We make our own contribution to the VE (Victory in Europe) anniversary celebrations by adding a new page to the Windrush Generation section of this site.
Alford Gardner was on the Empire Windrush when she docked at Tilbury in June 1948 but he had also served in the Royal Air Force during World War Two.
The page has been written by Audrey Dewjee and is a revised version of an article she first wrote over two years ago. Audrey has updated it following recent conversations she has had with Alford who is still enjoying life to the full at the age of 94.
This link will take you straight to Audrey’s article: http://historycalroots.com/alford-dalrymple-gardner-raf-recruit-and-windrush-pioneer.
We can also report that plans are now taking shape, long overdue, for a permanent memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire to commemorate the contribution of Caribbean servicemen and women during the War:https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-birmingham-52543809/ve-day-the-experience-of-a-caribbean-ww2-raf-veteran. Of course there is still the little matter of funds to pay for the memorial, you can find information about the appeal here: https://thenationalcaribbeanmonument.org/index.php.
