Bradford Windrush flag goes on Caribbean tour

A commemorative flag created in Bradford has been taken to the Caribbean to mark the 76th anniversary of the arrival of the Windrush.

Windrush Day began in 2018 to celebrate the contribution Caribbean migrants and their families have made to the UK.

On 22 June in 1948, the vessel Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury Docks in Essex with hundreds of British Caribbean citizens on board.

The passengers were the first wave of young migrants who had come to find work in post-war Britain. Those who travelled on similar voyages until 1971 became known as the 'Windrush generation'.

Bradford and Leeds were among the cities the Caribbean community settled in and took jobs in the NHS, schools and railways.

Charles Dacres, the director of the Windrush Generations UK project in Bradford, took the flag on its historic journey back to the Caribbean earlier this year with Nigel Guy, who designed it.

Mr Dacres said: "We were looking at the Windrush celebrations and commemorating the journey our parents had made, coming to rebuild the country after World War Two.

"And what we were looking for was some kind of symbolism, some way of recognising that.

"Nigel went away and did some scribbling and he came back with this design.

"And as soon as I walked through the door all the hairs on the back of my neck stood up because I suddenly realised that we had something special."

Mr Dacres said the design included a triangular shape to represent the transatlantic slave trade.

The flag was raised in 200 locations across the UK during last year's 75th anniversary celebrations.

But both men also thought it was important to take the flag to the West Indies during a tour in April and May.

He added: "We actually wrote to the various prime ministers of the countries that were part of the British Commonwealth. And they they welcomed us.

"We flew to 11 different Caribbean islands and met prime ministers and foreign ministers to discuss the raising of the Windrush flag.

"It was really important to try to get the islands to recognise that what they need to do is to celebrate 24 May, which was when the SS Empire Windrush first set off from the Caribbean to the UK."

Mr Dacres' mother Miriam and father David both came to the UK from Jamaica as part of the Windrush generation.

He said: "I'm so proud of the fact that the flag that we designed here in Bradford is flying on the Houses of Parliament and the Home Office building, but has also been accepted in the National Library in Jamaica.

"I'm really proud that we've managed to do that."

In 1948 the British Nationality Act gave people from what were then colonies the right to live and work in Britain.

Workers were needed because of post-war labour shortages, and Caribbean countries were also struggling economically. Many young migrants were attracted to better wages and opportunities.

The 1971 Immigration Act gave Commonwealth citizens living in the UK indefinite leave to remain - the permanent right to live and work in the UK.

This included the Windrush generation but also people from other former British colonies in South Asia and Africa.

However, in April 2018, it emerged that the UK Home Office had kept no records of those granted permission to stay, and had not issued the paperwork they needed to confirm their status.

It had also destroyed landing cards belonging to Windrush migrants in 2010.

Those affected were unable to prove they were in the country legally and were prevented from accessing healthcare, work and housing.

Many were also threatened with deportation.

A review of historical cases also found that at least 83 people who had arrived before 1973 had been wrongly deported.

The government officially apologised and the Windrush Compensation Scheme was established in April 2019 with around 15,000 people thought to be eligible.

But the scheme has been consistently criticised for processing delays, low offers, and unfair rejections reversed on appeal.

To date it has paid more than £80m in compensation to the people affected, as of February 2024, according to Home Office data.

And 2,233 claims have been processed, an average of £35,000 per claim.