The Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury on 22
June 1948, carrying 493 passengers from
Jamaica wishing to start a new life in the United
Kingdom. The passengers (including one
stowaway[1]) were the first large group of West
Indian immigrants to the UK after the Second
World War.
Before 1948, the ship, under the name of Monte
Rosa, had been used for cruises in pre-war
Germany, and then as a German troopship and
prisoner transport ship, before being captured by the
British and taken as a war prize