The windrush generation
Background information to share withyour pupils in a lesson
The ship Empire Windrush docked at Tilbury in Essex on 22nd June 1948 carrying more than 500 Caribbean
migrants. The ship had been used by the Nazis in the Second World War to carry troops before being taken by Allied forces in May 1945 and refitted by the British for civilian use. During the Second World War thousands of men and women from British colonies in the Caribbean
fought for the allies and the ship was in the Caribbean
because it was picking up servicemen and women whohad been there on leave. The passengers aboard theWindrush also included men, women and children from theCaribbean with a diverse heritage including those from
Chinese, Maltese and Polish descent
In 1948, anyone who lived in a British colony had the right to travel to Britain to live and work there if they wanted to.
Many people in Jamaica responded to a newspaper article in The Daily Gleaner, offering passage to Britain for £28.10s to come and work in Britain, much of which had been devastated by the war. In doing so, they began a journey that shaped the history of modern Britain.
Migration is the movement of people from one place toanother. The reasons people migrate can be economic,social or political. Migration impacts on both the place
left behind and the place of resettlement.
The pack contains background information, ideas for discussion, and cross-curricular activities. There are
links to curriculum subjects, core skills and Commonwealth values, along with suggestions of activities that you might carry out with your class or in collaboration with a partner
school overseas
What do you think the people coming from the Caribbean
on the Windrush were expecting to see as they arrived? • Do you think they were surprised?
resources
What is migration?
Image 2
All the relevant images are found at the end of this article
Introduction
‘On 22 June 1948 the Windrush sailed through agateway in history…before and after this historicalmoment, even simultaneously, the same kind of arrival
was occurring in various other parts of the world, assettled populations shifted, driven by one kind of necessity or another.’
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this resource was created by the british council. it has been used by partners in the bridge project, but we have no ownership of it