Windrush
The Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury (located on the River Thames, Essex) on 22nd June 1948, carrying 493 passengers from Jamaica who wanted to start a new life in the UK.
These passengers were the first large group of immigrants to the UK after the Second World War.
Few immigrants intended on staying in the UK for more than a few years.
If there was no War, the ship was unlikely to set sail on its voyage.
The migration of these immigrants was the catalyst Great Britain needed to change the ways of society; it was the start of what has shaped our society to what it is today.
When the immigrants arrived, Britain was only just beginning to recover from the war; housing was a huge problem, so accommodating everyone became an issue and caused conflict.
Immigrants came to the UK due to the vast amount of work available.

British Colony of Jamaica
Jamaica was a British Colony from 1655 to 1962, when it became independent.
A naval force sent by Oliver Cromwell attacked Jamaica in 1655. Within 3 years, the English had taken ownership of the land.
At the beginning of the occupancy, Jamaica’s population was roughly 3000 citizens large; these citizens were to be used as slaves, but it took several years to gain control of them.
Cromwell increased Jamaica’s white population by sending some of the slaves and prisoners, captured in the battles between the Irish and the Scott’s, across. Tropical diseases meant that the white populations stayed way