Starter task Why have refugees come to Britain historically? Role play Imagine you have been told that tomorrow you and your family must leave this country forever. Around the outside of the suitcase draw the items that you would take with you into your new life. Can you think of any reasons why this situation might be a reality for some people? www.teachithistory.co.uk 2013 20466 Page 1 of 8
Name: Robert Young Refugee group: Huguenots Religion: French Protestant Date of immigration: 16 th and 17 th centuries I was a Protestant living in a Catholic country and was often attacked for my religious beliefs. In 1572 50,000 Huguenots like me were killed in France and the survivors were forced to travel across the English Channel to Britain. We travelled there because it is a Protestant country and it was the closest safe place. Some governments do very little to protect people from attack. There are many Huguenots living in Britain and many have settled down and married. I have a British wife and two lovely children. We changed our name from Lefebvre, a French name, to Young, which is more British. We have helped Britain to become strong and many of us are educated workers who earn money and help the economy in Britain to grow. We have many skilled people amongst us silk weavers, hat makers and paper makers, for example. We have introduced fine clothes like silk, velvet, satin and lace. Some of my friends have served in the British army. Moving to England has given me freedom and safety. It has allowed me to set up a family and to live a happy life free from religious persecution. www.teachithistory.co.uk 2013 20466 Page 2 of 8
Name: Connor O'Brien Refugee group: Irish immigrants Religion: Catholic Date of immigration: Early 19 th century In Ireland we relied on potatoes for our main food supply. In 1845 a terrible thing happened the potato crops were hit by a disease that caused them to rot. It spread and lasted for nearly six years. We called it the Great Famine because starvation, death and disease hit Ireland very badly in this time. Some Irish people had been moving to England for many years, looking for better conditions and jobs. When the famine hit, many more started to move to London, Liverpool and other English cities. Even though Ireland is part of the UK, we are seen as foreigners by the English. They say we are hard workers but complain about the way that we choose to live. There are lots of jobs for us to do in England. I work as a navvy helping to build the railways. Others work on canals and roads that are desperately needed as England is growing rapidly. Our contribution is vital and we Irish are often to be seen working on the docks, building sites or even as part of the army. England has done lots for me, yes! But we Irish have helped build Britain! www.teachithistory.co.uk 2013 20466 Page 3 of 8
Name: Mr Kaminski Refugee group: Russian-Jew immigrants Religion: Jewish Date of immigration: Between 1881 and 1914 I was born in Birmingham, but it is my father who is really interesting. He was from Poland, which at the time belonged to Russia. When the Russian leader Alexander II was killed, his death was blamed upon Jewish people. The Russians used this as an excuse to kill and attack the Jews who lived in Poland. Russians were mostly Christian and didn t like the fact that my father and others were following the Jewish religion. My father was one of 13 children in his family. He fled to England to avoid the violence, but his brothers and sisters ended up in America and Canada. The family had been very wealthy in Russia, but they had to leave everything behind. My father didn t speak English; he only spoke Yiddish. When he got off the boat he headed straight for Leeds as there were many Jewish people there who spoke his language and he knew he would be able to pray in the synagogue there. The British Jews tried to make my father as British as they could so he would fit in. He dressed like them and learned to speak English. My father worked for his uncle until he was married when he set up his own business making boots and shoes. I am a tailor and have a small family. Many refugees, however, were not as lucky and ended up in sweat shops working very long hours for low wages. www.teachithistory.co.uk 2013 20466 Page 4 of 8
Name: Abdullah Hafeez Refugee group: Ugandan Asian immigrants Religion: Muslim Date of immigration: From 1971 During the time of the British Empire, Britain encouraged people to move from India to Uganda (both countries in its Empire) to expand the workforce in Uganda. My family made the move and set up a business in Uganda. Uganda declared itself independent from British rule in 1962 and many people there started to resent our presence in the country. The president and leader of the army, Idi Amin, believed that businesses in Uganda should not be run by Asian or British citizens. He believed they should be run by black Ugandans. Asian people were told to leave Uganda within 90 days. I was one of those 50,000 people. I lost my shop as I had to leave everything behind. My son had to leave his studies in Uganda; he was training to become a doctor. We were airlifted out of the country with many others. We headed for Britain as we had British passports, and the British government accepted us. They set up camps and housing for us, but they didn t know how many would come. Some families were split up. My family and I were not accepted by the British people at first and people would talk about us behind our backs. Now we live a happier life, but we try to keep ourselves to ourselves we don t want to experience the same treatment again. www.teachithistory.co.uk 2013 20466 Page 5 of 8
Name: Mrs Zuzka Slimak Refugee group: Polish immigrants Religion: Catholic Date of immigration: From 1939 I left my country because of World War Two. In 1939 Germany, led by the Nazi party, invaded Poland. German soldiers attacked the Polish and tried to take over the country in order to get to Russia. Many ordinary Polish people were attacked by the German troops. I was taken to a labour camp in 1940 because my parents were political opponents to the Nazi party I was just six years old. We had to work very hard, with very little food, which made us very ill. When we were released from the camp in 1945 we had no homes to return to they had been destroyed by the war. We were sent to the nearest friendly countries. We chose to go to Britain, where a lot of our people had been living. I arrived in Liverpool in 1946. I went to school in England, and then to university where I met my husband. There were 100,000 of us who stayed in Britain. We made our homes here, had families, and came to think of ourselves as British. www.teachithistory.co.uk 2013 20466 Page 6 of 8
Name: Minh Phan Refugee group: Vietnamese immigrants Religion: Buddhist Date of immigration: From 1975 My country was involved in a very big war in the 1960s and 1970s. Those who didn t agree with the new leaders of Vietnam were forced to leave. We tried to escape the fighting in whatever way we could, often in small boats. We were crammed onto the boats travelling across the South China Sea. Hunger, disease, storms and attacks by pirates were all problems many people died en route. I survived and got to shore, but I didn t know where to go next. A conference was held to discuss the refugee crisis and several countries offered to give a home to some of the boat people. I was one of 10,000 people who were given a home in Britain. Britain is a peaceful country and has good leaders. It is a nice place to raise a family and to live my life. www.teachithistory.co.uk 2013 20466 Page 7 of 8
Refugee group Name and place of origin What happened to them in their home country? Why did they come to Britain? What was their life like in Britain? (positives and negatives) Huguenots (16 th and 17 th centuries) Irish people (from the early 19 th century) Russian Jews (from 1881) Ugandan Asians (from 1971) Polish refugees in WW2 (from 1939) Vietnamese people (from 1975) www.teachithistory.co.uk 2013 20466 Page 8 of 8