COVENTRY will be marking the 75th anniversary of the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush by celebrating the contribution those who travelled to Britain made to society.
On June 22, 1948, the HMT Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury Docks in Essex carrying 800 passengers from the Caribbean.
The passengers were encouraged by the 1948 British nationality act, which granted citizenship and the right of abode to all members of the British Empire.
The city council will be marking this anniversary by flying the Windrush flag outside the council house.
There will also be a civic reception held, which will be planned for later in the summer for representatives of the first arrivals and their descendants.
The Windrush generation was the first of the many people from British Commonwealth countries who travelled to the UK between 1948 and 1971, however, they were often met with racism.
Many of the Windrush generation also had very different living conditions and many didn’t get proper acknowledgement of their professional skills.
Events will be held around the country to mark the 75th anniversary and how the Windrush generation and those who followed helped to shape modern-day Britain.
The council’s deputy leader Coun Abdul Salam Khan said: “HMT Empire Windrush has become a symbol of the many people who travelled to the UK to help our country rebuild after the Second World War.
“They faced many hardships and had to overcome so many challenges, but they helped our industries and our cities to come back from those dark days and to flourish once more – and Coventry was one of those to benefit from their arrival.
“The city is indebted to their efforts. They not only helped our city to rebuild physically, but they also helped create the amazing vibrant, multicultural home we have today.”
