Learie Constantine’s Experience of Racism in Wartime London

This is a shocking story about racism which led to a landmark legal case and is a tribute to a remarkable man who lived in Kilburn at the end of his life.

The famous cricketer, Learie Constantine was born in Trinidad in 1901 into a family of cricketers, including his father and a brother. He played for Trinidad and Tobago from 1921, and the West Indies from 1923 to 1939, including several test matches against England.

The cricket commentator, John Arlot later said that during his first tour of England in 1923, ‘Constantine learnt much that he never forgot, by no means all of it about cricket: and he recognised the game as his only possible ladder to the kind of life he wanted’. Eventually he became a professional cricketer after struggling hard to make a living in Trinidad, with no permanent job to support his wife Norma and daughter Gloria.

His bowling and batting performances in England in 1928 got him noticed. The way Constantine played set him apart from the restrained form of cricket generally seen at the time, and his style, aggression and entertainment value made a big impression on the crowds. Following the tour, he was offered a contract with Nelson, a professional team who played in the Lancashire League. Constantine and his family moved to England, and he drew large crowds for the team which he played for until 1937. 

When WWII started, he became a Welfare Office for the Ministry of Labour in Liverpool, supporting the large number of West Indian workers in the factories of Northwest England. 

The Imperial Hotel incident
As part of his role with the Ministry of Labour he was encouraged to organize charity cricket matches. He was asked to captain a West Indian team to play an invitation match against England at Lord’s on 2 August 1943. 

A secretary phoned the Imperial Hotel in Russell Square to inquire about rooms for Learie, his wife and daughter, and asked if there was any objection to them because of their colour. She was told there was not, and two rooms were booked for four days with a £2 deposit. However, when they arrived on 30 July it was clear at once that they were not welcome. The manageress, Mrs Margaret O’Sullivan, said ‘They did not want (n-word) in the hotel’. When asked why, she said the hotel was crowded with American troops and officers who might object to black people.
Then Mr Arnold Watson, who was Learie’s boss in Liverpool arrived at the hotel and he told Mrs O’Sullivan that Mr Constantine was a British citizen and a civil servant, and they could not throw him out. She said, ‘He was a (n-word) and could not stay at the hotel’.
They asked to see her boss and the managing director Mr Harold Walduck came to reception. He was slightly more diplomatic and said he thought they might prefer their other hotel The Bedford which was quieter and just across the square. Reluctantly, they moved to The Bedford where they were treated well. 

Learie who was a member of the League of Coloured Peoples with his childhood friend the Trinidadian writer C.L.R. James, was advised that he should sue the hotel for damages. The trial was heard at the High Court in June 1944 before Justice Burkett without a jury. Mrs O’Sullivan gave evidence and said she had worked at The Imperial Hotel for 38 years and she denied using the n-word. Mr Walduck said the Constantines had voluntarily left the hotel to stay at The Beford.

The Old Imperial Hotel

After hearing the evidence from both sides for two days, the judge said he accepted without question the evidence from Mr Constantine and his witnesses, and he rejected that given by the defendants. He was satisfied that Mrs O’Sullivan had been grossly insulting and offensive to Mr Constantine. He praised Mr Constantine’s behaviour in the witness box:
‘He bore himself with modesty and dignity, dealt with all questions with intelligence and truth, and was not concerned to be vindictive or malicious’.
The judge said he had been urged to award exemplary damages, but there was no law against racial discrimination in Britain at the time, and after reviewing the legal authorities he found he was unable to do that. He therefore gave judgment to Mr Constantine for nominal damages of only 5 guineas. 

Although this was only a small financial amount, the case became an important legal precedent in the long fight against racism. 

During the War, Learie was asked by the British government to make radio broadcasts. These were met with critical acclaim, and he became a frequent guest on radio panel shows, and he also took part in a film documentary, ‘West Indies Calling’ (1943). In 1947 Learie was awarded an MBE for his wartime efforts. 

C.R.L. James helped Learie with his law studies and he worked in a solicitor’s office before enrolling as a student at the Middle Temple in 1944. To finance his studies, he continued to play professional cricket, coached, and wrote several books on cricket. He finally qualified and was called to the Bar in 1954. 

The family moved from Nelson to London and lived at 101 Lexham Gardens Kensington from 1940 to 1954 (where there is now a blue plaque). After this they returned to Trinidad and Learie joined the People’s National Movement party, winning a seat in 1956. The PNM formed a government, in which Constantine became the Minister of Communications, Works and Utilities. In 1961 he was appointed Trinidad and Tobago’s first High Commissioner to London. 

In the 1962 New Year’s Honours he was knighted to become Sir Learie Constantine and in 1969 he became a life peer – the first black man to sit in the Lords. He became a member of the BBC Advisory Council and then a Governor. In 1967 he was appointed to the three-person Race Relations Board, formed through the Race Relations Act, to investigate cases of racial discrimination.

In April 1963 Learie was surprised by Eamonn Andrews with ‘the big red book’ and appeared on the TV programme ‘This Is Your Life’.

A less pleasant surprise occurred in December 1963 while he lived at 38 Grove End Road in St John’s Wood. Learie was away from home over the Christmas period when a burglar broke in and stole his trophies.

Portrait of Sir Learie Constantine by Godfrey Argent 1967 (NPG)

From 1964 he lived at Flat 11 in Kendal Court at the top of Shoot-Up Hill in Kilburn.
A plaque on the building records that Lord Learie Constantine, cricketer, barrister, politician and statesman, lived at Kendal Court from 1964 until 1971. He was aged 69 when he died at his home of a heart attack on 1 July.

There are several short films about Sir Learie Constantine on YouTube, for example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rZ4m5OJEtg