The Story of the Windrush

This short information book presents the story of the men, women and children who arrived in London aboard the HMT Empire Windrush from the Caribbean in 1948 in an accessible way for young readers. It was first published in 2018 by Golden Destiny, the author’s own publishing house, and has now been re-published by Scholastic Children’s Books. The author celebrates the courage and legacy of the Windrush pioneers and explains the context of the event as marking the beginning of modern Black Britain. Historical facts combine with voices from the Windrush generation to explain colonisation and racism to a younger audience and to depict real people and their struggles and dreams.

Throughout the book the text is enhanced by contemporary photographs, sepia-toned illustrations and maps and a detailed timeline and glossary aid understanding. Historical information is interwoven with stories of individual people who made the journey, such as Sam King who served in the RAF, worked for the postal service, and eventually became the first Black Mayor of Southwark. Care is taken to stress that the UK requested the help of the people of the Caribbean in re-building the country after WW11.

This short book succeeds in depicting both the wider context of British colonialism and post-war recovery and the personal contribution of individuals to British society and public services.