Over the 70 years since the arrival of the Empire Windrush at Tilbury a number of myths have arisen and it’s time for a reappraisal of the history of that voyage and the people who made it. How many passengers were on board, where were they from, who were they? You can find incorrect answers to all of these questions in books, magazine articles and on the pages of the internet. Hopefully we can set the record straight.
This section of the site is where we will group together stories about the Empire Windrush. Some of the stories have been told before but, rather than simply re-hashing existing material, we hope to bring new information to light and debunk some of the ‘fake history’ that is out there.
But the story of the Black history of post-War Britain doesn’t start (or end) with the Windrush, so you will also find articles here that pre-date the arrival of that ship. As is so often the case with this history, there are hidden and untold stories about the Black presence in Britain during the war years and the contribution of Black men and women to the fight against fascism. Churchill famously declared that ‘we stand alone’ (‘We are fighting by ourselves but we are not fighting for ourselves alone’)[1]BBC broadcast, 14th July 1940) and the only reference to the Empire in that speech concerned ‘our’ ability to defend ‘it’:
‘Around all lies the power of the Royal Navy … which is capable of transferring its force very readily to the protection of any part of the Empire which may be threatened.’
The studious avoidance of any reference to the Empire’s contribution to its own defence and to the defence of the British Isles themselves, set the tone for much of the ‘PR’ that was to follow.
You will find articles on this site about the men and women from across the seas who served in the Armed Forces during the war in spite of the obstacles placed in the path by the British, there are many similar stories waiting to be told.
References
| ↑1 | BBC broadcast, 14th July 1940) |
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