Windrush was 'the best decision I ever made'

A former soldier who arrived in the UK as part of the Windrush generation in 1962 said "it was the best decision I ever made".

When Owen Jones, 79, arrived from Barbados aged 17, he went straight into the British Army.

He spoke to the BBC as he attended the Windrush Stories and Caribbean Tea Party event in Cambridge, on Windrush Day, on Saturday.

HMT Empire Windrush docked in Tilbury, Essex, in 1948, bringing hundreds from the Caribbean to the UK to work and help rebuild Britain.

"It was the best decision I ever made; if I was a young man again I'd do exactly the same thing," said Mr Jones.

"When I came here it wasn't as easy as it is now, it was very difficult. There's been a lot of struggles along the way.

"We've come a long way, I would to think I was one of the pioneers, but I wasn't. I think we're making progress and it would be nice if that progress can continue."

He attended the event with his daughter Patricia Jones, who said the day "brings us together as a community".

"We can really appreciate how far we've come," she explained.

Trevor Jones - who was also at the event - still feels the impact of the Windrush scandal.

In 2018, it emerged that thousands of people, mostly from the Caribbean, had been wrongly classed as illegal immigrants.

Prime Minister Theresa May apologised for their treatment and a compensation scheme was established.

"They don't recognise us - otherwise they would not have lost the records. I've been here all these years," he said.

"It was out of order."

The Home Office said earlier this year it was committed to "righting the wrongs" of the Windrush scandal.

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