Somalis in Britain in the early 1900s: Ibrahim Ismaa’il: an autobiography

[Angelina]

I came across this fascinating text:

In the autobiography, Ismail also recounts his experience of life in Britain. He witnessed the anti-immigrant riots which engulfed Cardiff in 1919 at the end of the First World War. Returning from the trenches of the Western Front, white British servicemen directed their frustrations at the lack of employment at the black and Asian residents of Tiger Bay.

All of this happened a 100 yrs ago and I’m very interested. I have a lot of questions, did Ibrahim end up going back to Somalia? Or did he end up staying and having kids in the UK? Where are his descendents? I wish we had more sources about the lives and experiences of Somalis that lived in the UK a 100 yrs ago.

 

[AbrahamFreedom]

He probably moved back. There is no record of "Langara" registered as a birth or death unless they spelled his name wrong.

Search "Abdi" last name and tick births and deaths checkboxes. Very interesting results. Also marriages.

https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl

 

[Angelina]

There is more:

While in Basra” he recalls, “I had heard of a place called Europe, which was the other side of Djibouti, and where life was easier, wages being higher. I now decided to try my luck there.” He docked in London in early summer 1919 and headed straight to Cardiff “where there were many Somalis and plenty of ships, and where it was easy to get work.”


Hmm so there were many Somalis there. It isn’t surprising. I’ve heard of an cadaan gaal lady with a typical Muslim Somali surname. Turns out her grandfather was Somali! Shocking, she was a typical white Welsh woman.

 

[AbrahamFreedom]

There's a guy on my 23andme who looks completely white from the UK but is like 12.5% Somali. He had white name and last name though. It confused me at first but I realized he was obviously a descendant of one of that older community.

 

[Angelina]

@AbdiFreedom

Records of Somali deaths from at least 1904 which is 119 years ago.

 

[Amber]

Where can I find it?

 

[Angelina]

There's a guy on my 23andme who looks completely white from the UK but is like 12.5% Somali. He had white name and last name though. It confused me at first but I realized he was obviously a descendant of one of that older community.

He might have a maternal grandfather whose Somali. The reason why I say maternal is because I’ve heard of cadaans who have Hassan ect as a surname. There was even a white Liverpool player whose surname was Osman I believe due to his Somali grandfather.

 

[Angelina]

Where can I find it?

https://www.everydaymuslim.org/black-british-muslim-heritage-stories/a-life-of-a-somali-seaman/

The original:

AN EARLY SOMALI AUTOBIOGRAPHY (II) on JSTOR

Richard Pankhurst, AN EARLY SOMALI AUTOBIOGRAPHY (II), Africa: Rivista trimestrale di studi e documentazione dell'Istituto italiano per l'Africa e l'Oriente, Anno 32, No. 3 (SETTEMBRE 1977), pp. 355-384

www.jstor.org

 

[AbrahamFreedom]

@AbdiFreedom

Records of Somali deaths from at least 1904 which is 119 years ago.

View attachment 263072

I noticed on the site alot of them died very young.

 

[Angelina]

Marianne Joan Elliott-Said a 1980s UK Punk star.

Born in 1950s UK to a Somali dad. She too still had her Somali surname. Supposedly she used to:
tell the press that he was a dispossessed Somali aristocrat.[8][9]

My secret life: Poly Styrene, Singer, 51

The house I grew up in... was a white-fronted, Grade II-listed council house in a mixed part of Brixton, but I still felt the racial tension. Once I was hit over the head with a cricket bat, it was just that kind of area. Even if you were Italian, you were a "wog".

www.independent.co.uk

 

[Odious Delirium]

I noticed on the site alot of them died very young.

Seaman related jobs were very dangerous infact the reason somalis were able to get those jobs and work in the uk was because the brits didn't want to do those kind of jobs in the first place.

 

[Angelina]

Guys check this out, so in 1910, basically 113 years ago, a little half Somali called Abdi was born to a Welsh lady. Miskeen, I wonder how life was like for him in such a racist environment.

 

[Angelina]

I noticed on the site alot of them died very young.

I’ve typed in names like Jama which is a typical Somali one and it was sad to see most died at like 23 to 28 on average.

 

[Odious Delirium]

Guys check this out, so in 1910, basically 113 years ago, a little half Somali called Abdi was born to a Welsh lady. Miskeen, I wonder how life was like for him in such a racist environment.

View attachment 263073

Lol are you just going off if there called abdi or not which technically means there is probably some non abdi named somalis who have been around for longer that you may not have picked up on

 

[Angelina]

Lol are you just going off if there called abdi or not which technically means there is probably some non abdi named somalis who have been around for longer that you may not have picked up on

Asian and Arab use different versions. Example, Pakistanis/Indian and Bangladeshis would use the name Abdul.

Arabs would use the name Abdalla.

Somalis: Abdi. Only Somalis would use Abdi without using the full name name like example Abdi Kareem ect.

Also, location, Cardiff had a big community of Somali and Yemeni sailors. If the child was Yemeni he would be Abdalla or the whole name would be stated rather than just ‘Abdi’. Names like Abdi Kareem or Abdi Wahab would be used.

It’s an educated guess and I have a feeling I’m right. Location and name seems too obvious.

 

[Odious Delirium]

Asian and Arab use different versions. Example, Pakistanis/Indian and Bangladeshis would use the name Abdul.

Arabs would use the name Abdalla.

Somalis: Abdi. Only Somalis would use Abdi without using the full name name like example Abdi Kareem ect.

Also, location, Cardiff had a big community of Somali and Yemeni sailors. If the child was Yemeni he would be Abdalla or the whole name would be stated rather than just ‘Abdi’. Names like Abdi Kareem or Abdi Wahab would be used.

No I understand the abdi being very much an identifier for a somali. I'm talking about the average shared name like Mohammad there are probably a bunch of non abdi named somalis that lived there and maybe even earlier but you won't know if you go bases off just there name since it's just the average shared muslim name.

 

[Odious Delirium]

Also, location, Cardiff had a big community of Somali and Yemeni sailors.

This reminds me of a video I saw a while back about an attack on migrants in Wales. Yemenis were mentioned and apparently this attack on immigrants was because the women over there preferred them to there fellow Englishmen they were having a divestor gender war back then I'll try and find that video
I remember the fight that took place being described in a similar manner to the one mentioned in your extract

 

[Fobnimo Till I Dhimo]

Leon Osman use to play for Everton




Leon Osman (born 17 May 1981) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He spent almost all of his career at Everton, making 433 appearances and scoring 57 goals. Earlier in his career he spent time on loan at Football League clubs Carlisle United and Derby County. Osman earned two international caps for the England national team, making his debut at the age of 31.

Early life[edit]​

Osman was born in Wigan, Greater Manchester. Leon has a Somali paternal grandfather, his father is of mixed Somali and British ancestry and his mother is British,[3]. Leon was raised in Skelmersdale, Lancashire.[4] He attended Up Holland High School and Winstanley College.[5

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Osman

]

 

[Angelina]

No I understand the abdi being very much an identifier for a somali. I'm talking about the average shared name like Mohammad there are probably a bunch of non abdi named somalis that lived there and maybe even earlier but you won't know if you go bases off just there name since it's just the average shared muslim name.

I was thinking that! Sorry for my other post I deleted if you read it. I misunderstood you weirdly enough lol.

youre right, which is why I want to check more detailed records in which background is recorded. I’ve tried Jama and that came up. Even a birth record of a Jama born in Wales in the 1930s. I’d love to know how they felt growing up being in an all white environment that was horribly racist. The abuse most of been horrific. I wonder if they ever went to Somalia ect.

 

[Angelina]

This reminds me of a video I saw a while back about an attack on migrants in Wales. Yemenis were mentioned and apparently this attack on immigrants was because the women over there preferred them to there fellow Englishmen they were having a divestor gender war back then I'll try and find that video View attachment 263075
I remember the fight that took place being described in a similar manner to the one mentioned in your extract

I know! I’ve watched it. But tbh, English men in those days were like Abdis on sspot and social media LOL. Over the top and dramatic. One or two women marrying out was enough to make them lose their marbles. IR relationships with non whites was seen as ceeb to another level. The women would be abused and socially ostracized which is how places like Tigers Bay began to form.