The Empire Windrush was a ship and an important part of the history of multi-cultural Britain. In 1948 the Empire Windrush sailed from Jamaica to Tilbury with a cargo of people wishing to start a new life in Britain, arriving on June 22 1948. The 500 passengers were the first large group of West Indian immigrants to Britain in the post-war period.

At this time there were no immigration restrictions from citizens of one part of the British Empire moving to another part. The arrival of the boat immediately promoted complaints from MPs, but legislation was not passed until 1962. See also British Afro-Caribbean community.

History of the ship

In 1931 it was delivered to Hamburg-Sudamerikanische Dampfs and named the Monte Rosa. In 1942 and 1943 it was used as for troop transport. In 1945 it became a hospital ship and in 1946 it was owned by the Ministry of Transport. On January 21 1947 it was renamed Empire Windrush. HMS Saintes of the Royal Navy came to the assistance of the Empire Windrush, which had suffered an engineroom fire while in the Mediterranean. Saintes attempted to tow the ship to Gibraltar but Empire Windrush sank during the journey on the 30 March.

Statistics

• Tonnage: 13,882 gross, 7,788 net, 8,530 dead weight.
• Dimensions: 500.3 x 65.7 x 37.8 feet.

External links

• Empire Windrush from BBC history (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/society_culture/multicultural/arrival_01.shtml)
• Empire Windrush from BBC Arts (http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/books/windrush/whatis.shtml)
• Passenger List from the Public Record Office (http://www.pro.gov.uk/virtualmuseum/maingalleries/empire/passengers/default.htm)