Arrivals: Bev & Shirley Vickers
Shirley Vickers travelled to the UK from Jamaica in June 1960 aged 20.
Before arriving in the UK he had played cricket for several Jamaican cricket clubs. This would ultimately aid him in his search for employment when he came to England.
Within two weeks of arriving in the UK Shirley took his first job working on the railway. Once word got round about his cricketing abilities several employers took an interest in the young West-Indian all-rounder and it wasn’t long before more job offers came his way.
Shirley took jobs with the bus depot, International Harvesters and Sir Robert McAlpine’s, ultimately returning to work for Harvesters when it became J. I. Case.
He recalls being knocked for six on receipt of his first pay packet. For 44 hours work he received £7. He had earned £6 for three days of cricket when in Jamaica.
Shirley also remembers how cold he found the first few winters in England which no one from the Caribbean was prepared for.
Bev Vickers is from River View, Portland and arrived in the UK aged 12 in 1966.
Bev went to Kirby Avenue School and then Don Valley School.
She left school at 15 and worked for one year at Crompton Parkinson, an electrical manufacturing company before taking a job at Burton the Tailors.
After marrying Shirley, Bev would run the Vickers’ household raising their children.
Bev later went to work for the NHS and has clocked up over thirty years of service working for them.
