This month is the 75th anniversary of the HMT Empire Windrush arriving in the UK with around 800 Caribbean migrants on board.
Events have been organised around the capital in June to mark the event, celebrating a generation of migrants that helped transform Britain over subsequent decades. Read our guide to Windrush 75 events here.
The initial cohort were among the first arrivals after the British Nationality Act came into effect which provided citizenship to members of the British Empire.
Over the following two decades, as many as half a million people arrived in the UK – a large proportion of whom came from the Caribbean.
When did the Windrush ship arrive?
HMT Empire Windrush came to the port of Tilbury, near London, on June 22, 1948.
It became the most well-known landing of a period which saw thousands arrive in the UK from countries within the former British Empire. It was the first arrival to be received with national news coverage.
However, it was not the first large ship to carry over Caribbean migrants. The SS Ormonde docked at Liverpool in March 1947 with 421 passengers and then the SS Almanzora came to Southampton the following December with 200 on board.
What happened to the Empire Windrush ship?
The ship started life in 1930 as a passenger liner and cruise ship operating under German control under the name Monte Rosa.
The vessel was taken by the British after the Second World War and renamed HMT Empire Windrush before being put back into service in 1947.
Based in London, the ship was owned by the Ministry of War Transport and operated by the New Zealand Shipping Company as transport for the Navy.
But in 1954, it caught fire while en route from Japan to the UK and began to sink. All but four of the 1,498 on board were rescued, but the ship could not be salvaged. It sunk off the coast of Algeria, where it remains to this day.
How long did the Windrush journey take?
Demand for tickets was high, with the British government having advertised in the Caribbean with the UK needing workers - having lost personnel in the war.
Once on board, the journey took around one month from start to finish.
What countries did the Windrush generation come from?
The Windrush collected migrants from Trinidad, Jamaica, Tampico, Cuba and Bermuda throughout May 1948.
Some 66 Polish migrants were also on board, having spent some of the war in Mexico after the Nazi occupation of their home country.
Migrants were promised prospects of employment in institutions such as the RAF and NHS.
What happened to the Windrush generation when they arrived?
Those arriving were often the victims of racist attitudes within employment and were forced to accept jobs and wages beneath their skillset.
However, those coming in made a significant contribution to the arts, education and culture scenes within the UK at the time, with the country gradually diversifying.
