‘The Windrush Generation were tempted by streets paved with gold’

Windrush signifies a key moment in British history and is a symbol of the people that emigrated from the West Indies and latterly the Commonwealth. The arrival of the passengers, filing off the boat smartly dressed in their ‘Sunday best’ in suits and ties, dresses, frocks and hats, is an important landmark and generates great pride. The Windrush Generation refers to people arriving in Britain between 1948 and 1971 and their latter-day descendants.

On 22nd June 1948, the ship Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury Docks near London, carrying 492 passengers from Jamaica. They travelled for thirty days to start a new life and their arrival would change a nation. These pioneers had come to help rebuild a country as, during World War Two, Britain’s infrastructure had been badly damaged. As they strode apprehensively off the ship, they were met by signs that read: No Blacks, No Irish, No Dogs; barred from jobs or banned from pubs.

The Windrush Generation were invited guests and were given citizenship to enter by the 1948 Nationality Act, allowing the people of former colonies to become British citizens. Many early pioneers like Bristol Bus Boycott campaigner Roy Hackett MBE, carried their British passports with pride. The British Government had placed adverts in West Indian newspapers and word of mouth spread about new opportunities abroad or in ‘foreign.’ This encouraged West Indian migration and sparked many to leave the land of their birth.

Speaking the language was not only an advantage but also part of their upbringing, as they were taught many aspects of British life and society. Most of West Indian social structures, governance and commerce came from Britain. They had only known European rule and referred to Britain as ‘the mother country.’ Some had fought for Britain and the free world in the war against Hitler whose ideology would readily exterminate them with the same irrational hatred the Nazis used against the Jews. Victorian values prevailed in the Caribbean and Christianity, with the Church of England was the dominant religion. Gifted West Indian students had enjoyed scholarships to the UK since the early part of the 20th century. The education system, infrastructure, rules and governance that existed throughout the English-speaking chain of islands that stretched from Jamaica through the Caribbean Sea to Trinidad and onto mainland South America including my parents’ home in Guyana, had been developed through colonialism and formed since the establishment of the West Indies from enslavement.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, Britain’s power in the world came from its empire. Britain harvested its colonies much like any diligent farmer to meet its own specific needs and demands, extracting raw materials or specific crops. This interrupted the natural development of many an island in the Caribbean, leaving the colonised countries with land not fit to grow a variety of produce on its plantations, with just a few crops per island such as sugar, coffee or wood grown for exportation.

Next, the Empire came for its people, starting a mass talent drain with the willing help of the West Indians, tempted by ‘streets that were paved with gold’, and keen to escape the lack of opportunity at home. Thus, the push and pull factors to leave were established, with the chance of a new life and adventure plus the attraction of personal wealth and family connections across the ocean. This relationship for better or for worse gave Britain a massive boost in rebuilding the nation and a huge labour advantage over its European neighbours.

Today their impact can be seen in equality laws, the NHS, culture, business, sport and more, reaping plentiful rewards for Britain throughout the generations. Enduring racism remains in policing and education as well as wealth and health inequality gaps. Windrush 75 however provides an opportunity to commemorate the sacrifice and celebrate the achievements of the brave pioneers.

The Windrush Generation left a lasting impact on Bristol, forming new social clubs and bars such as the Bamboo Club in St. Pauls – photo: Bristol Museums

Roger Griffith is a writer, lecturer at UWE Bristol and CEO of his community consultancy Creative Connex CIC and author of  My American Odyssey From the Windrush to the White House.

Main photo: Jasmine Thompson

Read next:

• Bristol artist designs 50p coin to mark Windrush anniversary 
• Stories of the Windrush Generation
• Demand justice for Windrush Generation

Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast: