Today is Windrush Day, and this year marks the 75th anniversary of the first of the ‘Windrush Generation’ disembarking the ship MV Empire Windrush in Tilbury.
If you’re not aware of the details of the Windrush Generation, it is well covered on the BBC website, or, for children and young people on the Children’s BBC website.
The people who came to England from the Caribbean in 1948 to help fill post-war labour shortages, and who continued to come through the 1950s and ‘60s, included many nurses, midwives, and other care staff, who came to England at the invitation of the British government to help staff the newly formed National Health Service.
The History of the Windrush Generation
English Heritage offers The Story of the Windrush: The history and impact of the people who characterised mass migration in Britain, a beautifully presented article by historian and author Colin Grant, in which he shares recollections from some of the people who came to Britain in the 1940s and 50s, and who tell of what they were to experience when they got here.
If you find this particularly interesting, Colin Grant is also the author of the book ‘Homecoming: Voices of the Windrush Generation’, details of which you can find on the Penguin website.
The British Library meanwhile offers ‘Windrush Stories’, a large and fascinating collection of articles and collections relating to the Windrush, and migration from the Caribbean more generally. It includes interviews with Caribbean immigrants, perspectives from campaigners including David Lammy MP, as well as historical artefacts such as this 1959 leaflet from the BBC Caribbean Service, called ‘Going to Britain?’.
Lord Woodbine, Windrush and Liverpool
68 men from the Windrush found their way to Liverpool and settled here, marrying local woman and raising families.
One such man was Harold Phillips, a Trinidadian better known by ‘Lord Woodbine’, and sometimes referred to as ‘the sixth Beatle’ because of the role he would play in helping to guide Liverpool’s most famous sons through their formative musical years. This included taking the band to Hamburg – literally, driving the then five Beatles – drummer Pete Best, bass player Stuart Sutcliffe and guitarists Harrison, McCartney and John Lennon – to Germany in an overloaded minibus. Of course, it is in Hamburg where the Beatles began their transformation from noisy local band to peerless live act and the rest is history.
The 75th anniversary is being marked with a series of concerts, exhibitions and seminars across the country. Find out more on the official Windrush 75 website.