1962: Jamaica's Independence

Jamaica's Independence on 6 August 1962 was celebrated with a thanksgiving service of over three hundred people at the Moss Side Baptist Church and then a formal lunch at the Grand Hotel in the city centre. Afternoon celebrations were focused on the Rusholme Public Hall which in the evening hosted a dance and Miss Bronze beauty competition that drew crowds estimated to number nearly a thousand people. The hall was decorated with airline posters of Jamaica, and revellers had a choice of English tea or imported Red Stripe beer.

Source: Guardian, 7/8/1962, p.12.