Windrush Day 2023: What is it and how is the anniversary marked?

Every year Windrush Day is marked in the UK, following the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush. 

The day, 75 years ago, saw more than 800 passengers from the Caribbean on board as they moved to the UK and became known as the ‘Windrush generation.’

Now, every year on the same day as the boat’s arrival, Windrush Day is marked to celebrate the contributions made by those that travelled from the Caribbean to the UK.

The first Windrush Day was held in June 2018, following the independent ‘Lessons Learned Review’ which was published by Wendy Williams for the Home Office, according to the Evening Standard. 

When did the Windrush Generation come to Britain?

The HMT Empire Windrush first docked in England on June 22, 1948, at Tilbury Docks in Essex, bringing people from the Caribbean who answered Britain’s call to help fill post-war labour shortages.

People from the Caribbean who answered Britain’s call to help fill post-war labour shortages. (Image: PA)

What was the Windrush scandal?

In April 2018 it was found that some immigrants who arrived legally in the UK between the late 1940s and early 1970s were facing deportation and being denied access to healthcare due to paperwork issues.

Officials were forced to defend a decision to destroy thousands of landing card slips recording the arrival of Windrush generation immigrants into the UK.

The Home Office apologised, Amber Rudd lost her job as home secretary and Sajid Javid was drafted in, becoming the first person from an ethnic minority background to head the Home Office.

What is the Windrush ‘Lessons Learned Review’?

The review was published in 2020 and saw Wendy Williams independently assess the events leading up to the Windrush scandal.

The report discusses what happened to those affected by the Windrush scandal and how it was “foreseeable and avoidable”.

It also states 30 recommendations for change and improvement to help those affected by the scandal and to ensure it doesn’t happen again. 

You can read the full report via the government website here. 

How is the Windrush 75th anniversary in 2023 being celebrated?

Across the UK, events are taking place, including in Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Bradford, Bristol, Ipswich, Edinburgh and Cardiff.

In more than 200 locations the Windrush flag will be raised, including the Houses of Parliament and the Home Office; all Network Rail stations; more than 20 hospitals and NHS sites and more. 

King Charles will be attending a service in Windsor for young people, while a separate thanksgiving service will be held at Southwark Cathedral.

The Windrush monument at Waterloo. (Image: PA)

In Essex at the Port of Tilbury where Windrush first arrived, a day-long programme of events is taking place.

The day will see a dawn chorus performed by schoolchildren and a steel pan band welcoming 100 NHS workers and 100 people with Windrush connections who are due to arrive by Thames Clipper in the afternoon.

What is the Windrush Statue at Waterloo?

In June 2022, the National Windrush Monument was unveiled at London’s Waterloo Station. 

The statue was designed by Jamaican artist Basil Watson and symbolises the courage, commitment and resilience of the thousands of men, women and children who travelled to the UK to start new lives from 1948 to 1971.

The monument features three figures, a man, woman, and child – dressed in their “Sunday best” as they climb a mountain of suitcases together. 

It demonstrates the bond of Windrush “pioneers and their descendants, and the hopes and aspirations of their generation as they arrive to start new lives in the UK” according to the government website.