This week we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Empire Windrush that arrived at Tilbury on June 22 1948.

HMT Empire Windrush originally MV Monte Rosa, was a passenger cruise ship launched in Germany in 1930, she was also used as a navy troopship during WW2. At the end of the war she was acquired by the UK as a prize of war and renamed Empire Windrush. She continued to be used mainly as a troopship until March 1954 when the vessel caught fire and sank in the Mediterranean.

Empire Windrush is best remembered today for bringing one of the first large groups of post war West Indian Immigrants to the UK carrying 1027 passengers and 4 stowaways on a voyage from Jamaica to London in 1948. Most had jobs and accommodation to go to but for over 200 of them who had no where to go they were housed in Clapham South deep shelter, which was still being used by London people who had their homes destroyed in the war.

There is a Windrush event on Friday at Tilbury cruise terminal between 1pm and 6pm.

See next week’s Thurrock Gazette for more on the Windrush anniversary.