American Dreams
Writing on the Wall Kuumba Imani Millennium Centre 4, Princes Road, Liverpool L8 1TH Published by Writing on the Wall 2015 Š Remains with St Albert’s Primary School Design and layout by Rosa Murdoch All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers. 0151 703 0020 info@writingonthewall.org.uk www.writingonthewall.org.uk
American Dreams George Garrett - The Travelling Man
Foreword Over the past three years we’ve had many high points working on George Garrett’s archive, but maybe none as thrilling as working with the pupils and staff at St Albert’s Primary School. The project ‘American Dreams’ came about via an email from assistant head teacher, Gemma Veevers, asking if Writing on the Wall could work with St Albert’s to bolster the levels of writing in the school. The amazing work of our volunteers and staff appears to have achieved this, but the real stars of this project are the pupils who have worked so hard to learn about George Garrett, Liverpool’s seagoing history, and America, and turn their learning into an inspirational collection of writing and artwork. We have all been blown away by the work of the pupils, and at just how much they had engaged with the project. Our aim has been to preserve George Garrett’s legacy, and make his life and work relevant to a new generation. I can only imagine how George would feel listening to the pupils read their work about him, and reading their stories about stowing away on ships and living in America. Proud, I think, would be the word to describe his feelings. This project is a clear demonstration that inspiring pupils through creativity, using inspirational local figures such as George Garrett, can have a huge impact upon their ability to use their imaginations and develop their creative writing and artistic skills. This then impacts upon their levels of writing and the literacy. Thanks to our George Garrett Archive tutor for leading this work, and to all our volunteers, particularly Sean Garrett and Ray Quarless for their work in the school. Special thanks to Deputy Head Teacher Gemma Veevers, and all of the staff at St Albert’s for welcoming us to work with them at their wonderful school. Most of all, congratulations to all the pupils for their dedication, commitment, and for creating this inspirational collection of work. Mike Morris Co-Director, Writing on the Wall
George Garret Biography His Childhood Born on the 13th August 1896, George Garret lived in Seacombe with his Catholic Mum called Catharine and his Protestant Dad Sam. His Dad owned a sweet shop above the water, but it sadly failed so family moved to Liverpool. George went to St Vincent's Roman Catholic School in Park road, where he was regularly caned.
Stepping Into The World Garret's first job was barrowing coal off ships onto the docks when he was 15. In 1911, he witnessed a transport strike and later that year, on the 13th of August, he participated in another demonstration. At that strike, he was hit by a policeman's baton which broke his nose and also he lost some of his teeth. In 1913, at the age of 17, he stowed away on a tramp steamer that was headed to Buenos Aires. Once in Argentina, he jumped ship and continued his journey.
The Travelling Man George spent 12 months travelling around South America then, in August 1914, he got a job as a fireman on a British merchant ship. He visited many places over the next year. While serving on the S.S Oswald, the ship was torpedoed by the Germans. Luckily George and the rest of the crew were saved, but the ship sank in just seven minutes.
George's Voice In 1918, after the war, George returned to Liverpool where he married Grace Hooves. Due to the lack of work in Liverpool, George returned to sea as a stoker on a ship heading to New York. Once there, he joined the IWW and used literacy and theatre as forms of protest. He was forced out of America in 1920.When he returned to Liverpool, George spent five years as a political activist.
The American Dream George was blacklisted because of his political activities so he couldn't get a job. He returned to New York. He worked very hard and renewed his contract with IWW. George wrote two plays under the pen name George Oswald James, however none of them were ever published. He mixed with and became friends with actors and playwrights
The Return of the Stowaway Garret returned to Liverpool in 1926 and remained an activist. From 1932 to 1937, he only worked for nine months. He created his own theatre company called Unity Theatre where he published his own plays and those of others. He sadly died from throat cancer in 1966, leaving behind his wife and 5 children. By Lily Magill, Sam Fraser and Savannah Shrimpton