Plaque at Chatham honours colour bar pioneer

摘要

A plaque commemorating the memory of British Rail guard Asquith Xavier, who broke the colour bar at Euston station in 1966, was unveiled at Chatham station on September 24. Xavier was a Chatham resident and guard who played a key role in ending the last vestiges of colour bars on BR. It was decided by his family, the RMT union, Southeastern and Network Rail that it would be a fitting tribute to erect a plaque at his home station. Funding came from the RMT, Southeastern and NR. His granddaughter, Maria Xavier, said: "This plaque has helped shed light on his achievements within British race relations and employment law. "It recognises how my grandfather overcame adversity and prejudice in the campaign for racial equality in Britain in the 1960s and acknowledges his legacy as part of modern-day history."