The Sunday before last, at Trinity Church, we had a service with a difference. Instead of sitting facing the front we sat at tables facing each other. We sometimes hear people’s stories when they reach 100 years old, or at their funeral. This service was intended to learn more about each other before then. One person on each table was asked to tell a little of their own story and how they came to Trinity Church in Abingdon.
Inspired by them, others told their story.
One person had come further than most. In 1958 ,at a little over one year old, he had come over from Jamaica. The voyage took about three weeks as they did not come directly to the UK. His parents got employment at the British Motor Corporation at Cowley, his father was in Insurance and his Mother was a Secretary.
A few years later pictures was taken of all the family that appeared in the local newspaper. The family had come across at various times during the 1950s – the younger members were born in Oxford or Abingdon.
Some of those pictures appeared again in the Oxford Mail, a few weeks ago, when there was an exhibition at Oxford Town Hall Museum about the Windrush Generation (people who came over from Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago – invited to help rebuild post-War Britain).
There is a Windrush Court in Abingdon Business Park. It is named after the River Windrush that rises in the Cotswolds and passes Witney before joining the Thames near Oxford. The ship that brought the first people from the West Indies was also named after the River Windrush. This Guardian article explains how.
Cool story – thanks Backstreeter
A fascinating Guardian article within an equally interesting post. Thankyou
It is a fascinating story, but not always a happy one. After WW2 the UK had a severe shortage of “man power” because of the loss of so many of our men who died in that war, to help bolster that shortage offers/inducements were made to people from the commonwealth ( in particular the Caribbean members) to come and settle here ( bit like the £10 poms to Australia)
For many it was a far cry from the land of milk and honey they were led to believe they were going to, pregidis and open racial opinions caused much unhappiness and tension, particularly in the city’s where many of them had jobs working on the buses and underground, often they found it difficult to get housed too, particularly in the private sector, however, endeavour and time prevailed and for many of them the journey was worth it especially for subsequent generations.
For over 60 years the windrush people added much to our country, but for many there was a sting in the tail, in a government purge on illegal immigrants it transpires that many of the Windrush generations were not given the appropriate documents when they arrived, also many born here were not officially recorded either, the upshot of that “cock-up” many from the windrush generations have been removed from the UK,