The British Government announced national Windrush Day on 22nd June annually to celebrate the Windrush Generation and their descendants in 2018. This year marks the 75th anniversary of Windrush.
My 94-year-old ‘Grandma Grace’ was part of the Windrush Generation. The significance of telling her story feeds into a generational legacy. For many British-born descendants like myself, knowing where we came from and where we are heading through our achievements is a source of great pride. This history should not be hidden.
The HMT Empire Windrush
The journey began with a boat. The HMT Empire Windrush was the ship that carried post-war migrants from across the Caribbean to Britain. While Grandma Grace was not on this iconic vessel, the arrival of the Windrush at Tilbury Docks in Essex on 22 June 1948 from Jamaica is synonymous with an entire generation who made Britain their home between that year and 1971.
Passenger Records
What did ‘home’ mean though? It did not necessarily mean welcome. It can be bittersweet looking through the passenger records recreated by Goldsmiths, University of London in 2019. Using the original list from the National Archives documenting the 1,027 individuals who first arrived in Britain, you can read through their names, nationalities, occupations, and planned destinations. Intending to settle, the hope had been for job, trade and educational opportunities equal to what they had to offer. There was a great misconception that the new arrivals would be poor and uneducated. In many cases, the opposite was true as it cost a considerable amount to embark on the exchange.
UK Immigration - West Indies - Empire Windrush, Tilbury Docks.
Expectation versus Reality
Sadly, the narrative of those hopeful arrivals was quickly marred by suspicion, misconception and racism. Indeed, just two days after the initial dockside pageantry and media welcome, 11 Labour MPs wrote to Prime Minister Clement Attlee pushing for a stop to the “influx of coloured people”. In his reply, Attlee told the MPs not to take the emigration “too seriously”.
With their professional skills and experiences being discounted from many different quarters in British society, the Windrush generation were immediately put at a disadvantage. They’d go on to face hardships in securing dignified work and comfortable living situations. Despite being a well-read, bright, and capable young woman, Grandma Grace’s first job in the UK was menial work in a light bulb factory. Far from any of her expectations back in Kingston, Jamaica.
With heads muffled against the cold, men from Jamaica arrive at Victoria Station, London, in search of jobs and somewhere to live. They were among 400 Jamaicans, who had landed at Folkestone after travelling across Europe.
The Windrush Generation Contribution
Even then, facing abuse, racism, and bigotry, they took pride in their work, paid their taxes, and persevered for their families and for their rights. Communities are richer for the Caribbean contribution. Servicing the NHS, running public transport and helping to rebuild a fragile economy are just some of the ways that the Windrush Generation pushed through in Britain. Were they often qualified for far more? Yes. Did they receive the recognition they deserved back then? No.
London UK 6th June 2018 Ms Carmen Munroe holds cuttings of Daphne Steele UK’s First Black Hospital Matron during a presentation on the roles African and Caribbean nurses played after the war, and the foundation of the NHS.
Fight for Rights
It would take decades of work, British black community building and pioneering for the cultural fabric of Britain to change and start becoming a welcome home. Even then, recent horrors over citizenship and deportation have threatened those who have more than earned their right to settle.
Protesters demonstrate in Parliament Square and march to Home Office against the first wave of Windrush generation immigrants facing deportation.
Windrush Day
There’s more work to be done and Windrush Day is just one way that the insurmountable contribution of the Windrush Generation and their descendants can be honoured and celebrated. Discovering Windrush connections, cross-cultural exchanges and a wealth of themed pop-ups running the length and breadth of Britain light-up this date in the calendar.
Add to the Dialogue
Running parallel with Juneteenth in America, Windrush is a historical and cultural marker that highlights the richness, complexity, and resilience of the black community. It is a story that needs voices from across different communities to build on its lasting and ongoing legacy. To that end, here’s how you can ensure the lessons live on:
- Educate others about the Windrush story.
- Recognise the contributions made by UK Caribbean communities.
- Support young people to be proud and vocal about their heritage.
- Share news about community-led, social projects with positive outcomes.
- Work across generational and social divides.
- Elevate Caribbean voices across all platforms.
- Dig into archives documenting this chapter of history.
- Safeguard the recognition shown to the Windrush generation and descendants.
Women dressed to remember the contributions of the Windrush generation taking part in Acton Carnival Parade 2019. Acton Town Hall in background.
Raising Awareness
Raising awareness of the contribution, rights and hopes of all British citizens is part of the Windrush legacy – a legacy worth enduring. Through written and spoken accounts, archival preservation and spotlighting voices old and new, the conversations surrounding this history can live on and thrive. To talk about Windrush, start with websites, podcasts and collections dedicated to the conversation.
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