Key learning points

1. The passengers of the Empire Windrush were seeking better job opportunities and a new life in Britain.
2. Windrush passengers were mostly men, many of whom had served in the British Armed Forces during the Second World War.
3. Some Britons welcomed the Windrush Generation as a much-needed source of labour while others opposed their arrival.
4. The 1958 Notting Hill Race Riots damaged trust between the Afro-Caribbean community and the British establishment.
5. Despite the significant challenges they faced, the Windrush Generation made extensive contributions to British society.

Keywords

• British Empire - countries ruled or controlled by Britain

• Commonwealth - a collection of countries that work voluntarily towards shared goals of democracy, prosperity and peace

• Immigrant - a person who has moved to a foreign country permanently, often for work or better living conditions

• The Empire Windrush - a passenger ship that carried large groups of post-war West Indian immigrants to Britain in 1948

• The Windrush generation - refers to the people who travelled from the Caribbean to the UK from 1948-1971

Common misconception