13 April 2023
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National Windrush monument at Waterloo Station in London © The wub, CCASA 4.0
To mark the 75th anniversary of the arrival of HMP Empire Windrush in Britain, the National Maritime Museum presents a range of online resources.
HMT Empire Windrush was a passenger liner that travelled from Jamaica to Tilbury Docks in Essex, arriving on 22 June 1948. The Windrush carried 1027 migrants who were encouraged to come to the UK with the promise of employment following the 1948 British Nationality Act that granted citizenship and right of abode to all members of the British Empire. The annual celebration of Windrush Day was introduced in 2018 on the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the ship.
The anniversary will be marked by the National Maritime Museum with two days of events and activities on 22 and 24 June. Find out more at the museum’s website.
Below, are online resources suggested by the National Maritime Museum:
The Story of the Windrush
Discover the history of the Windrush, the ship that brought some of the first post-war migrants from the Caribbean to Britain. Click here.
Windrush Talking Heads
These films were recorded with members of the Windrush generation and their descendants. They are accompanied by songs from the musical genres that represent and have been shaped by the people that were trafficked from Africa to the Caribbean, and then migrated from the Caribbean to Britain.
Windrush Day: in Conversation with Historians S.I. Martin and Kelly Foster
In this podcast, historians S.I. Martin and Kelly Foster celebrate the musical sounds of the Windrush generation. Discover the reasons why many people chose to come to Britain, what it was like for them when they arrived and how their favourite calypsonians captured the new immigrant experience.
Memories of the Caribbean
These reminiscence resources have been created by the Caribbean Social Forum, in collaboration with the National Maritime Museum, to support people living with dementia and their carers.
The resources have been developed specifically for Caribbean communities living in the UK, taking into consideration the childhood experiences that these individuals may have had either in the Caribbean or in the UK during the 40s and 50s. the resources have been created to prompt memories, spark conversation and support sharing.