The Sumra Family

The Sumra family have lived in Northern Ireland since at least the 1930s. The first of the family to migrate was Fakir Chand Sumra, also known as Paddy Sumra. Fakir was born in Phillaur, Jalandhar in 1914. He first settled in Liverpool, before connecting with his friend from Jalandhar, Ram Gupta, to set up a clothing business in Omagh, Northern Ireland in 1937. According to Gupta, who gave an oral history interview to Narinder Kapur for the book The Irish Raj, he first worked as an extra on the set of The Elephant Boy, starring Sabu, and shortly after decided to migrate to Northern Ireland, where he knew a businessman named Bal Makand Mehan, who had migrated from Jalandhar to Londonderry and owned a successful clothing business; both Fakir and Ram Gupta knew Bal Makand Mehan, either personally or through family connections.

Fakir Chand Sumra spent a year in Omagh with Gupta, selling clothing from a suitcase door-to-door. Their business, according to Gupta, was financially successful, given that they sold clothes on interest-free credit. According to Fakir’s great-nephew Ravinder Sumra – who was interviewed for a BBC documentary on Indians in Northern Ireland – giving ‘easy terms’ to customers who could not afford to spend large sums on garments was foundational to the family’s future successes in the clothing industry. In 1938 Fakir migrated to Londonderry, where he continued to sell clothes from his van which he drove across the country. He was given the nickname ‘Paddy Sumra’ by locals. In 1945 Fakir applied for a publican licence to be able to sell alcohol. It is not clear if this application was successful.

On 4 January 1947 Fakir travelled back to India to marry Asha Sumra. He is listed as a draper in shipping records. On the ship to India, he met Satya Pal Kapur, who is listed as a stationer in shipping records. Kapur had migrated to Britain on 30 August 1946, aged 26, and lived in London. According to Kapur, who shared his testimony for the book The Irish Raj, his venture to organize the import of pen nibs from London to India was not successful, so Fakir suggested that Kapur migrate to Northern Ireland, where there were opportunities for success in the clothing industry. Kapur took this advice and migrated to Northern Ireland in August 1947.

In 1938 Fakir’s younger brother, Girdhari Lal Sumra, migrated to Britain and landed in Liverpool on 28 July. He was born on 11 October 1917. Immediately after his arrival Girdhari Lal travelled to Londonderry, where his brother Fakir had already settled. Whilst it is unclear whether he migrated with his wife Savitridevi at this point, she and their children, Ravider aged 4 and Anita aged 2, travelled to Londonderry on 5 January 1953, along with Fakir’s wife Asha and two children, Sushiel aged 6 and Mukesh aged 2. Girdhari Lal, Savitridevi, Asha and the children travelled back to India on 29 October 1953, and it is unknown when they returned to Londonderry to permanently settle.

Fakir Chand Sumra was interviewed by the Inspector General’s Office at the Royal Ulster Constabulary in July 1955 for a report to the Ministry of Home Affairs and Home Office regarding whether he was capable of supporting Yag Paul Soni, whose migration he was sponsoring. The report indicated that Fakir's drapery business, which operated from 3 Columba Terrace, Londonderry, was financially sound and Fakir was of 'good character'. The intention was for Yag Paul to migrate and work for Fakir. However, in accordance with the Safeguarding of Employment Act (Northern Ireland), the Ministry of Home Affairs was unable to issue a work permit to Yag Paul. Therefore his passport application was unsuccessful.

Ghirdhari Lal Sumra founded Sumra House in the early 1970s, a clothing store located on Strand Road.

Ghirdhari Lal’s daughter Anita Sumra, a teacher who trained at Radbrook Teacher Training College in Shrewsbury, married Ramesh Kumar Chada, a civil servant based in London and a member of the Chada family, in July 1975. Their wedding ceremony was reported in the Londonderry Sentinel.

In 1971 Fakir was awarded £9,988 in compensation due to damages to property on Sackville Street in the riots of the previous three years. He died in Ealing, London on 3 February 1989, aged 74. His wife, Asha Sumra, died in October 2001 aged 79, also in Ealing.

In 1972 Ghirdhari Lal successfully applied to become a naturalized British national. He died aged 98 on 4 June 2015. His wife, Savitridevi, died on 20 November 2008, aged 88. Their son, Ravinder Sumra, is the current owner of Sumra House.