HMT Empire Windrush

Reclaiming Windrush Square: why urban development projects need to heed local voices

Retrieved on: 
Friday, June 23, 2023

Lifelong Brixton resident, Windrush descendant and community organiser Ros Griffiths chairs the Friends of Windrush Square group.

Key Points: 
  • Lifelong Brixton resident, Windrush descendant and community organiser Ros Griffiths chairs the Friends of Windrush Square group.
  • It does so by advocating for initiatives that generate social value – in other words, that benefit the local community.
  • Windrush Square offers an instructive example of how crucial it is that any urban development project be, as Griffiths argues, “people-led.”

Contested heritage

    • The square also features a bust of Henry Tate, first unveiled in 1905, in front of Brixton Library.
    • As Griffiths outlines, local sentiments about Tate’s ongoing prominence on Windrush Square are mixed:
      We still need to have a conversation about that history.
    • In 2022, Friends of Windrush Square launched the Reimagining Windrush Square campaign to both reexamine this history and rethink how the square is used today.
    • The 2010 redesign, by landscape architects Gross Max, was part of the Mayor of London’s 100 Public Spaces Initiative.
    • The Friends of Windrush Square, instead, want to see Windrush Square used in a way that benefits the local community.
    • To take part in reimagining the square’s future, sign up to the Friends of Windrush Square engagement hub.

'We need to be acknowledged': how Caribbean elders navigate belonging in the UK

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, June 22, 2023

And wherever we are, people either see us as belonging, or they don’t.

Key Points: 
  • And wherever we are, people either see us as belonging, or they don’t.
  • The question “Where are you from?”, an all-too-familiar and enduring trope, encapsulates a narrative of non-belonging.
  • This article is part of our Windrush 75 series, which marks the 75th anniversary of the HMT Empire Windrush arriving in Britain.

Spending time together

    • Irrespective of dominant narratives to the contrary, people and communities in Britain have always found ways to foster connection and belonging.
    • For the last decade I have explored ideas of place-making and community-based knowledge through studies with older people of Caribbean descent in Britain.
    • I have captured the ways they have found to belong in a place in which many have lived for decades, and in which they will die.
    • For older church-going women who arrived in the UK during the Windrush era, luncheon clubs often played an important role in their lives.

Carving out one’s own space

    • In another study, I looked at the leisure activities of Caribbean people over 85 years of age.
    • One man I spoke to, Mr Bridgeman, was born on a small holding in Barbados 90 years ago.
    • When I checked on Mr Bridgeman during the pandemic he was continuing with his daily routine, drawing on the old ways.
    • His allotment remained his refuge, a place in which to grow vegetables like he did as a boy – and, importantly, to just “be”.

Download our latest e-book: 75 years of Windrush

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, June 21, 2023

June 22 marks 75 years since the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush at London’s Tilbury Docks.

Key Points: 
  • June 22 marks 75 years since the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush at London’s Tilbury Docks.
  • Many were veterans of the second world war, invited to Britain to help rebuild.
  • They brought with them a rich culture, shaping the future of British music, sport, literature and much more.
  • Throughout June, we’ve been publishing a series that celebrates the Windrush generation and explores the pressing injustices that still face these people and their descendants.

How to create an oral history with your grandparents – don't delay and come equipped

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, June 21, 2023

As memoirist Nancy K Miller says, family stories are not just personal but an “aid or a spur to keep cultural memory alive”.

Key Points: 
  • As memoirist Nancy K Miller says, family stories are not just personal but an “aid or a spur to keep cultural memory alive”.
  • Hazel Barrett’s grandfather came to England on the HMT Empire Windrush in 1948.
  • This article is part of Quarter Life, a series about issues affecting those of us in our twenties and thirties.

1. Don’t delay

    • Many of us wait too long to become interested in our family history.
    • Deborah Cass, who has been studying family history for over 25 years, never knew her own great-grandfather.

2. Come equipped

    • Not videoing your interviewee will allow you to concentrate on their voice, and might put your relative more at ease.
    • They are likely to become a valued family resource, so consider uploading the files to a cloud server or a website.
    • The British Library has one of the largest collections, including a section on migration, ethnicity and post-colonialism in Britain.

3. Research before you go

    • Georgia Hennessy Jackson, who leads the storytelling programme for the Canadian Cancer Society, says that “identifying a moment of change can help get and shape a story”.
    • Family history requires research in its broadest sense.

4. Consider your questions

    • Colin Grant, author of Homecoming, an oral history of the Windrush generation, urges: “Don’t bring out a sheet of questions.
    • “[It] doesn’t have to be a physical one; it can be you telling them something about yourself.
    • That said, prepare your questions.
    • Work towards asking more open questions and probing for sensory responses.

5. Be ethical and be ready to be transformed

    • Share your typed transcript with your storyteller, allow them to make changes and ensure you get approval for how you plan to use their story and words.
    • And be ready for their story to have an effect on you.
    • You’re likely to be transformed by the experience – and your relative might be too.

How the Windrush generation transformed music in Britain

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, June 21, 2023

In the Tudor period, it was fashionable for wealthy households to employ and enjoy black musicians, particularly within the royal courts.

Key Points: 
  • In the Tudor period, it was fashionable for wealthy households to employ and enjoy black musicians, particularly within the royal courts.
  • During subsequent centuries spanning the Tudor, Stuart, Georgian and Victorian periods, there were many prolific black musicians in Britain.
  • With Windrush, however, came new forms of music, which were emerging from the music scene across the Atlantic.
  • This article is part of our Windrush 75 series, which marks the 75th anniversary of the HMT Empire Windrush arriving in Britain.

Rise of the sound system

    • Thanks to soundmen (those who own or manage a sound system) such as Count Suckle, Duke Vin, Lloyd Coxsone and the recently deceased Jah Shaka, sounds became an important cultural possession for black people.
    • Since the mid-1970s, the name Jah Shaka has become synonymous with Rastafarian roots music, dubwise and Marcus Garvey’s black consciousness … Shaka sound system was a vital part of London black life.
    • Despite the rising tide of racism during this time, the music played on sound systems began to gather patronage from both black and white youth subcultures.
    • Grime’s sonic origins flow through the musical practice of the black diaspora, namely hip-hop, reggae (particularly dancehall) jungle and UK garage, whilst Jamaican and UK sound system culture and practice also had a significant influence.

The Black-owned publishing houses that shaped the Windrush generation

Retrieved on: 
Monday, June 19, 2023

James and George Padmore had been educated in some of the Caribbean’s elite colonial schools.

Key Points: 
  • James and George Padmore had been educated in some of the Caribbean’s elite colonial schools.
  • There, they were subject to a formal education of respect for English culture and, above all, the monarchy.
  • This article is part of our Windrush 75 series, which marks the 75th anniversary of the HMT Empire Windrush arriving in Britain.
  • The practice of self-publishing had long been undertaken in the Caribbean islands, often acting as a mouthpiece for debating societies.

From activists to publishers

    • Out of this long Caribbean tradition of do-it-yourself publishing, two publishers emerged to change the face of the nascent Black British publishing scene.
    • In many respects, the reasons for establishing Black publishers were made urgent due to the rejection of Caribbean people and their culture in Britain.
    • They were subject to police harassment in the form of the Sus laws, which allowed police to arrest any “suspected person”.
    • Although wholly self-reliant and deeply interpersonal like the smaller initiatives that preceded them, these publishers ushered in a new era of pan-African and Black British identity.

How the fashion of the Windrush generation shaped British style

Retrieved on: 
Friday, June 16, 2023

They had left their previous home behind and, at this stage of the journey, were caught between what was familiar and unknown.

Key Points: 
  • They had left their previous home behind and, at this stage of the journey, were caught between what was familiar and unknown.
  • Their clothing choices signified their respect both for themselves and for the enormous, life-changing journey they had undertaken.
  • Others donned more casual, open-neck shirts with the collars worn outside the jacket, all accessorised with berets or fedoras.
  • This article is part of our Windrush 75 series, which marks the 75th anniversary of the HMT Empire Windrush arriving in Britain.

The aesthetics of presence

    • Their standout outfits were in some ways a response to feelings of invisibility, which stemmed from the hostility and racism many experienced upon their arrival.
    • English photographer Bert Hardy’s 1949 photographs of West Indians in Liverpool include the barber known as Pee Wee (above).

‘Diasporic intimacy’ and parties at home

    • They developed a network of social events including parties, weddings and christenings that took place in homes across Britain.
    • These events were often enveloped in blue beat and ska, musical styles from Jamaica.
    • The lyrics and rhythm offered a connection to their homeland that also boosted their sense of self-worth.

The dress of subsequent generations

    • The clothing worn by the descendants of the Windrush generation is now part of a wider fashion defined as “Black British Style”.
    • This term captures the myriad styles that have been devised as a distinct statement of belonging for those next generations who grew up in Britain.

How the Windrush generation changed stories of Britain forever – ten recommended reads

Retrieved on: 
Saturday, June 10, 2023

The literary contribution of the Windrush generation is just one example of how Caribbean-British people enriched the nation, but it offers an important opportunity to witness the transformative moment when empire came home, changing stories of Britain forever.

Key Points: 
  • The literary contribution of the Windrush generation is just one example of how Caribbean-British people enriched the nation, but it offers an important opportunity to witness the transformative moment when empire came home, changing stories of Britain forever.
  • Many were returning servicemen whose valiant contribution to the war effort had given them a strong affiliation with Britain as a land of freedom fighters.

A new story of Britain

    • This article is part of our Windrush 75 series, which marks the 75th anniversary of the HMT Empire Windrush arriving in Britain.
    • In fact, Windrush, and what it has come to symbolise, has turned out to be a more and more defining moment in telling the story of Britain.
    • Writings by and about the Windrush generation have been fundamental to revealing the realities of the British empire.
    • They also reveal West Indian women’s experiences of migration, and their particular struggles for recognition in the colonising “motherland”.

Ongoing conflict

    • It is no surprise that Windrush history and literature are not included in the British school curriculum, but it is a regrettable omission.
    • But it also makes clear that a celebration of what West Indians have contributed remains vital.
    • Perhaps the fact that Kitchener’s London is the Place for Me was revived as the anthem of the Paddington movies while the Windrush scandal was making headlines, speaks to the ongoing conflict.

Ten great reads on the Windrush experience

    • Connecting Medium
      Dorothea Smartt’s stunning collection of poetry from 2001 explores the connections between the Caribbean and Britain.
    • Homecoming: Voices of the Windrush Generation
      Colin Grant’s 2020 publication offers an extraordinarily detailed and diverse portrait of the Windrush generation through oral histories.
    • A Place for Me: Stories About the Windrush Generation
      Published in 2021, this collection draws on materials from the Black Cultural Archives to tell 12 stories inspired by real people of the Windrush generation.
    • The Cambridge History of Black and Asian British Writing
      Edited by Susheila Nasta and Mark U. Stein, this offers a brilliant historical and critical context for appreciating Windrush writings.

The Windrush generation: how a resilient Caribbean community made a lasting contribution to British society

Retrieved on: 
Friday, June 2, 2023

This became known as the Windrush generation, and signified a new chapter in the history of the United Kingdom.

Key Points: 
  • This became known as the Windrush generation, and signified a new chapter in the history of the United Kingdom.
  • This article is part of our Windrush 75 series, which marks the 75th anniversary of the HMT Empire Windrush arriving in Britain.
  • Race equality think tank, the Runnymede Trust, has described the Windrush story as “an integral part of British history”.
  • And there is no major institution for children to view the legacies of the Windrush generation and their impact on Britain.

Coming to Britain

    • The British invitation to Caribbeans to come to Britain after the second world war can be traced back to the British Nationality Act of 1948.
    • The Windrush generation refers to the people who migrated from Caribbean countries to the United Kingdom between 1948 and 1971.
    • However, Caribbean immigration did not cease after this period, and migrants have settled ever since, influencing Britain’s demographic composition.
    • In 1948, an underground shelter in Clapham South tube station was used as temporary housing for people from the Caribbean.

The Windrush pioneers

    • Sam King MBE was one of the notable figures of the Windrush generation who played a significant role in the establishment of the annual Windrush Day on 22 June.
    • Born in Jamaica in 1926, he served in the British Army during the second world war before coming to Britain in 1948.
    • In the context of the Windrush generation, Hall’s theories are particularly relevant, as they help us to understand the ways in which Caribbean migrants and in particular the Windrush generation identities were constructed and represented in British culture.

The Windrush scandal

    • One of the most shameful episodes in this history is the Windrush scandal, which saw people who had lived in the UK for decades – including some who had friends who arrived on the Windrush – being wrongly deported or denied access to public services like the NHS.
    • This British government scandal came to light in 2017, when British citizens of Caribbean descent who had migrated to the UK between 1948 and 1971 were wrongly classified as illegal immigrants.
    • They then faced deportation, detention and some even lost their homes and livelihoods.

The National Windrush Museum

    • Yet there is no black culture museum or established school curriculum that focuses on the heritage of the Windrush generation.
    • In 2021 I founded the National Windrush Museum which I chair.
    • The National Windrush Museum provides a life laboratory in which to explore and develop this concept, which I hope will have a significant cultural impact on the heritage sector.
    • The founding of the National Windrush Museum stands as a vital, moving and significant historical moment.

Voices of Preston's Windrush generation – when I first arrived, I said: 'Really? I thought there were no slums in this place!'

Retrieved on: 
Friday, June 2, 2023

In 1955, the pages of the Lancashire Evening Post hosted intense debates about whether a “colour bar” existed in the town.

Key Points: 
  • In 1955, the pages of the Lancashire Evening Post hosted intense debates about whether a “colour bar” existed in the town.
  • A great deal has been written about Windrush – but much of the information was southern-based and related to large conurbations.
  • This article is part of our Windrush 75 series, which marks the 75th anniversary of the HMT Empire Windrush arriving in Britain.
  • Church, carnival and cricket: the three pillars of this vibrant local community – built in Preston by proud members of its Windrush generation.

Sylius Toussaint

    • My aunt said to me: “Sylius, why don’t you go to England?
    • You could work, study and whatever it is.” So I paid my passage and came – and here I’ve been for the last 60-plus years.
    • I left Dominica on May 29 and arrived in Barbados the following day.
    • So we were sent on an aircraft from Barbados to Bermuda, Bermuda to Newfoundland, then Newfoundland to Ireland.
    • My sister lives down in London with her children … and some (not all) of them say:
      Uncle Sylius, that’s the best thing you’ve done, sent for my mum, because I’m glad I’m here in England and life is so much better than if it was in the Caribbean.
    • Uncle Sylius, that’s the best thing you’ve done, sent for my mum, because I’m glad I’m here in England and life is so much better than if it was in the Caribbean.

Joanett Hue

    • Looking at the houses, I said: “My god, it’s no different.” At that time, we lived in Avenham [in central Preston], the flats.
    • When I went in there, [my husband] Joe said: “This is where I’m living – this is the kitchen, this is the bathroom.” I couldn’t believe it.
    • Honestly, when my husband said this is where we would be living … I went into the bathroom and I cried, I cried.
    • I said: “Why did I leave my house to come here?” When I woke up in the morning, there were hailstones, it was raining.

Vincent Skerritt

    • They couldn’t join the union and often it was much more physical work, like in the foundry, knocking iron and the engine blocks and the rest of it.
    • It was purely nights, and I couldn’t handle the night work.
    • So you walk in with a bottle knowing that if you’re attacked, you have something to defend yourself.
    • Some people used to have a little piece of iron metal, wrapped up nicely in a newspaper and you carry it under your arm.

Glyne Greenidge

    • My mum’s husband wasn’t a very nice man, and my mum suffered all the way.
    • I’m the oldest of seven children, so my stepdad kind of forced me out to work as soon as he could.
    • It was mainly in the cotton mills – that was the main work going in those days.
    • You could walk the streets and see little firms here or there.
    • You could go in and ask them if there were any jobs going.
    • But then again, I never let that spoil our relationship because we were friends, you know.

Gladstone Afflick

    • I left Jamaica on the July 28th and arrived in Preston on the 30th – a Sunday.
    • To me, Preston has come a heck of a long way since the sixties.
    • You could get into a fight seven days a week if you wanted, just by walking into town.
    • For instance, we have the Jalgos Sports & Social Club – I was the person who dragged 11 fellows together to form a cricket team.
    • And if we think that way, I think we will achieve together what is desired by all.

Cherry McDonald

    • I mean, I’ve been living here all these years but Jamaica is home.
    • Whatever I’ve achieved in life, I’ve achieved here in Britain.
    • I go for long walks, tend to the pots, go to church on Sunday in Longton, and read my bible at home.
    • If I was a smoker, I would not be going outside to smoke a cigarette – in winter, anyway.

Bridgette Toussaint

    • When I speak nicely to them, they understand that this is a lady, she will respect me.
    • For example, in one job I did, a woman said to me: “Bridgette, I don’t understand, why did you leave your nice place and come here?
    • Why do you have to come to steal our jobs?” I said: “Steal your jobs?
    • Because you’re lazy, that’s why they send for we black people to come to help to work.
    • Because you’re lazy!” Then she said: “Why don’t you go and dance with the monkeys in the zoo?” And I said: “What?

David Coke

    • But I won’t go back to live there, because I have become so acquainted with the lifestyle I have in England.
    • But even before I married, I’d always said to my wife that I wouldn’t go back to Jamaica.
    • Yes, America may be more modern and faster, and you can progress in life there much quicker than you can in England.
    • Alan Rice receives funding from the Leverhulme Trust, the EU and the AHRC, and is co-chair of Lancaster Black History Group.
    • England is My Home: Windrush Lives in Lancashire is available as an illustrated ebook at prestonblackhistorygroup.org.uk