Black History Month: 24 October 2020
Frank Bailey is remembered as the first Black firefighter in Britain, described by the London Fire Commissioner as a "pioneer". Born in Guyana, Bailey came to England in 1953. He was a political activist, and upon hearing allegations of racism against the Britain fire department, and that black people were not being hired, decided to apply for a job there in 1955 to see if this was true. He was accepted, however, and joined the West Ham fire brigade in East London. In a collection of memoirs from Black and Asian staff of the fire brigade, Bailey described how he saved the life of another firefighter who had fainted, by bringing him down to the ground in a fireman's lift.
Though he was talented as a firefighter, and making positive contributions to the community, he still faced discrimination in the position, and he left the job in 1965 due to have being passed over for promotion several times. Today, though there are still areas that require change, 32% of employees of the fire department are from black or ethnic minority backgrounds, thanks to the work of Bailey and others like him. Bailey also made positive change by being one of London's first black mental welfare officers and psychiatric social workers, although he is most well remembered in his role as a firefighter. He continued to follow African and Caribbean politics and campaigned for the rights of the black working class, until his death in 2015.
Want to find out more about Frank Bailey? Click here for more information.
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