Blue Plaque for Asquith Xavier

English Heritage has installed a blue plaque at the former Notting Hill home of Asquith Xavier (1920–1980), the railway worker whose determination to challenge racial discrimination helped bring an end to an unofficial ‘colour bar’ at London’s Euston Station.

The plaque marks where Xavier lived in 1966 when he stood up against discriminatory practices preventing him from transferring to a role as a train guard at Euston.

He was supported by his union representative, Jim Prendergast of the National Union of Railwayman (NUR) – predecessor to RMT – and with the case receiving national attention, his campaign exposed the existence of the colour bar.

> RMT National News

Tuesday, 25th August
SEAFARERS union RMT has raised the alarm at government consultations over the permanent removal of apprenticeship schemes for seafarer Ratings in the maritime industry.
Tuesday, 25th August
The UK’s largest rail union RMT called for a cost-of-living levy on the profits of train rolling stock leasing companies (ROSCO’s) as new figures reveal that dividends have more than trebled.
Sunday, 23rd August
RAIL union RMT called for a root and branch review of railway operational control centres following another outage forcing most CrossCountry train services to be cancelled.
Saturday, 22nd August
RMT members working at East Midlands Railway (EMR) will take further 48-hour strike action starting from Sunday August 30 over ongoing safety concerns and major train faults.
Friday, 21st August
Seafarers’ union RMT has secured another pay win for seafarers at Stena Line which represent uplifts of up to nearly 25 per cent in addition to the annual pay increase for 2026.