{"id":1919,"date":"2020-10-05T09:30:14","date_gmt":"2020-10-05T09:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/?p=1919"},"modified":"2020-10-08T11:15:37","modified_gmt":"2020-10-08T11:15:37","slug":"black-history-month-john-stockley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/2020\/10\/05\/black-history-month-john-stockley\/","title":{"rendered":"Black History Month: John Stockley"},"content":{"rendered":"

Please be aware that the following blog contains quotes from an audio recording which includes racial language as reported from past experiences. Dorset History Centre does not condone the use of such language, but recognises that such terms were used in the past and are reflected in historical records.<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

The Dorset Sound Archive<\/a>,<\/span>\u00a0cared for at the Dorset History Centre, contains a wide variety of interviews<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0These have been collected since the early 1980’s, and usually by local history projects. For example, the Dorset School<\/span>days Project interviewed people about their memories of schooling in the 1920’s and 30’s and there is a substantial collection of interviews with people directly involved with D-Day off the Dorset coast.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

New recordings still often come to us from projects, and we encourage anybody planning to record oral history to get in touch with us<\/a> so that we can offer support and a permanent home for the materials generated.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, trained DHC volunteers collect interviews with individuals who are willing to share their story. Back in January we were introduced to Leslie John Stockley, local son of a black G<\/span>.<\/span>I.\u00a0<\/span>and a Weymouth woman.\u00a0<\/span>John, as he prefers to be known, generously spent some hours with our interviewer, allowing her to record his life story. Interviewees from minority ethnic backgrounds are under-represented in the Dorset Sound Archive, and John has had a<\/span>n exciting life which sheds light on Weymouth’s past in a unique way.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

John was born on the last day of World War Two and\u00a0<\/span>explains that;<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

(In) 1943 \/4\/5 the Americans arrived, they\u2019d come into the war and their first troops… that they had sent here were the Pioneers who were black regiments. They came to widen all the gates and prepare the countryside for this huge influx of massive vehicles and bulldozers etc., tanks, everything you can think that goes with the war machine.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"
Asa Jones and Farrell Browening, from Dallas, Texas watch for enemy planes at their gun position on the USS Henrico, Weymouth Harbour, 5th June 1944<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

John then <\/span>talks about his idyllic upbringing with his grandparents at\u00a0<\/span>Moonf<\/span>leet<\/span>\u00a0where his Grandmother was a Church Warden;<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

…in Weymouth church services were segregated so that… white American soldiers went in the morning and in the afternoon the black soldiers would go.\u00a0 My Grandmother … was Church Warden in Holy Trinity in Fleet and … she would tell me that when the black American soldiers came on a Sunday in the afternoon, people would come from all over Dorchester, Portland, Weymouth – come to stand outside the church and listen to them sing negro spirituals and if you know Holy Trinity, it\u2019s in a little valley, and the sound would have been fantastic…<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"
D-DPA\/1\/FLE\/8 – Moonfleet Church<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

John goes on to describe\u00a0<\/span>his Mother and Stepfather’s businesses in Weymouth<\/span>\u00a0and how<\/span>\u00a0with no qualifications but a quick mind, a bold attitude and sea-going experience he travelled in America and Europe.\u00a0<\/span>As<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>one-time\u00a0<\/span>landlord of The Globe public house in Weymouth\u00a0<\/span>he goes on to\u00a0<\/span>paint a vivid picture of the Quay in the 1960’s and 70’s!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Inevitably, John’s life experiences were affected by being black and\u00a0<\/span>the attitudes around him. T<\/span>his is demonstrated throughout the interviews which are now available online directly from our catalogue<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>(DSA\/252<\/a>)<\/span>. During his recording John tells us about two very different football games. He attended St John’s Church of England School in Weymouth and remembers a playground game on a cold November day;<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

(I) remember playing football in the … playground, I was eight years old,\u00a0 something like that and … there was snow in the playground, but we still continued to play football and I remember, I don\u2019t know what happened, but a… young fella got tripped up and he got up and he called me, \u2018a dirty n*****.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

My first reaction was to punch him on the nose.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>(pause\u2026)\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/i> I couldn\u2019t understand, I looked down, I remember looking down at the snow, the white snow and seeing the blood on it and I was immediately spirited away up to the Headmaster\u2019s office. Made to stand in the corner. <\/span><\/p>\n

My Mother was summoned, … she was a very smart <\/span>woman, she<\/span> turned up in a twin set, handbag, hair done, makeup on. Came in, \u2018What\u2019s wrong?\u2019\u00a0<\/span>(pause)\u00a0<\/span><\/i>I was told to say nothing, be quiet. And he\u00a0<\/span>said to my Mother standing in front of her, \u2018You have to remember, Mrs Stockley, you cannot educate these\u2026\u2019 (<\/span>long pause<\/span><\/i>) <\/span><\/p>\n

And I remember, the tears rolling down her face and then he caned me in front of her which made her even worse.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Later, when\u00a0<\/span>J<\/span>ohn was playing football at West Haven, he had a <\/span>much happier<\/span>\u00a0experience<\/span>;<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

…<\/span>changing in the girls<\/span>‘<\/span>\u00a0changing rooms because they, the home team<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0changed in the boys<\/span>‘<\/span>\u00a0changing room<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>(I) c<\/span>hanged into m<\/span>y<\/span>\u00a0strip,\u00a0<\/span>\u2018St John\u2019s,<\/span><\/i>\u2019 ran out onto the field and noticed another black boy. We stopped and looked at each other as if\u2026\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u2018Who\u2019s this guy?\u2019<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We were all made to shake hands.\u00a0 I shook his hand, I played on the wing.<\/span>..h<\/span>e played on the wing<\/span>!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>S<\/span>o<\/span>\u00a0we would b<\/span>e<\/span>\u00a0fighting for the ball, getting a run, being tackled by him. I remember running down the wing with him in hot pursuit with the ball and<\/span>….<\/span>\u00a0our goal keeper<\/span>‘<\/span>s Father screaming, \u2018Run\u00a0<\/span>d*****<\/span>, run!\u2019\u00a0 And we both stopped and looked at him<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>(<\/span><\/i>chuckles)\u00a0<\/span><\/i>to say\u00a0<\/span>\u2018Who are you talking to?\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Which one?’<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0a<\/span>nd we laughed. That was my first meeting with my friend, Paul Nash<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0who was also a mixed race, African American<\/span>…<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

First-hand<\/span>\u00a0accounts of changing attitudes add a great deal to our understanding of the experience of BAME people in Dorset and further afield.\u00a0<\/span>If you would be interested in sharing your story with us, please do contact us.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

More stories of the children of black G.I.s are contained in ‘<\/span>1944 We Were Here: African American\u00a0<\/span><\/i>G.I’s<\/span><\/i><\/a>\u00a0in Dorset’\u00a0<\/span><\/i>by Louisa Adjoa Parker. This can be found in our onsite local studies library and other libraries around the county. You can also read more about Louisa’s work via her own website<\/a>.\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Please be aware that the following blog contains quotes from an audio recording which includes racial language as reported from past experiences. Dorset History Centre does not condone the use of such language, but recognises that such terms were used in the past and are reflected in historical records. — The Dorset Sound Archive,\u00a0cared for… Read more Black History Month: John Stockley<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1892,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[82,227,226,109],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1919"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1892"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1919"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1919\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1937,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1919\/revisions\/1937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}