Individual results

Interviewee: Devon (Dev) Barrett
Track 1
Was born on 13 Oct 1952, in Jamaica. Came to Coventry in 1963. Found Coventry quite depressing to look at, strange buildings. But exciting, as he hadn't seen parents for about five years. Coventry seemed strange, hardly anybody around, people wearing strange clothes. Lived in Little Heath area of the city. Family of seven, he has five sisters and a brother, he is the oldest. Got on well with siblings, close with brother.

Track 2
No real confrontations because he was that much older. Lived in an end terrace house, three bedrooms, garden with no grass because kids had worn it out. Watched game shows on TV (television). Shared bedroom and bed with brother. Room was cold, had no central heating until in senior school. Close to mother, father was very strict.

Track 3
Father-son relationship. Mother was gentle.
Interruption…

Track 4
Dad was a disciplinarian. Still close with mother. Dad died 1982. He was strict on what time he had to be home. Getting into trouble, punishments. He had to keep the younger ones out of trouble. Had chores to do in the house. Parental influences - he is often quite disciplined.

Track 5
Family activities - watching game shows, playing chess, teaching siblings to play chess. Visits to family friends on Sundays. Visits to a family in London. Family was always together. Remembers first night he was away from his parents for a whole night aged 14 years. At 16 years of age went to an outward-bound centre.

Track 6
Sundays were always a special family occasion, sitting round the table, eating West Indian food, saying grace. Christmas was brilliant, fighting over who was going to open presents first. Birthdays not really celebrated, only really remembers twenty-first birthday. Went to church and Sunday School.

Track 7
Had a party on his twenty-first birthday. Didn't really have family holidays, possibly because parents not brought up in England, so no trips to Skegness. Dad had plans to go back to Jamaica but never did. Holidays spent in the back garden, occasional trips to London. Went to Little Heath Primary School, Broad Heath Secondary School, then to The Butts College.

Track 8
First days at school in Jamaica. Remembers first day at Little Heath, all the kids were white except for him and one Indian lad, he didn't know what he was supposed to be doing in class.

Track 9
Understood nothing in class for the whole first week, didn't like it, wanted to go back to Jamaica. Not unhappy being the only black kid, the other kids were curious. Teacher sat him next to the Indian lad, and then a 'dirty' girl who used to sniff and never had a hanky.
Interruption…

Track 10
Looking back he realises how he was being treated, not offended at the time. Always used to get put in pair with the dirtiest kid in the class, probably why he hates sniffing today! Got on well with group of lads at end of junior school, the tough group of the school.
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Track 11
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Track 12
Teachers weren't very helpful in primary school. Got friendly with group of older tough lads by beating someone in a fight easily. Went to senior school and the older lads looked out for him. Teachers at secondary school were a lot more understanding, explained things more. School had large number of children from immigrant families.

Track 13
School taught the values to the kids. Very keen on sport at school, got average marks academically. Didn't do much homework, didn't see the importance of it. More interested in rugby. School had great sporting reputation. Year he started (1964?) had man from Coventry who went to his school, swimming in the Olympics. He was class captain.

Track 14
Later on became school captain. Involved in all team sports at school. Did OK at school, for the amount of work he put in. Never misbehaved in class, but never into studying either. Remembers having an oral exam for CSE which he forgot all about and had to make up on the spot.

Track 15
Throughout school always wanted to get a job. Wanted to keep on playing rugby, but had no wild dreams to play for England etc. Wanted to train to be an electrician, and have a family like the one he had, but earn more money. Remembers back in Jamaica some places had no electricity, so wanted to become an electrician, and help people.

Track 16
He was in the 'A' stream at school. The careers officer told them that they could only expect to achieve so much in life. He knew where his limit was, felt he could become an electrician. He had a couple of interviews for jobs. Worked as an electrician and went to college on day release to train for City and Guilds.

Track 17
Spare time activities when he was young - Dad didn't really let them go out. Played rugby on Saturday mornings, did chores round the house, played games, watched TV. Liked game shows, Bruce Forsyth was popular, liked children's TV. Had to go to bed at 9pm. Couldn't watch TV until chores were finished.

Track 18
Used to go out in town after he left school, but still used to have to be home by 11 o'clock. When he did go out he loved clubs, went to 'Locarno' on Mondays. Played rugby on Saturdays. Still restricted because had to be home on 11 o'clock bus. Before leaving school he used to go to youth clubs. Used to meet girls at discos. Never into pubs, went to clubs at every spare moment.

Track 19
Aged 18 years, or 19 years, used to go to clubs, but faced restrictions - having to wear a tie, be a member, excuses for why you couldn't get in. It was a racist thing. Used to go to dance halls that played reggae. Pete Waterman (of Stock, Aitken and Waterman) used to DJ at the Locarno, and he was the only DJ that used to play reggae, soul or motown. Rod Stewart was popular then, he used to like reggae music mainly.

Track 20
Hot Chocolate were quite big, and liked Desmond Dekker and The Aces. Later he got into James Brown. Situation changed when he got older, had set places he used to go to. Used to travel further to go out, Nottingham, Leicester, London. Later on he worked on a night club door for a while. Experienced prejudice from the staff towards the people coming in the club, had to bar a black guy from the club for no reason.

Track 21
Rugby started off at school, got special privileges because he was one of the top players in the school. Went on a tour, but his Dad didn't like it. All the rugby players he met were white, became really close friends. He and his friend, Ken, were the only black guys in the team and they used to get picked on.

Track 22
The team were quite a tough bunch. Went out to a night club with the rugby players, who were into beer swilling rather than dancing and chatting up girls. If someone picked on his mate for no reason, the Rugby Club used to stick up for them. Got into Boxing and Karate at the same time as rugby. Playing in top teams for all three sports. First got into Kick Boxing after he left home.

Track 23
Lived with uncle in Tile Hill, large number of skin heads, National Fronters. Used to travel on the last bus with these men and think they were going to pick on him one day. Began training properly, because if he was going to go down he was going to go down fighting. Began training really hard, became more confident and he used to sit amongst them on the bus and they never picked on him. Began to get very tired doing sports and working at the night club. Won in a tournament when he was really shattered, and decided to just concentrate on one sport.

Track 24
He stuck with karate and kick boxing. He worked as an electrician for twelve to thirteen years. Worked as a foreman, but it got in the way of his sport. Later started on a scheme to set up your own business in 1982, after being unemployed for three months. This was after his father died. That's when he started the kick boxing club. Never been married.

Track 25
Got engaged aged 23 years old, but never married, bought a house and had a little girl. He does believe in marriage, though he's never done it himself. Thinks he is a strict parent, has two other children as well. Not as strict as his father was. Looked after his daughter when she was a baby because his girlfriend was a nurse.

Track 26
They were always together, used to take her shopping and put her on the counter. Remembers buying some boots and putting the baby on the counter. After they split up his ex-girlfriend and daughter went to America, came back when she was 13 years old. Being a parent has made him realise what his parents had to put up with.

Track 27
Thinks he is a Coventry person, generally speaking. He really likes Coventry and has stayed despite opportunities to live abroad, including Florida and Rome. In the future wants to get a bigger and better kick boxing club. Hopes to be able to spend some time with his mother who has gone back to Jamaica.

Track 28
Has hopes and fears for his kids. He never really hoped or planned for the things he achieved.

Interview ends.

2nd Interview
Track 1
Had a paper round. Used to read other peoples comics. He had the Dandy, read the Beano too. Different comic characters. TV shows, liked Batman, Thunderbirds. Collected cards. Less interested in football. Didn't really play football back in Jamaica. Didn't really understand it at first, wasn't very good at it. Only played rugby at senior school.

Track 2
Played rugby into his thirties. Played for Broad Street School Old Boys, and Warwickshire under-nineteens. Went to Twickenham to watch international games. Remembers when Coventry had a really good rugby side. Still likes to see them play, though they aren't as good. Coventry were in the first division once. Thinks interest has drifted more towards football. Other teams have got better. Rugby a big part of his life.

Track 3
Had felt threatened at certain times, wanted to learn to look after himself, so got into kick boxing. Became less concerned with self defence, started to compete, wanted to win and then improve. Learned the values of being a martial artist, became more disciplined. Winning - British Title, European Cup. Challenged for European Title in Berlin. Had to get a visa to fly over East Germany.

Track 4
Had had a knee operation 4 months before, shouldn't have fought at all, got a proper beating. Struggled to keep at middle weight. Two years later went to World Championships in Wembley, got picked to fight in British Team. Really wanted to beat man who had beaten him in Berlin. Never expected to win the World Title, just went in to do his best. Did win the World Title, life changed then, 1983. First British person to win the World Title. Being a champion, taking the trophy back to Coventry.

Track 5
Celebrating, but it hadn't sunk in. Then he went travelling because he was asked to go to a lot of places, all expenses paid. He began to feel it. Got invited to Rome, Germany, Holland, Moscow. Standing in the middle of Red Square. Trips to Czechoslovakia, South Africa. Met up with some old rugby friends in Johannesburg, expected racial problems because they were white and he was black.

Track 6
Got a great welcome, thought he was dreaming. Went to Hawaii, took one of his fighters over there to fight. Did things he would never have dreamed of doing, thanks to Kick boxing. Hasn't gone to his head. Promotes himself a little more these days, used to find it hard to say "Dev Barrett, World Champion". Opening his gym, wanted to call it Coventry Karate Club.

Track 7
Used to hire out church halls etc to teach, then got a place in Lower Ford Street. Everyone said he should call it Dev Barrett's Kick Boxing Club. Experience of racism - you don't see much racial prejudice amongst the sportsmen. Remembers a fight between a young white lad, with black coaches and a black lad with white coaches, it wasn't a problem.

Track 8
Another fight between a black guy and a white guy, taunting "white man you can't fight" etc, intimidating each other. When the fight is over there isn't much prejudice. Sees more prejudice between different fighting styles and classes, judges may favour one over the other. Experience of racism when he was playing rugby, black players a bit of an oddity.

Track 9
Racism part of the reason he started to train in the first place.
Interruption…

Track 10
Has seen more racism than he has experienced himself. Police would stop his car as he drove around town, used to get stopped a lot when he was younger. Thinks young black kids get harassed less by the police these days. His old club had a bar and they used to have parties. Used to get harassed by a lady down the road who was a councillor, complaining about the noise all the time, when it wasn't noisy. Went to St Lawrence's church, Sunday school, got confirmed.

Track 11
Joined the Church Lads Brigade, joined the band playing the tenor drum, drum sticks with tassels on the end that you had to spin around. It was a chance for a day out, used to take part in competitions in London. Did quite well. Played at garden fetes and fairs and so on. The band got spotted one day, and asked to audition for Opportunity Knocks. Auditioned at studios in Birmingham, but didn't get on. Church not that important, felt he was forced to go there.

Track 12
Church Lads Brigade was more fun than going to Church itself. As he got older started to question things. Liked going into the church, got a good feeling when he came out. Stopped going as a teenager. Would go on Mothering Sunday. A way to meet people, feel like you were doing something. Today not really a practising Christian, but has a sense that when things aren't going right he wants to say a prayer. Sometimes reads the bible. Feels he should make an effort to go.

Track 13
Questions. Thinks of other religions, comparing them. Was in the school choir, used to do operettas at school. Daughter a good singer. When he was growing up he thought pop stars were great, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones. Didn't really see anybody he could relate to. Later saw more reggae artists and soul artists. Liked what was around at the time, The Beatles, The Who, The Kinks.

Track 14
As a teenager liked reggae and soul because you could dance to it. Pretty open these days, quite likes country and western music and musicals. Daughter was in a young operatic group. Spare time these days - a lot of his time is taken up with the gym. Goes travelling with his fighters. Loves playing chess. Got introduced to a flying school through kick boxing. Had a trial lesson, thought "Wow!". Learning to fly was like being a child again, being taught after teaching for 20 years.

Track 15
Had to go back to studying, air law, meteorology, navigation. Has studied more for this than for anything else. Has a pilots licence to fly a two-seater, would like to progress to a four-seater. Remembers his first solo flight, taking off and landing on your own. When the weather is good it's great up there, a really good feeling. Flew to Cardiff as part of a test, had to land at an international airport. Thinks it's all down to the kick boxing.

Track 16
Back in 1983 when he won the world title, at the time all he got was a trophy and a night in a hotel. Kick boxing has done a lot for him since. Doesn't see a career in flying, but had never foreseen his kick boxing success. Thinks if you do the best you can great things can come from it. Do your best and anything is possible. He had expected his life to be spent as a good electrician and a family man. Was in adverts on Italian TV promoting Kick boxing. He was teaching over there.

Track 17
Interruption…

Track 18
Got beaten by an Italian fighter over there, didn't think they'd be interested in him. Got asked to do regular courses and seminars, then was asked to be in an advert. Had to do it twice because his complexion didn't fit in well with the background. Got invited to go over to Malaysia to be in martial arts films, lots of parts for a big guy like him, playing bad characters. Didn't see himself as that, his roots were here, didn't want to lose touch with people.

Track 19
Had an offer to set up in a partnership in Florida. Very tempted, but parents of his students worried what would happen if he left. Likes to see the kids he is training through. The team was doing well, they were winning championships and individual titles. Happy with his life in Coventry, likes it here. Likes teaching kids of people he went to school with and so on. Nice to be amongst people he likes.

Coventry Lives Oral History Project, date of birth 13/10/1952