rank (Sgt.). It was only after three years of bitter struggle and the intervention of the Colonial Welfare Officer in London that he was promoted in April, 1946, after the war was over.

"In this connection I would like to pay high tribute to the work being done by Flight Lieutenant Ronald Hall one of our own countrymen, and Squadron Leader Cross, D.S.O., D.F.C., of Port-of-Spain, Trinidad," he said. "They have both done sterling work in fighting for the rights of West Indians in England."

Racial prejudice, he added, operated equally against all coloured peoples whether they were Negroes, Indians, Chinese or mixtures of these races. It operates against everyone who is not European or of European descent.

Sgt. Charles McLean, second son of the late Mr. Isaac McLean and Mrs. McLean, left British Guiana in August, 1941, and joined the R.A.F. ground crew in October, and has reason to believe that he was the first qualified coloured engineer instructor in the R. A. F.

For a large part of his service in the R.A.F. he acted as Welfare Officer for the West Indians in his camp.

IN NORMANDY LANDING

He took part in the invasion of Normandy from D-Day and was very fortunate to come through the whole campaign without a scratch.

During his service in the R.A.F. Sgt. Mclean resided in many countries of England Scotland and Wales and was therefore able to form a more general picture of colour prejudice than the average West Indian student or tourist in England.

LIVING IN GUIANA EASIER THAN U.S. ... says CITY BUSINESSMAN
[[note]] Read [[/note]]

The outstanding impression gained by Mr. John Fernandes, prominent City businessman just back from three months' vacation in New York is that despite all the production drives in the States, living in British Guiana is much easier.
[[note]] NOTE [[/note]]

With the exception of a few items there are no food or clothing shortages but prices have sky-rocketed to such a height that there has been an all round slump in sales with the result that a few factories are already unable to offer a full five day-week to many of their employees. In some cases factories were only able to offer work for only two days a week.

PRESIDENT'S APPEAL

President Truman issued an appeal to merchants to bring down the retail prices by reducing profits. The response to this appeal had just begun when Mr. Fernandes left New York.

DAUGHTER A NUN

Mr. Fernandes went to New York to witness the reception of his daughter Patricia into the Order of Ursuline Nuns. She is now Sister Mary Angela. Two other Guianese girls were also received at the same time Misses Joan Gomes and Camelita Gouveia.

He left New York on January 21 to attend the Catholic Socialist Conference Week at Cuidad Trujillo, Dominican Republic. He returned to New York on February 7.

NO EQUIPMENT

While in the U.S. Mr. Fernandes made attempts to get suitable equipment for mechanising his wood and charcoal business but he found it impossible to obtain any, nor does he see any likelihood of getting any for another year.

CAR PRICES

In the New York press he read that the entire production of car and trucks for 1947 had been sold already and second hand cars were changing hands at prices higher than new ones.

STRIKES

Strikes were affecting industry to a very large extent and one strike hung on for more than 400 days before it was settled.

Mr. Fernandes feels however that if there are no more strikes in the coal and iron industries the supply in building materials (nails etc.) should return to normal by the end of the year.

Mr. Fernandes left New York by Pan American Airways on Tuesday April 15 at 7 p.m. and arrived at Atkinson field on Wednesday at 1 p.m.

He had a word of praise for the East Bank Road from Atkinson to Georgetown. "It has improved considerably but it is far too dusty" he said.


their goodwill, or otherwise. We believe that a newspaper should not emphasize the exceptional rather than the representative; the sensational rather than the significant. We hold that is is no longer enough to report the fact truthfully; it is now necessary to report the truth about the fact.

[[/newspaper clipping]]

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