Today we note the sad passing of Raymond Henry (Ray) Costello.
We first met Ray in 2016 when we attended an event in Manchester for the launch of his book, Black Tommies. We nervously approached him after his talk, he was a Professor and the author of numerous books and we were, frankly, nobodies. Many academics can come across as aloof and full of their own importance, Ray was neither of these things. He readily engaged in conversation and took a keen interest in the project we were working on about Black soldiers in World War One. He was warm and engaging and we stayed in touch. He may not have realised it but we came to regard him as a mentor and, between ourselves, referred to him as ‘Uncle Ray’.
We made several visits to Liverpool and he was always happy to meet up and talk. He treated us to a guided walk round some of the less well-known Black history sites in Liverpool and to a personal tour of the ‘Black Salt’ exhibition at the International Slavery Museum, an exhibition that celebrated his own book of that title and which he had curated. He also treated us to more than one meal!
Ray was keen to help us understand just how far back British Black history goes and shared his concern that, important though it undoubtedly was, there was a danger that focusing too much on the Empire Windrush might obscure all the history that preceded it. He also told us ‘you’ll never make money out of writing books’ (we were working on one at the time) and he was right about that!
Ray was kind and generous with his time and happy to share his vast knowledge of Liverpool’s long Black history. He had no particular interest in football but helped when we were writing Football’s Black Pioneers by mentioning that he remembered a member of a long-established Black Liverpool family had played for Tranmere Rovers. We dug into it and he was right, of course, and the intriguing story of Albert Payne emerged.
Ray visited London on more than one occasion to support events where we were speaking, he didn’t have to do that and we are so grateful that he did.
Ray had been seriously ill for several years so news of his death was a shock but not a surprise, it still came as a big blow. Ray was a titan of Black British history and we are privileged to have called him a friend.