The Media Archive for Central England is the public screen archive for the East and West Midlands. An independent charity and company based at the University of Lincoln, MACE acquires, catalogues, preserves and makes widely available moving image materials that inform our understanding of the diverse cultures and histories of communities between the Lincolnshire coast and the Welsh border.
This film is part of Free
Black Special Constable
In Gloucester in January 1964, Astley Lloyd Blair makes history by becoming the first black special constable in Britain.
From the collection of:
Overview
Reg Harcourt talks to new volunteer special constable Astley Lloyd Blair in the city of Gloucester. Blair, who had previously served with the police in Jamaica, had broken in to the police force which, like every other force in the UK at that point, was a whites only operation. His duties appear to be traffic related and the Chief Constable thinks that he'll only be working the summer months. So despite this minor victory there was still a long way to go.