Comments on: PERSONAL STORIES http://www.thesouthallstory.com People, Heritage, Arts Sun, 03 Feb 2013 13:50:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4 By: Hundeslawe http://www.thesouthallstory.com/personal-stories/comment-page-1/#comment-109 Hundeslawe Sun, 03 Feb 2013 13:50:56 +0000 http://thesouthallstory.wordpress.com/?page_id=185#comment-109 My grandfather was one of the pioneer Asian settlers in Southall back in the early 1950's and I have to say, reading through this wonderfull archive, the most important bit about Southall's 'Asian' settlement..i.e. it's foundation, seems to have been overlooked. Basically, my grandfather, along with the majority of the UK's Sikhs in the 1930's and 1940's, lived in what was at that time the largest Sikh concentration in the country....the Aldgate end of Whitechapel in London's East End. The actual area has today been incorporated into the City but back then was very much a very poor residential area. After the end of World War 2 alot of British industrialists were returning to Blighty after serving in the army alongside Sikhs. Thus they came back home with very high opinions of Sikhs and were keen to employ them in their factories. Two of the most famous of these were the owners of the paper factory in Gravesend and Wolf's rubber factory in Southall. Thus, from the end of the 1940's to the middle of the 50's most of the East End Sikhs were communuting to work each day either west to Southall or east to Gravesend. Thus, as successive immigrant groups in the East End have done, they moved.....some to Gravesend and some to Southall and to this day those two towns remain the UK's two largest Sikh communities. My grandfather did the daily commute each day for around 5 years before buying a house in Southall. Interestly, one of his siblings bought a house in neighbouring Hounslow at the same time because it was, at that time, cheaper than Southall. So you see it wasn't Heathrow Airport that led to Southall's Asian identity. It was a British Army General and his affinity with Sikh soldiers. Whilst the 'Southall Story' is full of great information what it lacks is the solid foundation. My grandfather was one of the pioneer Asian settlers in Southall back in the early 1950′s and I have to say, reading through this wonderfull archive, the most important bit about Southall’s ‘Asian’ settlement..i.e. it’s foundation, seems to have been overlooked. Basically, my grandfather, along with the majority of the UK’s Sikhs in the 1930′s and 1940′s, lived in what was at that time the largest Sikh concentration in the country….the Aldgate end of Whitechapel in London’s East End. The actual area has today been incorporated into the City but back then was very much a very poor residential area. After the end of World War 2 alot of British industrialists were returning to Blighty after serving in the army alongside Sikhs. Thus they came back home with very high opinions of Sikhs and were keen to employ them in their factories. Two of the most famous of these were the owners of the paper factory in Gravesend and Wolf’s rubber factory in Southall. Thus, from the end of the 1940′s to the middle of the 50′s most of the East End Sikhs were communuting to work each day either west to Southall or east to Gravesend. Thus, as successive immigrant groups in the East End have done, they moved…..some to Gravesend and some to Southall and to this day those two towns remain the UK’s two largest Sikh communities. My grandfather did the daily commute each day for around 5 years before buying a house in Southall. Interestly, one of his siblings bought a house in neighbouring Hounslow at the same time because it was, at that time, cheaper than Southall. So you see it wasn’t Heathrow Airport that led to Southall’s Asian identity. It was a British Army General and his affinity with Sikh soldiers. Whilst the ‘Southall Story’ is full of great information what it lacks is the solid foundation.

]]> By: sparkesy http://www.thesouthallstory.com/personal-stories/comment-page-1/#comment-108 sparkesy Fri, 11 Jan 2013 22:25:40 +0000 http://thesouthallstory.wordpress.com/?page_id=185#comment-108 Hi you were interested in the Welsh connection in Southall like ourselves a lot of family's came to Southall Hayes and Greenford with the railway we came in 1959 there was my Mother & Father and 5 boys we all went to Dormers Wells school we now live all over the UK myself in Wales I left in 1973 but still have fond memories Hi you were interested in the Welsh connection in Southall like ourselves a lot of family’s came to Southall Hayes and Greenford with the railway we came in 1959 there was my Mother & Father and 5 boys we all went to Dormers Wells school we now live all over the UK myself in Wales I left in 1973 but still have fond memories

]]> By: Ravster http://www.thesouthallstory.com/personal-stories/comment-page-1/#comment-79 Ravster Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:27:32 +0000 http://thesouthallstory.wordpress.com/?page_id=185#comment-79 It might be interesting to investigate Southalls Welsh connection - prior to Asians, there was a significant Welsh community there, and I remember that many of the teachers at Beaconsfiled Rd Primary School were Welsh in the 60's, as were some of my friends there - to the extent that we were taught a well-known Welsh nursery rhyme (also a New Zealand Maori one, but that's because one of the teachers was from NZ...)- don't ask me to recite it though...:) A colleague who I worked with in the mid to late 80's in Soho & who is Welsh with no prior Southall connection that I was aware of, and who I re-connected with on Facebook, mentioned that her grandparents lived near Lady Margarets Rd of all places....small world... It might be interesting to investigate Southalls Welsh connection – prior to Asians, there was a significant Welsh community there, and I remember that many of the teachers at Beaconsfiled Rd Primary School were Welsh in the 60′s, as were some of my friends there – to the extent that we were taught a well-known Welsh nursery rhyme (also a New Zealand Maori one, but that’s because one of the teachers was from NZ…)- don’t ask me to recite it though…:)

A colleague who I worked with in the mid to late 80′s in Soho & who is Welsh with no prior Southall connection that I was aware of, and who I re-connected with on Facebook, mentioned that her grandparents lived near Lady Margarets Rd of all places….small world…

]]> By: southallstory http://www.thesouthallstory.com/personal-stories/comment-page-1/#comment-22 southallstory Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:06:47 +0000 http://thesouthallstory.wordpress.com/?page_id=185#comment-22 Dear Ronald, Thanks so much for getting in touch with us. You may want to have a look at the links below which hopefully would give you an insight into how your name came to be. I have also provided a couple of links to the history of Southall http://www.houseofnames.com/xq/asp.fc/qx/southall-family-crest.htm http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22402 http://www.ealing.gov.uk/services/leisure/local_history/area_history/southall/ Good reading, Shakila Dear Ronald,

Thanks so much for getting in touch with us.

You may want to have a look at the links below which hopefully would give you an insight into how your name came to be.

I have also provided a couple of links to the history of Southall

http://www.houseofnames.com/xq/asp.fc/qx/southall-family-crest.htm

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22402

http://www.ealing.gov.uk/services/leisure/local_history/area_history/southall/

Good reading,

Shakila

]]> By: Ronald Southall http://www.thesouthallstory.com/personal-stories/comment-page-1/#comment-15 Ronald Southall Fri, 23 Apr 2010 15:44:14 +0000 http://thesouthallstory.wordpress.com/?page_id=185#comment-15 I am a Real Estate agent in Columbus, Ohio. My grandparents came to America before I was born and they lived in Southall. I was wondering how the name Southall got started and why we are named Southall. Which came first the name Southall or the town. My grandfathers name was Enoch Southall. Can you tell me anymore about the name? I am a Real Estate agent in Columbus, Ohio. My grandparents came to America before I was born and they lived in Southall.

I was wondering how the name Southall got started and why we are named Southall. Which came first the name Southall or the town.

My grandfathers name was Enoch Southall. Can you tell me anymore about the name?

]]> By: Mark Allan http://www.thesouthallstory.com/personal-stories/comment-page-1/#comment-11 Mark Allan Tue, 20 Apr 2010 20:16:50 +0000 http://thesouthallstory.wordpress.com/?page_id=185#comment-11 I play in and manage an Indian style wedding brass band called the Bollywood Brass Band. Our very first gig was a Festival of Lights procession through Southall in October 1992 - it rained and our diwa (oil lamp) shaped hats filled up with water, but the community spirit was strong and a thousand people walked with lanterns they had made. Since that time our story has intertwined with Southall on many occasions, playing at weddings in various gurdwaras, rehearsing at Westar, looking for costume ideas and buying dhol sticks in the shops. Most recently, we have been playing in schools as part of Ealing Music Service's World Music Festival. I was very moved to play in Blair Peach School; I am a New Zealander, as Blair was, and on the day of his killing I was in Southall - I remember the tension and the shops all being boarded up. I had just arrived in the UK and did not really know what was going on, but soon became involved in anti-racist activities. I have always loved to come and feel the pulse of "Little India", such an important part of this city that accepts us migrants from everywhere and makes us all Londonstanis. I play in and manage an Indian style wedding brass band called the Bollywood Brass Band. Our very first gig was a Festival of Lights procession through Southall in October 1992 – it rained and our diwa (oil lamp) shaped hats filled up with water, but the community spirit was strong and a thousand people walked with lanterns they had made. Since that time our story has intertwined with Southall on many occasions, playing at weddings in various gurdwaras, rehearsing at Westar, looking for costume ideas and buying dhol sticks in the shops. Most recently, we have been playing in schools as part of Ealing Music Service’s World Music Festival. I was very moved to play in Blair Peach School; I am a New Zealander, as Blair was, and on the day of his killing I was in Southall – I remember the tension and the shops all being boarded up. I had just arrived in the UK and did not really know what was going on, but soon became involved in anti-racist activities. I have always loved to come and feel the pulse of “Little India”, such an important part of this city that accepts us migrants from everywhere and makes us all Londonstanis.

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