The first Armenian church in Great Britain was built in Manchester in 1871. Other community organizations, such as the Armenian General Benevolent Union, were also first established in Manchester. The Manchester Armenians played a vital role in highlighting the plight of Armenians in their homeland, thus influencing British foreign policy towards Ottoman Turkey.

These facts, and much more, are covered in a new book, Merchants in Exile: The Armenians of Manchester, England, 1835–1935, by Joan George. Her work, published by the Gomidas Institute, had its London debut on Sunday, 14 April 2002.

The event was well attended by members of the Manchester Armenian community, as well as a group of avid readers who had already read Ms. George’s work. Misak Ohanian, chairperson of the Centre for Armenian Information and Advice, who hosted the event, was positively gleaming: "I have known about this book for ten years! When I got my hands on my copy, I read it in twenty-four hours. It is a wonderful, incredible work."

Other members of the audience followed Mr. Ohanian. Bagrat Nazarian, executive member of the Campaign for the Recognition of the Armenian Genocide, commented how Armenians in the nineteenth century faced many of the problems facing Armenians today, such as the refusal of the British government to do more to protect the rights of Armenians. He added that while many think of William Gladstone as a champion of Armenian rights, Joan George’s book demonstrates how James Bryce was actually the true champion of Armenians. Bryce, who became an Oxford law professor and member of the House of Lords, was an advocate of Armenian rights for more than forty years. Merchants in Exile is peppered with excerpts from his correspondence with individual Armenians discussing British policy.

The audience was particularly moved by the praise of Christopher Walker. He could not attend the event, but sent a note commending the work as "a compelling picture of one of the most important diaspora communities, placed in a context of international events." Mr. Walker concluded: "It is essential reading. Buy it."

The centre stage, however, belonged to Joan George, who thanked the Gomidas Institute for publishing her work and the CAIA for hosting the day’s events. She said that her book had taken her "ten winters and one year" to complete. It was a labour of love for her community and her beloved Manchester Armenian community.

Many Anglo-Armenians, including David Middleton (whose mother wrote the foreword to Ms. George’s work) added a few words of thanks and support. It was a moving to see these different elements of the Armenian community, those whose ancestors came to these shores over 100 years ago and the relative newcomers, establishing a common bond.