Police pioneer Ralph’s legacy continues 60 years later...
Family has followed in footsteps of city’s first black officer
BIRMINGHAM’S first black police officer has left a lasting legacy, despite a life tragically cut short at the age of just 49.
West Indian-born Ralph Ramadhar, who identified as Black-Indian and heralded originally from Trinidad, was the first officer of his kind at then Birmingham City Police.
Ralph came to England as part of the Windrush generation for romantic reasons – to elope with his love Nell, whom he married in 1961 before they had daughter AnneMarie and son Michael.
Joining the police force in 1966, the dad-of-two served for 11 years, picking up 28 commendations for “outstanding police work” during that time.
His feats included helping deliver Margaret Walker’s baby with colleague Sgt Barry Hopwood in 1972 when their panda car was flagged down by her anxious dad in Kinver Road, Northfield.
The mum-to-be was just 18 and had gone into early labour. But acting as a makeshift midwife, Ralph helped bring 8lb 14ozs baby girl Jayne into the world, holding the teenage mum’s hand for comfort.
Nell was behind him applying to work for Birmingham City Police, shortly after the Home Office ruled that non-white applicants would be accepted.
She saw the advert for police constables and encouraged her husband to join.
Ralph’s fine work in Birmingham became known far and wide as he rose through the ranks and became one of the first black Sergeants in the UK.
While Ralph always said he never got any hostility from his police colleagues, a member of the National Front did tarnish his family home with racist graffiti, which led to him, Nell and their children getting police protection. But in 1977, he decided to return to his native Trinidad as he and Nell had become home sick.
He became head of security for a national retail company.
Within a decade, however, he was dead. He died suddenly during a run aged just 49.
Despite the tragedy, Ralph had a profound effect on the younger members in his family. Ralph’s nephew and niece both became police officers. His nephew Chris Ramadhar even served in Birmingham too, as a West Midlands Police officer.
Chris initially joined in 1993 and started as a PC in Walsall. After later stints with the traffic unit and CID, he moved to Warwickshire Police to be a detective sergeant.
Now aged 58, Chris does an analysis role for West Midlands Police and is continuing the Ramadhar family’s connection in the region. Policing is in the family as not just his sister, but also brother-in-law were officers at another force.
His son-in-law is an active police officer down south, too.
Chris said: “When Ralph joined he would have stuck out as different and faced challenges, but from all I’ve heard he overcame any situation and concentrated on making a difference to the community he loved.
“I remember as a child saying I want to be like Uncle Ralph and I take great pride in following in his footsteps. I think that helped inspire me to also join policing and it’s something I’ve never regretted. I’ve always enjoyed being able to solve crimes and help the public.
“Clearly our family has policing in its blood and it all started with Uncle Ralph who led the way for us and many others.”
Ralph’s story is part of the West Midlands Police Museum, based at The Lock-up, 40 Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham city centre.
There are also exhibitions to mark the 50th anniversary of West Midlands Police.
I remember as a child saying I want to be like Uncle Ralph and I take great pride in following in his footsteps. Chris Ramadhar