Ronald Roberts collection
http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/gb-003348-wl1828 an entity of type: Record
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Ronald 'Ronnie' Roberts (John Beauclerc Wendworth Ronaldevan Roberts) was born of Barbadian/German mixed descent in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. His father, Evandale Roberts (born 1887), arrived in Rostock from his home in Barbados in 1911 on a scholarship to study music. He married Alma Karbach (born 1890) in 1913. She ran a milliner's business in Rostock. During the First World War Evandale was interned as enemy alien on account of being a British subject. He spent the war in Ruhleben camp outside Berlin. Shortly after his release in 1918 he formed a large band which toured the top night spots in Europe. He became very rich acquiring a villa in Wiesbaden and employing servants. Ronnie and his older sister, Beryl (born 1919 in London) grew up in luxury and changed school frequently due to their father touring Europe. When Evandale suddenly walked out on the family, Alma and her two children started experiencing the hardships of poverty and racism.
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This collection comprises the personal papers of Ronnie Roberts (1921-2001), a mixed race Barbadian/German from Mainz who was imprisoned at various civilian internment and labour camps in Germany during the Second World War. After being subjected to racism in Nazi Germany he emigrated to England in 1938/1939 where he failed to make a life for himself. He returned to Germany and after the outbreak of the war was imprisoned at internment camps due to his British subject status (his father was of British nationality). The collection is fascinating for the rarity of the subject content, the quality of the photographic and documentary materials and for the extraordinary narrative.
Personal papers of Ronald Roberts including his autobiographical account; his letters from internment camps addressed to his mother, Alma Roberts; registration documents; school reports; work references; family register; family photographs; notebook containing recipes for cocktails and press cuttings relating to Roberts. Also included are some of Alma Roberts' registration documents and certificate of Austrian citizenship.