THE WINDRUSH STORY
The Empire Windrush in 1954. Photograph: Hulton Getty
On 24th May 1948
the Empire Windrush set off from Jamaica and arrived on June 22nd
1948 at the Tilbury Harbour, Essex in London.
The cargo was four hundred and ninety Jamaicans from the West Indies,
seeking a new life in Britain. The fare
was £28.00 and 10 shillings one way.
The immigrants settled in
areas like Kensington, Manchester, West Midlands and Birmingham, but
accommodation was in short supply and many British nationals resented the
influx of immigrants. Many were turned away
from lodgings, shared and were crammed into one room. The sign
“SORRY NO COLOUREDS, NO IRISH, NO DOGS” was displayed on the doors.
“SORRY NO COLOUREDS, NO IRISH, NO DOGS” was displayed on the doors.
West Indians faced extreme
racism and race relations politically, culturally and socially was unstable. John Richards who came over in the Wind rush
Era said" They tell you it is the 'mother country', you're all welcome, you all
British. When you come here you realize you're a foreigner and that's all there
is to it” (Richard, J. 1948)
The windrush photographs were taken in order to document and record for historical purposes, by government agencies and the world media. These images are an important part of the British Empire and how the caribbean immigrant arrived via the windrush. The windrush photographs are part of an important time in British history as it was document what was happening at the time.
The contents of the photos shows this brought with it an artistic period of caribbean poets, writers, musicians and artists. A period of mass migration from the new commonwealth countries. West Indians were the first group of non-white immigrants to settle in Britain after world war two.
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Wedding Day March 13th 1965 |
My Mum and Dad came to England in October
1961 on the ship called the Surrenter, which docked in Southampton.
The journey
lasted Ten days and the fare cost $365 Eastern Caribbean dollars. My parents remember how cold and white it
was, as they had never seen snow before or thick black fog.
My parents
settled in East London, Hackney and accommodation was difficult as my mum had
to share with all men as women were not allowed, she had to hide from the
landlord.
Jobs were
easy to find in the Transport Industry and the Hospitals, but the people were
hostile and unfriendly and they experienced racism. My Mum remembers Teddy boys causing trouble
and picking fights on the streets, just because of the colour of your skin. However it was not all bad there were some
friendly people in London.
References
BBC- History (2011) BBC- History in depth: Windrush -Arrivals. [Online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/arrival_01.shtm (Accessed 270313)
BBC-Home (2008) Birmingham Your Community. [Online]. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/content/articles/2008/06/19/windrush_60th_anniversary_feature.shtml [Accessed 27/03/13]
Phillips, M., (2011) Windrush -The passengers. [Online]. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/windrush_01.shtml (Accessed 27/03/13)
http://mylens1.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/the-windrush-story.html
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