On a misty Monday--21st June 1948--the MV Empire Windrush sailed up the
Thames and anchored at Tilbury Dock, London. There were a total of 1027
passengers on board with 802 passengers from British Colonies in the
West Indies. Of these individuals, 539 were from Jamaica. The infamous
images of the passengers walking down the gangplank the next morning
would be the moment the Windrush Generation was born.
A Circle of Five reflects on the stories of the three hundred thousand
or so making the same journey between 1948 and 1971 by showcasing the
voices of five Jamaican women, Evelyn, Emma, Irene, Ivy, and Melissa.
Each woman tells their own story, all beginning in early 1930's rural
Jamaica and spanning some eighty years. Through these women, the
experiences of the Windrush Generation come alive, honouring this vital
period in British history.