Windrush 70: The Generation That Changed A Nation

[Pan Times]

Written by Arthur Torrington
22/06/2018 04:00 PM

When the Empire Windrush passengers arrived in Britain, they couldn’t have imagined the huge impact they would have on this country, writes Arthur Torrington

HISTORIC TIMES: The 1970s and 80s saw the children of Windrush migrants develop a black British culture

THE CONNECTION between the Caribbean and Britain has been close for more than 400 years.

When Britain needed a helping hand during the war with Nazi Germany, the British appealed to the Caribbean people who responded positively.

More than 15,000 men and women volunteered to leave home and join the fight against Hitler, and thousands more served as merchant seamen.

The Royal Air Force gained more recruits from the Caribbean than any other part of the British Empire, with around 400 ying as air crew.

After the Second World War ended in 1945, most of the servicemen and women were demobbed and were obliged to return to the Caribbean.

However, the economic situation in the Caribbean was dire. They could only hope for a better life abroad and they knew that Britain needed people to help rebuild the country after the war.

read more