Dreaming of the ‘mother country’

In June 1948 the Empire Windrush docked at Tilbury Docks bringing hundreds of passengers from the Caribbean who were hoping for a new life in Britain. During the Second World War, thousands of Caribbean men and women had been recruited to serve in the armed forces. Some had been to England during the war years and then returned home, only to find there was no work for them. So, when the Windrush stopped in Jamaica to pick up servicemen who were on leave from their units, many of their former comrades decided to make the trip, some wanting to rejoin the RAF, others keen to discover ‘the mother country’ they had heard so much about.

One man reported that he had to sell three cows to get the money together for the fare – £28 and ten shillings – before embarking on a journey of more than twenty days –…