Windrush 75: What is Windrush, who are the Windrush generation and Windrush history explained

The HMT Empire Windrush first arrived in the UK carrying passengers from the Caribbean to fill post-war labour shortages on June 22 1948.

In 2018 it emerged that the UK government did not properly record the details of the Windrush arrivals, sparking the scandal which uncovered how the Home Office wrongly denied Commonwealth citizens rights, detained them and, in some cases, deported them.

As the 75th anniversary of the Windrush arrival is commemorated, here is everything you need to know about the Windrush generation, the scandal, and the compensation scheme.

What is the Windrush?

The HMT Windrush was a vessel which carried 492 passengers from Caribbean countries to the UK in 1948.

It became a symbol of a wider mass migration movement, where Commonwealth citizens arrived to fill post-war labour shortages.

The ship’s passengers, many of them children, were granted the right to settle in the UK by the British Nationality Act 1948.

Those legal rights meant those who had migrated did not need documents when they arrived, allowing them to settle indefinitely in the country without restrictions.

The first wave of the Windrush generation arrived in Tilbury, Essex on June 22 1948, and passengers were temporarily housed in south west London, close to an employment exchange in Brixton, where some of them sought work.

Many of the migrants only intended to stay in the UK for a few years, and although a number returned, the majority remained and settled permanently.

What is the Windrush generation?

Those born in Caribbean countries who settled in the UK between 1948 and 1971 are now widely referred to as the “Windrush generation”.