Empire Windrush: Caribbean migration

Lesson at a glance

Suitable for: Key stage 2

Time period: Interwar 1918-1939, Postwar 1945-present

Suggested inquiry questions: Why did people from the Caribbean travel to live and work in Britain?

Potential activities: Explore the documents. Create a map of the journey of the Empire Windrush. Create a portrait display.

Download: Lesson pack

Why did people from the Caribbean travel to live and work in Britain?

When the Second World War ended, countries needed to recover and rebuild.  

By 1948, the Nationality Act was passed which gave people from British colonies the right to live and work in Britain if they wanted. They were citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies. Many Caribbean men and women had served in the forces during the war, some wanted to re-enlist into the armed forces or find other employment. After the war, Britain needed people to fill jobs in the health service, transport system and postal system.  

The arrival of the ship ‘Empire Windrush’ is often seen as the start of this migration of Caribbean migrants from countries including Jamaica; Bermuda; Trinidad and British Guiana seeking jobs and a better life in this country. Jamaica for example, had high unemployment and a recent hurricane had caused huge damage. However, it is also important to remember that there were earlier lesser-known ships that carried post-war migrants from the Caribbean. Find out these other ships in this National Archives blog. 

It cost £28 for travel on the troop-deck and £48 for cabin class travel on the Empire Windrush. The ship picked up passengers at Trinidad, Jamaica (Kingston), Mexico (Tampico), Cuba (Havana) and, finally Bermuda before arriving at Tilbury Docks on 22nd June in Britain. The total number of passengers was 492, of which 52 were volunteers for the armed forces, 236 who had nowhere to go and who were accommodated in London’s Clapham South tube station deep shelter and 204 who had places  to go to and were dispersed direct from Tilbury. 

The Ministry of Labour set up a small labour exchange or job centre in the Clapham South shelter to help to place people in jobs. Fares were paid to those travelling to other parts of the country. 

Life was difficult for many people after the war. Rationing and shortages continued, people still queued for food. People therefore arriving from the Caribbean would have experienced this as well as leaving friends and family behind. The climate was also colder and wetter. Unfortunately, some Caribbean migrants were made to feel unwelcome and treated unfairly and differently because of racism. Finding jobs and somewhere to live was difficult due to discrimination. Many were forced to accept employment with low wages or poor housing.  


Tasks

Part 1

Starter source

Photograph from 1944 called: ‘Effects of V2 (Ringwood Way, Southgate, London) Catalogue ref: HO 338/27 

Try and read the caption. Use a map of London to find the location of the photograph if possible. 

The ‘V2’ was a rocket, a long-distance weapon that could travel at the speed of sound. They were used by Germany against British towns and cities from 1943 during the Second World War. 

Discuss the following questions: 

  • What can you see in this photograph? 
  • Can you think of 5 words to describe it? 
  • Why do you think this photograph was taken? 
  • Why is this a black and white photograph? 
  • Can you make a list of different workers who would be needed to help the place in the photograph recover? 
  • How does this photograph explain why people travelled on the Windrush after the Second World War? 

The part of a letter sent to the Secretary of State for the Colonies concerning working conditions for sugar workers in Jamaica. 26 January 1943, Catalogue ref: CO 137/852/7 

This is part of a letter about Jamaican sugar workers who worked on large estate [for Tate and Lyle] where the sugar crop was grown.  The Secretary of State for the Colonies, or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom’s various colonies. A colony is a country or territory controlled to by another country. Jamaica at this time was a British colony and gained independence in 1962.  

  • Why has this letter been sent to the Secretary of State for the Colonies? 
  • What does letter tell us about the living and working conditions for sugar workers? 
  • How does this letter link to the starter photograph you looked at? [Clue: were there other reasons to come to Britain?] 

A press photograph of ex-troop ship ‘S.S.Ormonde’. This was one of the first of the lesser-known ships that carried post-war migrants. It docked in Liverpool on 31 March 1947 over a year before the ‘Empire Windrush’. Catalogue ref: ADM 176/999

‘S.S.’ means ‘screw steamer’ and often defined as ‘steam ship’. ‘MV’ is also used as prefix for ships and means ‘motor vessel’. 

The  passenger list for the ship reveals there were 241 onboard, including 11 stowaways and six seamen. It showed a wide range of skills and professions. A troop ship is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. 

  • How can you tell from the photograph that this is an ex-troop ship? 
  • What do you think a ‘press photograph’ is used for? 
  • How might it be used? 
  • Find out about the ship ‘Almanzora’ which came after the ‘Ormonde’. The Almanzoradocked at Southampton on 21 December 1947. It brought 200 Caribbean passengers to the UK, many of whom were former Royal Air Force personnel who had served during the Second World War.  

Part 2

How can we use these 4 documents to find out more about those who came over with the Empire Windrush? 

Source 1

A telegram to Mr Cummings, Colonial Office in London, from Mr Smythe about passengers on the Windrush, 6 June 1948, Catalogue ref: CO 876/88 

This telegram was sent on 6th June before the arrival of the Empire Windrush to share information about the passengers. Explain that a telegram is a message that is sent by electricity or radio and then printed and delivered to someone’s home or office. ‘STOP’ was used in the telegram to mean ‘full stop’ as the telegram lacked punctuation marks. 

  • Why do you think this telegram was sent? 
  • How many passengers needed somewhere to stay on arrival? 
  • What job skills do the passengers have? 
  • How many were going to join the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the army? 
  • What information is not given about the passengers in the telegram? 
  • How can telegrams be helpful to historians to find out about the past?  
  • Do we use telegrams today? How else do we send short messages? 

Source 2

Extract from a Memorandum from the Assistance Board about arrangements for the Windrush passengers, including information about treatment of stowaways. 1948, Catalogue ref: AST 21/8 

The rest of this document also tells us that the Ministry of Labour and National Service set up a small job centre in the shelter to help place people in work. With the publicity about the arrival of ‘Empire Windrush’, job offers came in from different employers. Some men got work at the Stanton Iron Works, Nottingham, British Railways Works, Swindon, Tin Plate Works at Neath in South-West Wales and in the catering trades around London. Of the 492 who came on the ship, 241 accepted the Colonial Office’s offer to help them find jobs and housing. The other 251 made their own arrangements on arrival. 

  • What was the total number of passengers? 
  • Why were they divided into 3 groups do you think? 
  • What is a ‘stowaway’?  

Source 3

Extract from Report by Eric Walrond entitled ‘Negro migrants in Britain’, 1947 December-1948 October, Catalogue ref: CO 876/88 

Please note: Contains original language used at the time which is not appropriate today. 

  • Where did some of the migrants travelling on the Empire Windrush find work? 
  • What does this report tell us about the skills of these passengers? 
  • How does the report explain why these people wanted to come to Britain? 
  • Find out more about ‘blues singer’ Mona Baptiste mentioned in the document. 

Source 4

Registration of British Nationality for Ena Clare Sullivan. Country of Nationality or Birth: Jamaica, 3 December 1968. Catalogue ref: HO 334/1406/110478 

Ena Clare Sullivan was a passenger on the ‘Empire Windrush’ which docked at Tilbury harbour in Essex on 22 June 1948. From her registration of British Nationality we can find out about her life.   

  • What does this document look like? [Not a letter, not photograph or report, but a form]  
  • What is heading at the top? [Teacher explains what it means] 
  • How is the text set out? Why can we tell it is a form? 
  • What is the name of this person on the form? 
  • Why has this person filled out this form? 
  • When and where was this person born? 
  • When and how do you think this person came to Britain [Clue: find date of the first address table at end of the form]  
  • What does the address tell us about what she did? 
  • Write a paragraph about her work in Britain using the document. 
  • Why was Ena Sullivan’s work so important in Britain at the time and afterwards?

Plenary

Discussion questions 

  • Look again at all of the sources [for parts 1 & 2]  
  • Which source shows best why we should remember the arrival of Empire Windrush? Pupils put their own case for their choice. 
  • Make a list of the different sources you have looked at on this topic. Why is it helpful to look at different types of sources to find out about the past? 

Teachers' notes

Focus

To encourage pupils to explore different original sources to find out why British citizens from the Caribbean travelled on the Empire Windrush to live and work in Britain. It is important that teachers ensure that pupils understand these terms: immigrant, commonwealth, colony, racial prejudice; inequality, discrimination, colour bar, hostel.  

These documents cover sensitive subjects and may include language and concepts that are entirely unacceptable and inappropriate today. We suggest that teachers look at the material carefully before introducing to pupils. It would be helpful to discuss the language and ideas contained in a source beforehand and the vocabulary. 

All sources could be shown on a whiteboard/or as printed copy. It is suggested that teachers read the text-based sources together with the pupils. They may wish to break the documents into smaller extracts if they appear too long or create additional simplified transcripts. All documents include transcripts with information in square brackets to help. Teachers may also wish to divide their class into small groups/pairs. Print the questions below on separate cards. Ask the pupils to discuss their answers and report back to the class using the whiteboard to display the source. 

Finally, teachers can use any of the original sources in this lesson to create their own resources and activities or adapt the activities provided for use in their schemes of work. 

 

Part 1: Starter activity

Pupils engage with a starter source, a photograph of bomb-damaged London with prompt questions for discussion relating to Britain’s recovery after the Second World War. It may be useful to have a map of London to show the location. A second source, a letter to the Colonial Office is provided to understand working conditions in Jamaica and encourage pupils to think of other reasons to explain why people chose to leave the Caribbean. Teachers could use an image of a sugar cane crop and a bag of sugar to explain the sugar industry. A third source, a photograph of the ‘S.S. Ormonde’ shows that migrants travelled to Britain before the’ Empire Windrush’. 

Part 2: Source exploration

Pupils study a further 4 sources including a photograph, telegram, extracts from a report and form for the Registration of British Nationality which explore the experience for Windrush passengers on arrival and settlement in Britain. Registration application for British Citizenship could be introduced as a ‘Mystery Document’ to the class. It is unlikely that pupils will be familiar with this type of document . It tells the exciting story of Ena Sullivan, who travelled on the Windrush and qualified as a nurse when she arrived and worked in the National Health Service. Her registration of British nationality reveals a significant amount of information about her story, most notably her family, employment history, and the places she lived. In the form, her occupation is listed as ‘S/N’ from 1948 to 1959 which most likely refers to Staff Nurse, Health Visitor from 1959 to 1961, and Staff Nurse from 1961 to 1968.   

Plenary:

Look again at ALL SOURCES [for parts 1 & 2.]  

Which source shows best why we should remember the arrival of Empire Windrush? Pupils put their own case for their choice. 

Make a list of the different sources you have looked at on this topic. Why is it helpful to look at different types of sources to find out about the past? 

Part 3: Two suggested creative activities

  1. Create a map to show the journey of the Empire Windrush. Include all the stops along the way to Tilbury Docks, London. The ship picked up passengers at Trinidad, Jamaica (Kingston), Mexico (Tampico), Cuba (Havana) and, finally Bermuda before arriving at Tilbury Docks on 22nd June in Britain 
  2. Create an art display of portraits created by pupils of a family member, friend or person researched, who came from the Commonwealth or another country to settle in Britain from 1948 to the present. 

Connection to Curriculum

 Key stage 2: Events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally. 

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Lesson at a glance

Suitable for: Key stage 2

Time period: Interwar 1918-1939, Postwar 1945-present

Suggested inquiry questions: Why did people from the Caribbean travel to live and work in Britain?

Potential activities: Explore the documents. Create a map of the journey of the Empire Windrush. Create a portrait display.

Download: Lesson pack

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