Summary

  • Today marks 75 years since passengers on the Empire Windrush disembarked at Tilbury in Essex

  • The ship brought people seeking jobs from the Caribbean to fill post-war labour shortages in the UK

  • The passengers, and other arrivals between 1948 and 1971, became known as the Windrush generation

  • "We have come a long way, but there is still a long way to go," Lorna James, who arrived in 1963 aged 14, tells the BBC

  • The 75th anniversary is being marked with a series of concerts, exhibitions and celebrations across the country

  • King Charles III has hailed the Windrush generation's "profound and permanent contribution to British life"

  1. Windrush flag flown in more than 200 locationspublished at 12:58 British Summer Time 22 June 2023

    Flag over home officeImage source, Getty Images

    The Windrush 75 Commemorative Flag is being raised in more than 200 locations across England and Wales, including railway stations, hospitals, universities, the Houses of Parliament and the Home Office (as seen in the above picture).

    Flag flying above Liverpool town hallImage source, PA Media

    We're seeing lots of flag pictures from elsewhere too - in Liverpool, where at least 68 people, external from the original Empire Windrush voyage settled, the flag is flying above the Town Hall.

    A Windrush anniversary flag being flown in Woodbridge, SuffolkImage source, Aspire Black Suffolk

    And here's another flag being flown in Woodbridge, Suffolk, in honour of the Windrush anniversary.

  2. In pictures: The Windrush generation’s arrivalpublished at 12:49 British Summer Time 22 June 2023

    The arrival of HMT Empire Windrush was captured in pictures when it docked 75 years ago.

    Front of a ship with crowds of people hanging over railingsImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    The Empire Windrush ship arrives at the Port of Tilbury, in Essex, in 1948

    Jamaican immigrants being welcomed by RAF officials.Image source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    RAF officials welcoming people from the Caribbean

    Caribbean passengers reading a newspaper on board the shipImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Caribbean passengers read a newspaper on board the ship

    Mona Baptiste, a blues singer, on board the Empire Windrush holding a saxophoneImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Mona Baptiste, a blues singer, on board the Empire Windrush ship

  3. King Charles praises 'marvellous' painting of Leeds WW2 veteranpublished at 12:41 British Summer Time 22 June 2023

    Alford GardenerImage source, CHLOE COX. PHOTOGRAPH: ROYAL COLLECTION TRUST

    Alford Gardener, 96, is a veteran of World War Two.

    He was painted by artist Chloe Cox as part of 10 paintings commissioned by King Charles III.

    Gardener was on board HMT Empire Windrush and said receiving a royal commission was "a dream come true".

    He served as an RAF motor mechanic during World War Two and later returned to England on the famous vessel after the British government passed a new law allowing people from the Caribbean to live and work in Britain.

    He met the King at Buckingham Palace last month, where the king described his portrait as "a wonderful addition to the Royal Collection and be shown in all different parts of the world".

  4. June Grandison vividly recalls first experience of racismpublished at 12:35 British Summer Time 22 June 2023

    June Grandison

    June Grandison came to Britain in 1962, thinking she would stay for only five years, but she never left.

    She still remembers clearly what it was like to experience discrimination for the first time.

    "Before I did nursing, I applied for a job in the West End - not knowing anything about racism, because of course we came from the mother country," she said.

    “I applied for the job, I went for the interview, and the lady put me in a room and she never came back to me.”

    She explained that because her maiden name was Brookes, on paper the staff thought that she was English.

  5. Windrush flag raised over Bradfordpublished at 12:23 British Summer Time 22 June 2023

    Rahib Khan
    Reporting from Bradford

    Flag on pole

    As the minute silence is over there is cheering and celebration among the crowd as a flag marking the Windrush anniversary is raised in Centenary Square.

    The Lord Mayor of Bradford says “this is a very special moment of recognition for a generation who have worked tirelessly for our country”.

  6. How does the Windrush compensation scheme work?published at 12:20 British Summer Time 22 June 2023

    A huge crowd of passengers about the Empire Windrush shipImage source, GETTY IMAGES

    The Windrush compensation scheme, external was established in April 2019. About 15,000 people were thought to be eligible.

    But the scheme has been consistently criticised for processing delays, low offers, and unfair rejections reversed on appeal.

    In 2021, the Home Affairs Committee of MPs found the scheme had itself become a further trauma for those eligible. It said many of those affected were "still too fearful of the Home Office to apply".

    In April 2023, Human Rights Watch said the scheme was "failing" victims, and repeated calls for it to be removed from the Home Office's control.

    In response, the Home Office said it was "committed to righting the wrongs of Windrush", and that the scheme had paid or offered more than £68m in compensation to the people affected.

    The government insisted it would ensure "similar injustices can never be repeated and [was] creating a Home Office worthy of every community it serves".

  7. Live music in Waterloo station ahead of walkpublished at 12:14 British Summer Time 22 June 2023

    Wendy Hurrell
    BBC London

    A band in front of a crowd at Waterloo Station

    More from Waterloo Station now, as people prepare to head off on a commemorative walk.

    A steel band strikes up, in front of the Windrush memorial statue.

    Some can’t resist the sound of the Caribbean and start to dance in celebration.

  8. Windrush contributions cannot be overstated - Prince Williampublished at 12:09 British Summer Time 22 June 2023

    The Prince of Wales outside Windsor Castle in MayImage source, REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq

    In a video posted on Twitter, external this morning, the Prince of Wales has honoured the Windrush generation.

    “Their contributions to the Britain we know now cannot be overstated," Prince William says.

    He continues by saying "we are a better people today" because of the Windrush generation and "for that we are forever grateful".

  9. Wreaths laid at Windrush memorialpublished at 12:00 British Summer Time 22 June 2023

    Wendy Hurrell
    BBC London

    People lay wreaths at the base of the Windrush statue in London's Waterloo station
    Image caption,

    Anit Chandarana and Tracee Grenardo laying a wreath at the base of the statue

    We turn our attention now to London's Waterloo Station, where people gathering for the Walk of Witness have paused to lay wreaths at the base of the monument commemorating the Windrush generation.

    As brightly dressed people walk towards platforms on their way to a day at the racing in Ascot, the scene is a solemn reminder that thousands of Windrush pioneers passed through Waterloo station on their way to start new lives across the country.

    Watching on is Richard Reddie, director of justice and inclusion for the Churches Together group in Britain and Ireland. His parents arrived in Britain from Jamaica in the 1950s.

    "Britain is the country it is today because of the Windrush generation," he tells the BBC.

    "For far too long, we have ignored that particular contribution. This is an apposite moment for us to pay homage to those trailblazing men and women," he says.

  10. Crowds gather in Bradford for raising of Windrush flagpublished at 11:53 British Summer Time 22 June 2023

    Rahib Khan
    reporting from Bradford

    Bradford's Centenary Square

    Crowds are beginning to gather in Bradford's Centenary Square to commemorate the Windrush generation.

    The Lord Mayor - Councillor Gerry Barker - is due to welcome Windrush elders and the public as they prepare for a minute's silence.

    A Windrush flag has been attached to the pole - it will be raised shortly.

  11. What did the government do about the Windrush scandal?published at 11:47 British Summer Time 22 June 2023

    In April 2018, then-Prime Minister Theresa May apologised for the treatment of the Windrush generation. An inquiry was announced and a compensation scheme established.

    The inquiry, which released its report in March 2020,, external said that the scandal was both "foreseeable and avoidable", and criticised "a culture of disbelief and carelessness" in the Home Office.

    The inquiry made 30 recommendations, including:

    • setting up a full Home Office review of the UK's "hostile environment" immigration policy
    • appointing a migrants' commissioner
    • establishing a race advisory board

    Inquiry author Wendy Williams warned there was a "grave risk" of similar problems happening again without government action.

    Media caption,

    Theresa May's Windrush apology to Caribbean leaders

    Then-Home Secretary Priti Patel accepted the recommendations in full.

    But in January 2023, the current Home Secretary Suella Braverman announced the Home Office was dropping three of the commitments.

    Wendy Williams criticised the decision, saying the proposals would have raised the "confidence of the Windrush community".

  12. What was the Windrush scandal?published at 11:40 British Summer Time 22 June 2023

    The 1971 Immigration Act gave Commonwealth citizens living in the UK indefinite leave to remain - the permanent right to live and work in the UK.

    This included the Windrush generation but also people from other former British colonies in South Asia and Africa.

    Media caption,

    'Windrush' migrants facing deportation threat

    However, in April 2018, it emerged that the UK Home Office had kept no records of those granted permission to stay, and had not issued the paperwork they needed to confirm their status.

    It had also destroyed landing cards belonging to Windrush migrants, in 2010.

    Those affected were unable to prove they were in the country legally and were prevented from accessing healthcare, work and housing.

    Many were also threatened with deportation.

    A review of historical cases also found that at least 83 people who had arrived before 1973 had been wrongly deported.

  13. King attends service at Windsor Castlepublished at 11:31 British Summer Time 22 June 2023

    King Charles III has been attending a service in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in recognition of the Windrush 75th anniversary.

    He is also expected to meet with 300 young people today at the event.

    King Charles IIIImage source, PA Media
    Baroness Dame Floella BenjaminImage source, Reuters
  14. The unveiling of Waterloo Station's Windrush statuepublished at 11:21 British Summer Time 22 June 2023

    Media caption,

    The Prince of Wales helped to unveil the Windrush statue at Waterloo Station last year

    To mark last year's anniversary, the Prince of Wales helped to unveil this statue at Waterloo station in London, in honour of the Windrush generation.

    Speaking at the ceremony, Prince William paid tribute to the Caribbeans who made the UK their home and their descendants, saying: "Without you, Britain would simply not be what it is today."

    Today we're expecting to see a Walk Of Witness taking place at about midday - with people marking the Windrush 75th anniversary by walking from the statue to Southwark Cathedral in London.

  15. New 50p coin unveiled for Windrush anniversarypublished at 11:10 British Summer Time 22 June 2023

    The new 50p Windrush anniversary coinsImage source, ROYAL MINT

    The Royal Mint has released a commemorative 50p coin to pay tribute to the British Caribbean and Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK from 1948-1973.

    It was deigned by Bristol-based Valda Jackson and depicts two black people standing in front of the Union Flag.

    Jackson was born in St Thomas, Jamaica, and moved to England in 1964. She says the coin honours "our parents and their legacy".

    Her parents were among the generation of people invited to leave their home in the Caribbean to come to work in Britain. She later joined them at the age of five.

    Three coins are available: two are limited edition in gold and silver; the other is a standard metal coin, much like the legal tender 50p piece.

  16. King Charles arrives at special Windsor servicepublished at 11:01 British Summer Time 22 June 2023

    King Charles outside chapelImage source, Reuters

    King Charles III has arrived at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.

    He will be meeting 300 young people at a special service marking the 75th anniversary of the HMT Windrush's arrival.

  17. get involved

    Postpublished at 10:57 British Summer Time 22 June 2023

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  18. What events are taking place on Windrush Day?published at 10:48 British Summer Time 22 June 2023

    A recreation of the Windrush ship
    Image caption,

    The Windrush was recreated during the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Summer Olympics

    Commemorations for Windrush Day have been held every year on 22 June since 2018, and also at events like the London 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, which featured a model of the Empire Windrush ship.

    But the 75th anniversary - Windrush 75 - will be even bigger and is being marked with a series of concerts, exhibitions and seminars across the country, external.

    Here are some of the events we’re expecting:

    • A Walk of Witness is expected to take place in London, with people marking the anniversary by walking from the Windrush memorial statue in Waterloo Station at 12:00 BST to Southwark Cathedral
    • Once at the cathedral, there will be a Service of Thanksgiving from about 14:00, with local dignitaries, councillors and clergy in attendance
    • Elsewhere, King Charles III is expected to meet with 300 young people today at a special service in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
    • We're expecting a series of events including steel bands, dancing and re-enactments at the Port of Tilbury, where the Windrush ship docked 75 years ago
    • Meanwhile, at about 16:45 BST, a procession will take place in Brixton that ends in Windrush Square, where there will be performances, poetry and readings
  19. Why did the Windrush generation come to Britain?published at 10:34 British Summer Time 22 June 2023

    People from across the then British Empire were encouraged to move to the UK to help with post-War labour shortages and rebuild its battered economy.

    Many of those who came became manual workers, drivers, cleaners, and nurses in the newly-established NHS.

    Some broke new ground in representing black Britons in society.

    Jamaican-British Sam Beaver King served in the RAF during the War, and took a job as a postman after arriving at Tilbury in his 20s.

    He became a campaigner for black-British rights, and the first black mayor of Southwark. He also established a programme for migrants to buy homes in the UK, and co-founded the country's first Caribbean-style carnival - a precursor to the Notting Hill Carnival.

    Media caption,

    What was life like for first-generation Windrush migrants?

  20. In pictures: Portraits commissioned by King go on public displaypublished at 10:24 British Summer Time 22 June 2023

    A series of 10 new portraits will go on public display for the first time today to mark 75 years after the first crossing from the Caribbean.

    The paintings have been unveiled at the Palace of Holyroodhouse after being commissioned by King Charles III last year.

    King Charles has also hailed the Windrush generation's "profound and permanent contribution to British life" and is expected to join a service at Windsor Castle today.

    Professor Sir Geoff Palmer is among those to feature in the King's Windrush: Portraits of a Pioneering Generation collectionImage source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    Professor Sir Geoff Palmer is among those to feature in the King's Windrush: Portraits of a Pioneering Generation collection

    Guests were invited to view the specially commissioned portraits at Buckingham Palace last weekImage source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    Guests were invited to view the specially commissioned portraits at Buckingham Palace last week

    The artworks will go on display in EdinburghImage source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    The artworks will go on display in Edinburgh