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coloured persons in stepney.
a special survey
During the latter part of 1943 a special Survey was made
of the groups of coloured persons in Stepney by investigators
working for a local committee in co-ope ration with the welfare
Department of the Colonial Office.
This as an original and most useful piece of work and I
desire to express my gratitude for permission given me to quote
some of the facts and figures of the Survey.
The fact that the investigation as undertaken in the midst
of the war does, not mean that the matter is a war-time one. It is
true the War intensified the difficulties of the coloured people
in many ways and temporarily added to their number coloured
visitors serving in the Forces, many U.S.A. negroes spending periods
of their leave amidst the coloured people in the Borough. But the
question existed for several years before- the war and is likely to
continue in an area such as Stepney which is closely associated
with shipping and the docks.
The coloured persons in Stepney tend, at present, to confine
themselves to a more or less limited area of just under one square
mile in the south-westerly part of the Borough. In- this area in
1943 approximately 698 coloured people could be found on any given
day. Of the 698, some 400 were residents in the area and 298 were
a floating population, of whom about 150 v/ere casual visitors to
the district, the latter mostly United States negro soldiers on
leave.
(1) tie resident coloured parsons
About 400 coloured persons have homes in Stepney in the area
described above. These consist of 252 men, 12 women and 136
children.
The men are mostly Indians from the East Indies but there are
many coloured "colonials". The proportions, worked out from the
known origin of 150 of the men, were as follows:-
Indians 49.2%
Colonials 45.2%
Other origins 4.4%
The "colonials" originated as follows :-
Vest Africans 69.4%
British West
Indians 17.0%
Ceylon, Malaya,
Aden 13.6%
with a few others from the Soudan, South Africa, '/est Africa,
French . Africa and Egypt.
75 of the coloured men residing more or less permanently in
the area live with or are married to women by whom they have children.
32 of these men are indians, 39 colonials and 4 other origins.
The children number 136, and most of these have been born within
the last 10 years, as the following figures show:-
6 children between the age of 15 and 16.
19 " " " " " 10 " 15.
33 " " " " " 5 " 10.
78 " under the age of 5 years.
(12)