Born in Trinidad in 1925, Prince Albert (Jake) Jacob left his homeland at the age of 17½ to serve with the Royal Air Force in the Second World War.
In 1948 he married a white girl, Mary Gore, at Oldbury Register Office. They faced tremendous hostility from her family, not a single family member attended the wedding, and from their local community, but stayed together for many decades.
Jake celebrated his 100th birthday on 9th July 2025. We wish him a very happy birthday and it is our pleasure to share the story of a remarkable life.
You can read Jake’s story in full here:
https://solihulllife.org/2022/10/03/jake-jacob-nothing-was-easy/
In addition to the article on the Solihull Life website he is also featured here:
https://www.facebook.com/BBCAntiquesRoadshow/videos/jake-jacobmp4/1220562953104865/
And there is another interview with Jake and more photos here:
https://brumpic.wordpress.com/2015/07/07/from-trinidad-to-birmingham-by-carl-chinn/
