On 21 June 1948, a ship called HMT Empire Windrush docked at Tilbury in Essex after scheduled stops in Trinidad, Jamaica, Mexico, Cuba and Bermuda. Hoping to start a new life, many of the ship’s British Caribbean-born passengers sought work in the ‘mother country’ during a time when the United Kingdom faced a decimated economy
and severe labour shortages. Windrush has become symbolic of its passengers and today encompasses the subsequent generations who have played a pivotal role in shaping modern British culture and society since the Second World War.

This UK 50p coin commemorates 75 years since the arrival of Windrush and features a design by Valda Jackson, a multidisciplinary artist who was born in St. Thomas, Jamaica, and moved to England in 1964.