Comment: how the BBC reported Windrush migrants鈥� mixed reception Published on: 22 June 2018 On the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush at Tilbury Docks, Professor James Procter, writing for The Conversation, looks at how the people onboard were received when they arrived. Photograph of the Empire Windrush by Michael Griffin at Wikimedia Commons , Amid the celebrations to mark the 70th anniversary of the arrival of Empire Windrush from the Caribbean in 1948, much has been made of the warm welcome that once greeted those migrant men and women in Britain鈥檚 hour of need, as postwar reconstruction got underway. But it鈥檚 important Britain remembers that moment for what it was: a story of mixed reception. Despite and because of its legendary status, the sources of information we now use to tell the story of the Windrush tend to and repetitive. But thanks to the , I鈥檝e been able to study a curiously overlooked series of documents for BBC radio that scripted the ship鈥檚 reception at the time. In contrast to the contemporary newspaper headlines typically gathered to commemorate the event 鈥� 鈥淲elcome Home鈥� (Evening Standard), 鈥淔ive hundred pairs of willing hands鈥� (Daily Worker) 鈥� the BBC鈥檚 home service news bulletin offered a stark, even stern, summary of the ship鈥檚 arrival on the morning on June 22, 1948, mentioning questions asked in parliament. BBC copyright content reproduced courtesy of the British Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved. Bulletins later that day referred to the 18 stowaways on board who were sentenced or fined accordingly. Mood of the new arrivals A month before the Windrush docked at Tilbury, 鈥淐alling the West Indies鈥�, the BBC鈥檚 overseas broadcast from London to the Caribbean, captured the prevailing mood of the metropolitan centre when it reported that there might not be readily available jobs for all the newcomers. BBC copyright content reproduced courtesy of the British Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved. In the week of the ship鈥檚 arrival the Jamaican journalist, W A S Hardy reported 鈥渙n the latest arrivals of West Indians who have come to try their luck in Britain鈥�. His account was framed by details of a House of Commons session a few days earlier which agreed that the Welfare Department had done a 鈥渧ery good job鈥� of accommodating the arrivals. Hardy, who had lived in Britain since the 1930s, added that while he was satisfied all was being done for the Windrush passengers, he had heard widespread regret about their arrival within Britain. BBC copyright content reproduced courtesy of the British Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved. The overall mood of the new arrivals, he said, is 鈥渙ne of disappointment鈥�. On another broadcast, the Jamaican poet John Figueroa, a key personality on the 鈥淐aribbean Voices鈥� programme, witnessed the hospitality received by the Windrush arrivals, around 200 of whom were without exact plans and had neither friends nor relatives in Britain. He referred to their temporary accommodation at the , their welcome by Colonial Welfare, and the warm reception they received from local churches and the mayor of Lambeth. But he added, more soberly, that their arrival was a great burden on the government. BBC copyright content reproduced courtesy of the British Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved. By August 1948, and against the backdrop of the Windrush story, Figueroa was telling West Indian listeners of an 鈥渦npleasant and unfortunate鈥� colour bar emerging around housing which prevented West Indians from finding suitable accommodation. Radio stars But elsewhere, BBC programmes embraced the Windrush passengers more wholeheartedly to resource upbeat variety-style entertainment programmes. 鈥淲est Indian Rendezvous鈥� brought Mona Baptiste to the microphone on several occasions that summer. She was billed as one of the singing stars to recently arrive from Trinidad on the Windrush. Baptiste had modestly declared her occupation as 鈥渃lerk鈥� on the Windrush passenger list. But as the BBC broadcast noted, she was also a 鈥渨ell-known Blues singer鈥� and went on to record hit songs and films in both London and Germany. Other guests on the programme that summer included the calypso singer, Lord Beginner, who travelled on the Windrush with Lord Kitchener (of 鈥溾�� fame). Beginner delivered a calypso called 鈥淗ello to the Folks Back Home鈥�, specially written for the BBC, which captured his journey with the characteristic exuberance of the calypsonian. BBC copyright content reproduced courtesy of the British Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved. Windrush guest appearances had become so frequent by the end of July 1948 that the programme鈥檚 compere could declare they had nearly got through the whole passenger list. BBC copyright content reproduced courtesy of the British Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved. Prospective Caribbean migrants in 1948 could be forgiven for being confused by the mixed messages that emerged across such broadcasts. It鈥檚 not surprising that, in spite of the cautionary media narratives, so many threw caution to the wind and followed on other boats throughout the 1940s and 50s. Nor is it surprising to discover that Britain鈥檚 contemporary towards immigrants has a much longer history, as old as the Windrush itself. , Professor of Modern and Contemporary Literature, This article was originally published on . Read the . Share: Latest News 缅北禁地 expert highlights climate crisis in a new film A leading 缅北禁地 climate scientist is featured in a new film about how the climate and nature breakdown will affect the UK. published on: 14 April 2026 Neolithic tombs reveal ancient kinship ties Male individuals buried in Neolithic chambered tombs in northern Scotland were often related to each other through the paternal line and some were interred in the same or nearby tombs, research shows. published on: 14 April 2026 We are our Memories New exhibition by Fine Art graduate Trish Hudson-Moses, 22 April 鈥� 4 May 2026 published on: 10 April 2026 Facts and figures
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