Memorandum from the Secretary of State for the Colonies entitled ‘S.S. Empire Windrush-Jamaican Unemployed’, 15 June 1948. Catalogue ref: CO 537/2583
Contains original language used at the time, which is not appropriate today.
- What factors caused Jamaicans to choose to come to Britain, according to this document?
- What is the attitude of the Colonial Office and the Government of Jamaica towards this?
- What preparations were made for the arrival of these citizens as well as their future employment?
Transcript
SECRET
S.S. EMPIRE WINDRUSH-Jamaican unemployed
Memorandum by Secretary of State for the Colonies
In the view of the interest which is being shown in Parliament and in the press in the matter of the 417 Jamaicans who are due to arrive at Tilbury on 21st June on the S.S. Empire Windrush, I think it is desirable that the Cabinet should be aware of the arrangements which various Departments concerned are trying to make to deal with the situation. I should, however, first like to explain the circumstances in which these men decided to come to Great Britain.
2. Circumstances of Arrival. It will be appreciated that the men concerned are all British subjects. The Government of Jamaica has no legal power to prevent their departure from Jamaica and the Government of the United Kingdome has no legal power to prevent their landing. This is a spontaneous movement by Jamaicans who have saved up enough money to pay for their own passages to England, on the chance of finding employment, as they are free to do now that Government allocation of berths has been discontinued. We do not know who were the ring- leaders in the enterprise, but I have asked the Governor of Jamaica for a report on this point. It was certainly not organised or encouraged by the Colonial Office or the Jamaican Government. On the contrary, every possible step has been taken by the Colonial Office and by the Jamaican Government to discourage these influxes. Not only has the position about employment and accommodation in the United Kingdom been explained by me to the Governors in correspondence but a senior officer of my Department visited Jamaica and certain of the other West Indian Islands last year and made great efforts to explain the difficulties at this end and to discourage people from coming ever to this country on the chance of finding work. There was ample publicity in the Jamaican press of the difficulties which men might meet if they came to England. Before this party of 417 left Jamaica they were warned by the Jamaican Government about the difficulties which would beset them on their arrival in this country, but they decided, as they are free to decide, to take the risk. As I say, the Jamaican Government has no legal power to prevent them leaving the island, and I doubt the wisdom of authorising a British Colonial Government to take such power in peacetime. In any case, Jamaica has reached such an advanced stage on the road to self-government that it would be impossible to compel them to legislate in this sense by directions from London. I do not think that a similar mass movement will take place again because the transport is unlikely to be available, though we shall be faced with a steady trickle, which however, can be dealt without difficulty. The immediate point however is that these 417 men are due to arrive on 21st June, and unless there is to be a public scandal and the possibilities of disorder, some arrangements must be made to deal with the situation.
3.Underlying Causes. Until the economic situation in Jamaica improves there is bound to be a desire among many persons there to seek work elsewhere. The Jamaican Government is doing everything it can to deal with unemployment in a situation of over-population and the high birth rate. There are at present some 50,000 unemployed or underemployed in the Island. Some limited relief is given by the recruitment of West Indians for work in the United States of America, but most external fields of employment no longer exist. The problem is a long-term one and, for the constitutional reason given above, the internal economy of Jamaica cannot be planned from London. The economic developments now going forward in Jamaica are mainly agricultural and most of the unemployed are men who are unfitted or unwilling to enter agricultural employment. Work of the kind they want might be afforded by extensive industrial development but, even apart from the limitations placed on such development by the extents of the local market, we have hitherto found it impossible to get machinery, structural steel and other equipment necessary for such development on a large scale. For example, various proposals for cement production have all so far floundered on that difficulty. We have now the Report of the Commission to British Guiana and projects are being examined in the hope that some relief may be given by settlement both in British Guiana and British Honduras.
…
- Measures proposed. The matter has been discussed between the various Departments concerned, and I think it is clear that the problem has got to be tackled, as one outside ordinary provision such as the Poor Law and as a combined operation without too much insistence on normal departmental responsibilities. I need not recount all the possibilities which have been considered and rejected as impracticable on one ground or another. The most hopeful solution so far suggested is that the men should be provided with transport from Tilbury to some centre point which can be used as a “clearing house” or “transit camp”. For this purpose I have asked the Secretary of State for War whether he can make available the Deep Shelter at South Clapham. If this can be done, the immediate problem of accommodation will be solved, though arrangements will have to made for meals. It is not ideal, but ordinary surface accommodation for so large a number is apparently unobtainable; and there is considerable convenience in having the men (other than the odd 70 at the Colonial Office hostel) all together.
- Arrangements are being made for the boat to be met by representatives of the Colonial Office and the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Labour have undertaken to do everything in their power to help the men find employment in England as quickly as possible. It is understood that some at any rate of the arrivals are anxious to join the Armed Forces. About two thirds of the total are ex-servicemen. If the Clapham Deep Shelter can be used as a clearing house it may be possible, if all goes well, to arrange for the dispersal of the men and their placing in industry in a period of three or four weeks. Many of the men will arrive with only limited amount of funds, having spent most of their savings on buying their passages to England. It may therefore be necessary to grant them public assistance until they find employment, but there is machinery for dealing with this particular problem through the Assistance Board. They may also need assistance towards railway fares to their ultimate destinations. The whole matter is being vigorously dealt with by the Departments concerned
…
- Possibility of Employment Overseas. The doors of Cuba and Panama are now closed and employment in the U.S.A. is very restricted. These men want to work in England. We shall try to open out possibilities in British Guiana and British Honduras. There have been psychological difficulties about employment in Africa and I am informed that it is doubtful if these men have the skills that are wanted there from time to time. But that problem will be explored further, though my present enquiries are not encouraging.
A.C.J.
15th June,1948