Windrush Day: Caribbean Heritage

On 22 June, Britain celebrates Windrush Day. It marks the anniversary of the arrival of the HMTEmpire Windrush in 1948. The ship docked at Tilbury in Essex on the River Thames, after thirty days at sea, bringing hundreds of people from the Caribbean after the war. It was not the first: the SSOrmonde arrived in Liverpool from Jamaica the year before. It certainly was not the last. However, these passengers were symbolic of what became known as the Windrush Generation, the Commonwealth citizens who came to live in Britain between 1948 and 1971. 

In Search of a New Life

At the time, the Caribbean countries were suffering from chronic unemployment, a situation made worse by the effects of a deadly hurricane in 1944. Many residents had served in the British Armed Forces during World War Two. The British Nationality Act of 1948 gave people from the colonies the right to live and work in the United Kingdom. For many, seeking a new life in what many of them thought to be the ‘motherland’ seemed like a bright prospect.

The Start of a Community

The Empire Windrush brought people with a wide range of skills. Among the passengers were engineers, mechanics, welders and carpenters, as well as hairdressers, musicians and even a retired judge. On arrival, most travelled to prearranged addresses. Others stayed in an old air-raid shelter on the Northern Tube line. In their search for jobs, many gravitated towards the nearest employment centre in Brixton, an area in London which, despite the high prices, is still a hub for the Caribbean community today. Within a month, nearly all Windrush passengers had found work.

Wrongful Treatment

Through their jobs as nurses, cleaners, manual labourers and drivers in the newly-established National Health Service, the Windrush Generation helped take care of and rebuild the country. However, their new life was not easy due to low wages and discrimination. Furthermore, even though the original passengers had been processed at immigration, the details had not been properly recorded by officials. The 1971 Immigration Act secured their right to live in the UK, but over the years they suffered detentions and deportations.

Scandal to Celebration

A 2018 government report revealed the impact on the migrants and their families. A compensation scheme was introduced and recommendations put forward to improve the immigration system. The same year, the government announced a national day to pay tribute to the Windrush Generation and their descendants. Now, through music, storytelling and cultural education, Windrush Day acknowledges their role in shaping British society.