Sounds of the ‘rush
These newly digitised excerpts from our Windrush oral history collections, provide a window into the rich and varied individual experiences of life in Britain for ‘the Windrush generation’ in the UK. Hear invaluable testimonies from iconic figures such as organisers and activists Connie Mark and Kathleen Wrsama and Windrush passenger Clifford Fullerton alongside Ivoran Fairweather William Henry and Thomas Joseph, covering themes from arrival, employment, social life, family, and resistance.
The full oral histories are available to listen to in our reading room at 1 Windrush square.
Clifford Fullerton 1
In this extract, Clifford Fullerton speaks about his desire to come to England to gain more knowledge about tailoring after seeing British tailoring on passengers aboard a Canadian National company ship he worked on previously.
Clifford Fullerton 2
In this extract, Clifford Fullerton speaks with the interviewer about his arrival to Britain in 1948 and his initial stay in the deep air raid shelter in Clapham Common.
Connie Mark 2
In this extract Connie Mark recalls living in the Notting Hill area during the riots of 1958. While the “old people” had, and still have, prejudices, she recalls, it was the boys with “tight pants, and the Brylcreem all over their hair… and the big boots” who terrorised the neighbourhood.
Connie Mark 4
Mark remembers British officers coming to Jamaica during the Second World War to recruit eligible servicemen, many of whom were enlisted from the rural inland. She recalls the incredibly tight quarters on board their transport, seen during her work as a volunteer secretary to the Assistant Director of Medical Supplies.
Ivoran Fairweather 1
CW-Racial slur
In this extract, Ivoran Fairweather gives us a description of experiences of racism in the service versus civilian life. Fairweather describes how his generation, “the forerunners”, fought racism in British society and dismantled the colour bar.
Mr Simmons 1
In this extract, Mr. Simmons discusses prioritising his family life and shares about the challenge of life in Britain. Mr. Simmons also talks about the difference in the perceptions of life between people from the West Indies who come from well-off and poorer families.
William Henry 1
The interviewer and Mr. Henry discuss what kind of work Mr. Henry was able to find after coming to the UK. Mr. Henry notes that he never had any difficulty finding work, mainly through family connections. He did the same when his wife joined him in the UK.