The 1919 Glasgow Harbour Riot: Race and Work on the Broomielaw
Contents
On 23 January 1919, at the mercantile marine office near Glasgow's Broomielaw, white sailors attacked a group of Black seamen, mostly from West Africa and the Caribbean, who were seeking work on ships. The fighting spread into nearby streets, shots were fired, and several people were injured. It was the first of a series of race riots in British seaports that year, as demobilised sailors competed for scarce jobs. Overshadowed by the "Battle of George Square" a week later, the harbour riot was largely forgotten until historians recovered its story. This card tells it.
TL;DR
- established On 23 January 1919 a fight broke out at the mercantile marine office in Glasgow's harbour area when white sailors, many recently demobilised, attacked Black sailors looking for work.
- established The Black sailors were mostly from West Africa (especially Sierra Leone) and the Caribbean, and many had served Britain during the First World War.
- established A white crowd of hundreds chased about 30 Black sailors along the Broomielaw. Three men were seriously injured. Police took the 30 Black sailors into "protective custody" and charged them; no white rioters were arrested.
- established It was the first of a wave of race riots in British port cities in 1919, including Liverpool, Cardiff, South Shields and London.
- shared Historians such as Jacqueline Jenkinson argue that competition for jobs, racism and post-war tensions all fed the violence, and that the riot has been neglected in Scottish history.
Key Facts
- Date
- 23 January 1919
- Place
- Mercantile marine office, James Watt Street, by the Broomielaw
- Attacked
- Black sailors from West Africa and the Caribbean
- Attackers
- White sailors, many recently demobilised
- Violence
- Guns, knives and stones; three men seriously injured
- Arrests
- 30 Black sailors charged; no white rioters arrested
- Context
- Post-war unemployment
- Wider wave
- Riots in Liverpool, Cardiff, South Shields, London
A Note on Claims and Evidence
Each major claim carries one of three labels. established means supported by primary records, official bodies or several independent reliable sources. shared means the core fact is sound but sources disagree on details, dates or interpretation. traditional means widely repeated but not traceable to a primary or independent source.
The riot is documented in Glasgow newspapers and court records. Contemporary reports often reflected racist assumptions, and historians have reinterpreted them.
Timeline
Black colonial sailors serve in the British merchant navy.
Armistice; demobilisation begins.
Glasgow harbour riot.
The "Battle of George Square" during the 40-hour strike.
Race riots in Liverpool, Cardiff and other ports.
Jacqueline Jenkinson's article "Black Sailors on Red Clydeside" is published.
Jenkinson's book Black 1919 is published.
Details
Sailors from the Empire
established During the First World War, many Black seamen from West Africa and the Caribbean, as well as Arab, South Asian and Chinese seamen, served in the British merchant navy, often on dangerous convoys. When the war ended, demobilised white sailors returned to find jobs scarce, and some unions and seamen blamed colonial sailors.
The riot
established On 23 January 1919, a group of Black sailors was waiting at the mercantile marine office near the Broomielaw when white sailors began to abuse and attack them. The Black sailors were chased through nearby streets to their lodging house. A crowd gathered, shots were fired, and several men were injured. Police took about 30 of the Black sailors into "protective custody" and charged them with riot and weapons offences; no white rioters were arrested. At their trial the defence lawyer called this "peculiar". A few hours before the riot, Emanuel Shinwell, leader of the British Seafarers' Union, had addressed a meeting of more than 600 sailors at the same yard; some seamen's unions operated a colour bar against Black sailors.
A wave of riots
established The Glasgow riot was the first of a series of race riots in British seaports in 1919. Later riots in Liverpool and Cardiff were more violent, and several men were killed, including Charles Wootton in Liverpool.
Forgotten and recovered
shared The harbour riot was overshadowed by the industrial unrest of the same month, including the "Battle of George Square" on 31 January. Historians, notably Jacqueline Jenkinson, have since examined it as part of the history of race and racism in Scotland, challenging the idea that racial conflict was absent from Scottish history.
Did You Know?
- The Glasgow harbour riot took place on 23 January 1919.
- Many of the Black sailors had served Britain in the First World War.
- It was the first of a wave of 1919 seaport riots.
- It was overshadowed by the Battle of George Square.
- Historians have recently recovered its story.
- A few hours before the riot, the union leader Emanuel Shinwell addressed more than 600 sailors at the same yard.
- No white rioter was arrested.
- Across Britain the 1919 riots left five people dead, four of them Black men.
FAQ
1What happened in the 1919 Glasgow harbour riot?
White sailors attacked Black sailors seeking work at the Broomielaw.
2Who were the Black sailors?
Mostly from West Africa and the Caribbean.
3Why did it happen?
Competition for jobs, racism and post-war tensions.
4Were there other riots?
Yes, in Liverpool, Cardiff and other ports in 1919.
5Why is it little known?
It was overshadowed by other events in Glasgow that month.
6Who was hurt?
Three men were seriously injured: two white sailors, one shot and one stabbed, and Tom Johnson, a sailor from Sierra Leone, who was stabbed.
7Who was arrested?
About 30 Black sailors were taken into "protective custody" and charged; no white rioters were arrested.
8Was there a link to the 40-hour strike?
Jacqueline Jenkinson argues that the riot and the George Square protest were connected, through union campaigns against overseas labour.
Sources and Further Reading
Primary/Institutional
- Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights, "Lessons from the Glasgow race riots: 1919–2019" (crer.org.uk)
Scholarly/Critical
- Jacqueline Jenkinson, "Black Sailors on Red Clydeside: Rioting, Reactionary Trade Unionism and Conflicting Notions of 'Britishness' Following the First World War", Twentieth Century British History, 19:1 (2008), University of Stirling repository (storre.stir.ac.uk)
- Jacqueline Jenkinson, Black 1919: Riots, Racism and Resistance in Imperial Britain (Liverpool University Press, 2009)
General
- Wikipedia, "1919 British race riots" (en.wikipedia.org)
Caveats: Myths and Disputed Claims
- The harbour riot is not the Battle of George Square. They are separate events.
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