About this project/Ynghylch y prosiect

Windrush: the Back Story…

June 1948, Britain had just begun to recover from the devastating effects of the Second World War. To fulfil Britain’s post war recruitment shortages, the British Government extended an invitation to its British colonies overseas, offering work and an opportunity for a better life. 

The 21st of June 1948 is landmarked as a day that changed Britain’s social landscape forever. At around 4am in the morning after 30 days at sea, the former cruise liner ship, the SS Empire Windrush, arrived at Tilbury Dock in Essex. 

The SS Empire Windrush ship carried around 1,000 passengers from Commonwealth countries in the Caribbean, who were responding to Britain’s invitation ‘…to help rebuild the Motherland’. The next day on the 22nd of June 1948, they disembarked and began their new lives. Being citizens from countries originally colonised by the British Empire, they saw themselves as British. 

The diverse people from different parts of the Commonwealth are collectively known as the ‘Windrush Generation.’ 

June 2019 saw the launch of Race Council Cymru’s project entitled: Windrush Cymru – Our Voices, Our Stories, Our History funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund. The project is delivered in partnership with National Museum of Wales, Wales Millennium Centre, People’s Collection Wales, Windrush Cymru Elders, Black History Wales 365, and Arts Council Wales. With support from Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and Gower College Swansea. 

The project directly responds to a call from Elders of the Windrush Generation who wanted to ensure that the legacy of their generation is captured and retained for posterity. This project is about collecting, recording, documenting, sharing, archiving and celebrating the contributions of the Windrush Generation who came to the UK between 1948 and 1988. Although the Windrush period of immigration is usually documented as between 1948 and 1973, this project extends the period by 15 years to include the experiences of more citizens who moved to UK, and eventually Wales, in response to Britain’s post-war recruitment drive.

The full stories and interviews are on the People’s Collection Wales here.


Cefndir Hanes Windrush…

Dim ond megis dechrau mynd ati i adfer ar ôl dinistr yr Ail Ryfel Byd yr oedd Prydain ym mis Mehefin 1948. Er mwyn llenwi’r bylchau recriwtio yn sgil y rhyfel, estynnodd Lywodraeth Prydain wahoddiad i’w drefedigaethau Prydeinig dramor, yn cynnig gwaith a chyfle am fywyd gwell. 

Mae’r 21ain o Fehefin 1948 yn garreg filltir a newidodd dirwedd gymdeithasol Prydain am byth. Am tua 4 o’r gloch y bore, ar ôl mordaith o 30 diwrnod, cyrhaeddodd llong fawr yr SS Empire Windrush yn Nociau Tilbury yn Essex. 

Roedd yr SS Empire Windrush yn cario tua 1,000 o deithwyr o wledydd y Gymanwlad yn y Caribî, a oedd yn ymateb i wahoddiad Prydain i ‘… helpu i ailgodi’r Famwlad’. Y diwrnod canlynol, yr 22ain o Fehefin 1948, daethant oddi ar y llong a dyna ddechrau eu bywydau newydd. Gan eu bod yn ddinasyddion o wledydd a wladychwyd gan Ymerodraeth Prydain yn wreiddiol, roeddent yn ystyried eu hunain Brydeinwyr. 

Gelwir yr holl bobl amrywiol hyn o wahanol rannau o’r Gymanwlad yn ‘Genhedlaeth Windrush’.

 Ym mis Mehefin 2019, lansiwyd prosiect Race Council Cymru: Windrush Cymru – Ein Lleisiau, Ein Straeon, Ein Hanes, wedi’i ariannu gan Gronfa Dreftadaeth y Loteri Genedlaethol. Cynhelir y prosiect mewn partneriaeth ag Amgueddfa Cymru, Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru, Casgliad y Werin Cymru, Hynafiaid Windrush Cymru, Hanes Pobl Dduon Cymru 365, a Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru. Gyda chefnogaeth gan Goleg Brenhinol Cerdd a Drama Cymru a Choleg y Gŵyr, Abertawe. 

Mae’r prosiect yn ymateb uniongyrchol i alwad gan Hynafiaid y Genhedlaeth Windrush a oedd eisiau sicrhau bod etifeddiaeth eu cenhedlaeth yn cael ei gadw a’i gofio yn y dyfodol. Pwrpas y prosiect hwn yw casglu, cofnodi, rhannu, archifo a dathlu cyfraniadau’r Genhedlaeth Windrush a ddaeth i’r Deyrnas Unedig rhwng 1948 a 1988. Er mai rhwng 1948 a 1973 y cofnodir cyfnod mewnfudiad Windrush fel arfer, mae’r prosiect hwn yn ychwanegu 15 mlynedd i’r cyfnod hwn er mwyn cynnwys profiadau mwy o ddinasyddion a fudodd i’r Deyrnas Unedig ac, yn y pen draw i Gymru, mewn ymateb i sbardun recriwtio Prydain ar ôl y rhyfel.

Mae’r straeon a’r cyfweliadau llawn ar gael ar wefan Casgliad y Werin Cymru yma.


Thank you…

We thank all the elders and our Windrush Generation families, for sharing their stories for younger generations and helping to capture the legacy of Black History in Wales. We thank the Elders for trusting Race Council Cymru to tell their stories. 

We thank all our partners for their support and commitment to this project – our partners are: National Museum Wales, People’s Collection Wales, Wales Millennium Centre, supported by Royal Welsh College Music and Drama, Gower College, Black History Wales 365, Windrush Cymru Elders, National Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic Youth Forum for Wales. 

We thank all the project leads, contributors and volunteers for their hard work and dedication to accurately collecting and recording these stories. 

We extend our heartfelt thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for funding this vital project, and to the Arts Council of Wales for funding the exhibition tour. Without your grants, this project would not have been possible – thank you. 

More information on the work of Race Council Cymru can be found here www.racecouncilcymru.org.uk


Diolch yn fawr…

Diolchwn i’r hynafiaid oll ac i’n teuluoedd o Genhedlaeth Windrush, am rannu eu straeon er budd y cenedlaethau iau ac am helpu i ddarlunio etifeddiaeth Hanes Pobl Dduon yng Nghymru. Diolchwn i’r Hynafiaid am ymddiried yn Race Council Cymru i ddweud eu straeon. 

Diolchwn i’n partneriaid i gyd am eu cefnogaeth a’u hymroddiad i’r prosiect hwn. Ein partneriaid yw: Amgueddfa Cymru, Casgliad y Werin Cymru, Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru, gyda chefnogaeth Coleg Brenhinol Cerdd a Drama Cymru, Coleg Gŵyr, Hanes Pobl Dduon Cymru 365, Hynafiaid Windrush Cymru, Fforwm Ieuenctid Du, Asiaidd a Lleiafrifoedd Ethnig Genedlaethol Cymru. 

Diolchwn i holl arweinwyr, cyfranwyr a gwirfoddolwyr y prosiect am eu gwaith caled a’u hymroddiad wrth gasglu a chofnodi’r straeon hyn yn gywir. 

Estynnwn ddiolch o waelod calon i Gronfa Dreftadaeth y Loteri Genedlaethol am ariannu’r prosiect hollbwysig hwn, ac i Gyngor Celfyddydau Cymru am ariannu taith yr arddangosfa. Heb eich grantiau chi, ni fuasai’r prosiect hwn wedi bod yn bosibl – diolch ichi. 

Gallwch weld y lluniau digidol a’r straeon yn eu cyfanrwydd gan ddefnyddio’r cod QR isod. Ceir mwy o wybodaeth am waith Race Council Cymru yma www.racecouncilcymru.org.uk


Credits/Cydnabyddiaeth

  • Professor Uzo Iwobi OBE | Project Director
  • Kay Denyer | Project Supervisor
  • Antonia Osuji | Project Officer & photography 2020 – 21
  • Adeola Dewis | Project Officer 2019
  • Rebecca Merry | Project Administrator 2021
  • Adele Dunstan | Project Administrator  2019 – 2020
  • Marian Gwyn |  Historian & Adviser
  • Norena Shopland | Researcher & Transcript Interpretation
  • Brad Caleb Lee | Exhibition Design
  • Sean Browne | Exhibition realisation & construction
  • Beckett Vester | Website Design
  • Lisa Gardener | Marketing and Communications Manager
  • Carl Connikie | Project support & additional photography
  • Viv Collis | Project support & additional photography
  • Julie Crowley | Transcription
  • Sheila Osuji | Transcription

Cydnabyddiaeth

  • Yr Athro Uzo Iwobi OBE | Cyfarwyddwr Prosiect
  • Kay Denyer | Goruchwyliwr Prosiect
  • Antonia Osuji | Swyddog Prosiect a ffotograffiaeth 2020 – 21
  • Adeola Dewis | Swyddog Prosiect 2019
  • Rebecca Merry | Gweinyddwr Prosiect 2021
  • Adele Dunstan | Gweinyddwr Prosiect 2019- 2020
  • Marian Gwyn|  Hanesydd ac Ymgynghorydd
  • Norena Shopland | Ymchwil prosiect a thrawsgrifio
  • Brad Caleb Lee | Dylunio’r Arddangosfa
  • Sean Browne | Gwireddu ac adeiladu’r arddangosfa
  • Beckett Vester | Dylunio’r Wefan
  • Lisa Gardener | Rheolwr Marchnata a Chyfathrebu
  • Carl Connikie | Cefnogaeth prosiect a ffotograffiaeth ychwanegol
  • Viv Collis | Cefnogaeth prosiect a ffotograffiaeth ychwanegol
  • Julie Crowley | Trawsgrifio
  • Sheila Osuji | Trawsgrifio  
Montage of images