Jamie Walker – Inter-war society and politics -Johnes article

Race, Archival Silences, and a Black Footballer Between the Wars

By Martin Johnes

(Blog post by Jamie Walker)

Martin Johnes’ article “Race, Archival Silences, and a Black Footballer Between the Wars” is an interesting text that delves into the lives of black people, especially of the working class, during the Interwar period in Britain. Johnes stresses that historians tend to focus on racism inflicted by white people upon black people, which is more of a white person’s perspective, rather than exploring the experience that black people encountered at this time. Doing this would provide a different insight into the history of racial relations in Britain. Thus, Johnes explores the life of the black footballer John Edward Parris (a.k.a Eddie Parris) as a testament to the challenges experienced by black people, but also as an example of inspiration and the slow, but gradual, integration of black people into British society.

Parris was born in rural Wales on 31^st January 1911 to a black father from Barbados and a white mother from Leicester. There is very little known of the family, other than that the marriage was likely looked down upon by the rest of society. At the age of just 17, Parris was asked to join the Second-Division Bradford Park Avenue football club after being spotted playing for Chepstow in 1927. He had his debut in 1929 and from then on played for several clubs and performed exceedingly well according to newspapers of the time. But, as a whole, he had a rather fluctuant career. Despite being a very popular player, Parris had to change teams frequently because he did not make enough funds for his family. Footballers within the higher Leagues could expect a maximum wage of £8 a week from 1922, which was much more than most skilled workers’ salaries. However, since Parris later fell into lower Leagues he had to move around and seek work elsewhere. In 1939, for example, due to the war and being part of a lower League, Parris had to find work at the Gloucester Aircraft Company and leave the Northampton League due to the distance. Despite this setback, Parris played for the factory’s local team and Gloucester City. In 1946, he joined Cheltenham Town and in 1947 he became a coach/player for Gloucester. Later in life, following retirement, Parris had to find work with the British Nylon Spinners factory and was unable to afford decent housing. Finally, in 1971, Parris died from lung cancer when living on a predominantly working-class street.

There were an estimated 10,000 – 30,000 black people in Britain in 1945, who were mostly confined to working-class areas within industrial cities, such as ports. The white population, therefore, had very little interaction with black people and, according to Johnes, this only encouraged racial stereotyping and beliefs to circulate amongst them. Since there was so little contact, people’s views were informed by stereotyped and negative images of black people. However, the career and fame of black celebrities, such as Parris, had a complex impact on the white perception of black people. Referring to newspapers of the time, ethnicity was rarely used as a negative form of description, Johnes argues. Instead, different skin colours were seen as attractive to crowds. Johnes states that this “exotic” appeal of foreign players drew in much larger numbers at matches, referring to the example of an Indian player playing for Celtic in 1936. This may also have had similarities to the “comic” appeal of black people on “show”, according to Parris. Having black people on display as a “show”, bolsters the feeling of white superiority over them, Johnes uses the black minstrel shows as an example. However, for many others, the appearance of black cultural figures within popular settings may have improved relations. Johnes suggests that as more white people encountered actual black people, the more their toxic racial stereotyping was challenged. Improved awareness made people think of race differently and more positively. Black fame may have also served as inspiration for people. Figures such as Paul Robeson and Florence Mills became symbols of strength and determination for both the white and black populations, and Parris was no exception.

Overall, Johnes ascertains a strong observation from the life of Eddie Parris in relation to the lives of black people within Interwar Britain. Parris is an example of both the positive and negative aspects faced by black people at this time. Although Parris had accumulated fame and considerable levels of respect, he still faced racist ridicule from fans and most likely other Britons which the newspapers neglect to mention. Parris may have gotten to follow his dream as a successful footballer, but he still had to find work elsewhere to support himself and his family, work which likely contributed to his ill health towards the end of his life. “Racism co-existed with integration” according to Johnes, meaning that the levels of mutual racial respect at this time are difficult to define but were likely consistently unsteady. However, what is certain is that though the life of Parris may not have been a huge success for himself, he served, and continues to serve, as a successful example of the black peoples’ challenge against racial prejudice.