African and Afro-Caribbean Repatriation, 1919–1922 by Jane L. Chapman

Author:Jane L. Chapman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Springer International Publishing, Cham

Steede confirmed in writing his understanding that he would receive £1 after embarkation and £5 ‘on leaving the steamer at her destination.’ Neither he nor a second applicant from Hull to Barbados, entitled R. Joseph , received any unemployment support from the Labour Exchange (C.O. 28/295 43 ), whereas a third applicant, Joshua Edie (op.c.it., 409, 412), wanting to return to St. Michael’s, was receiving ‘maintenance money.’ All three had white wives and a child each.

The record of former seaman Cyprian Robinson provides the most detailed example of information being made available to a white wife of likely economic conditions in the West Indies, should she decide to accompany her husband. Mrs. Robinson was warned personally about life in Saint Vincent but did not want to be separated from her husband. The explanation included the fact that Robinson’s aged mother Jane Barrimore , in her eighties, was a pauper on poor relief ‘without proper shelter and no proper home in St. Vincent, and living in the most squalid surroundings.’ Robinson left the colony before 1900 and last contributed to her support ten years previously, when he visited for 3 weeks and gave her four shillings, but according to the law, he would probably be obliged to keep her and his wife—despite the fact that a labourer’s wage ranged from one to 3 shillings a day. Colonial officials pointed out that Mrs. Robinson should ‘not expect to receive any financial assistance from the government of St. Vincent ,’ although she was entitled to receive boat passage from the Imperial government. What happened to Mrs. Robinson is unclear, including whether she experienced the ‘moral degradation’ that officials predicted ‘was likely to ensue’ (C.O. 318/349 44 ).

As the numbers of people taking up repatriation were small, and there were delays in procuring passages, especially births for families, the cost to the colonies were all much greater than the arrangement that existed from the autumn of 1914 to February 1919. Therefore by early January 1920, the minister had decided to terminate the scheme for white wives and children to have a free passage to the West Indies. One civil servant commented that this ended definitely the arrangement (since 17 February 1919) by which ‘distressed’ colonial seamen received free passages home at the expense of the Imperial Government. A memo explained:The general repatriation scheme was designed to relieve the congestion at British ports owing to the presence of large numbers of coloured seamen who had been attracted to this country during the war and were thrown out of employment by the cessation of hostilities. It has lately been considerably modified by the withdrawal of maintenance money and embarkation and voyage gratuities: and it is likely that it will be discontinued altogether at an early date…. It is no longer practicable to grant them passages at the cost of the Imperial government. (C.O. 318/352 45 )

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