• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
I Rise

I Rise

Like the phoenix rising from the ashes

  • My culture, my country
  • Moments in time
  • Culture
  • Empower
  • Features
  • Health and Wellness
  • Things to do

The murder of Kelso Cochrane

17 May, 2021 by Pasha O
Picture of Kelso Cochrane

A 32-year-old black man from Antigua named Kelso Cochrane was brutally murdered in a racist attack in the early hours of 17 May 1959.

After receiving treatment at Paddington Hospital for a fractured thumb, Kelso Cochrane was walking home shortly after midnight when a gang of white youths surrounded him, called him derogatory names, beat him up and stabbed him through the heart outside of the Earl of Warwick pub on Golborne Road, Kensington. He was only a few hundred yards from the flat he shared with his fiancee in Notting Hill. The youths ran off when three men went to help him.

These men took him to the hospital, where he died an hour later.

First racially movitaved killing after Windrush

Kelso Cochrane’s murder is marked as the first racially motivated killing after the Windrush generation migrated to Britain but the police at the time treated it as a robbery gone wrong and general hooliganism.

Arrests were made but both suspects were released hours later. Mr Cochrane’s murderers were never caught. This reverberated through North Kensington’s Caribbean community and Britain at large.

The man leading the investigation, Detective Superintendent Ian Forbes-Leith, told a newspaper at the time: “We are satisfied that it was the work of a group of about six anti-law white teenagers who had only one motive in view – robbery or attempted robbery.”

Much was made in the press of the fact that Kelso’s wallet was empty, but his fiancee Olivia was clear in her statement that he had emptied it before leaving home that evening.

The Sunday People newspaper also claimed Kelso had been drinking, even though the pathologist ruled this out.

Hostility towards the Windrush migrants

Britain had welcomed the Caribbean migration in the wake of the war, yet hostility bubbled beneath the surface. Many recent arrivals settled in North Kensington, an area famous for low rents and unscrupulous landlords. Here, fascist politician Oswald Mosley focussed his energies, arguing for the repatriation of Caribbean people and urged the local white working-class population to “Keep Britain White”.

In 1958-59 under the banner of “Keep Britain White” attacks on the Black communities of Notting Hill, began with the intention to drive them out of their homes. These attacks resulted in the Notting Hill riots and in the murder of Kelso Cochrane less than a year later.

More than 1,200 people, both black and white, attended Kelso’s funeral. It was like a state occasion.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

Related

Category: Moments in timeTag: Historical events

You might be interested in…

Drawing of the zong massacre -slaves being tossed overboard

The Zong Massacre

Actors dressed in ku klux klan costumes in a scene from the film the birth of a nation

Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

Claudia Jones leads protest against immigration act

The Commonwealth Immigration Act 1962

Bellefield Great House

Sir Francis Kerr-Jarrett – Jamaican landowner

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Sidebar

This Day In History

No Events

Recent posts

Drawing of the zong massacre -slaves being tossed overboard

The Zong Massacre

Actors dressed in ku klux klan costumes in a scene from the film the birth of a nation

Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

Claudia Jones leads protest against immigration act

The Commonwealth Immigration Act 1962

Bellefield Great House

Sir Francis Kerr-Jarrett – Jamaican landowner

Subscribe to never miss a post

Enter your email address to subscribe to this site and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Trending posts

  • UK race riots - The murder of Charles Wotten
    UK race riots - The murder of Charles Wotten
  • Sybil Phoenix OBE - community leader
    Sybil Phoenix OBE - community leader
  • What is cancel culture, and are there any benefits?
    What is cancel culture, and are there any benefits?
  • Thomas Jennings - Inventor
    Thomas Jennings - Inventor
Emmett Till and Mamie Till

Emmett Till – Life and death

Black soldiers in world war one

Black and Asian Soldiers in World War One

Madam C J Walker inventor

Madam C J Walker

Boston smallpox outbreak

Onesimus – the slave who helped quell the Boston smallpox outbreak

  • About
  • Contact us
  • Be a guest writer
  • Cookies

Copyright © 2022 · I Rise · All Rights Reserved ·

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “ACCEPT ALL”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsREJECT ALLACCEPT ALL
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
SAVE & ACCEPT