Stories to celebrate Windrush 75

National Windrush Day marks the day when HMT Empire Windrush arrived in the UK. People in a number of overseas places were encouraged to move to help rebuild Britain after the Second World War and many of those who arrived took on roles in the newly established NHS.  

Partners used the day to say thank you to the Windrush generation and their descendants for being a vital part of the NHS.  

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (NHS FT) met with former employee Hannah Wells to find out more about her connection to Windrush. Before Hannah retired she worked as a Matron for the Delivery Suite and Maternity Day assessment Unit at the Princess Royal University Hospital, having started her career in the NHS in 1986.  

After travelling for six weeks across the sea from Jamaica to the UK, Hannah came to be with her Godmother. Aged eight, Hannah was taken into care and sent to boarding school. When she left school she trained to become a nurse. Hannah said "Being part of the Windrush generation means being loved as a member of the wider family".

At South London and Maudsley NHS FT, Roslyn Walcott-Cumberbatch, General Manager, shared her family’s story which carries through three generations. 

In 1961 Rosyln’s mother left Barbados and took a ship to England to work at the NHS. Since 1961 Rosyln’s family have contributed a great deal to the NHS with three generations of daughter’s all working with the NHS. Rosyln herself found a passion for Occupational Therapist during her time working at South London and Maudsley NHS FT and now her daughter has just completed a placement year at the trust. Read the full story here.  

Cherese Reid a midwife at Guy’s and St Thomas NHS FT is connected to the Windrush generation through her grandmother. Cherese’s grandmother moved to the UK in 1955, leaving life in Jamaica to start a career in south London. When asked about her links to Windrush Cherese said:  

“I’m deeply rooted in the hospital. I’ve always thought of it as the best-of-the-best. Guy’s and St Thomas’ has never let me down, personally or professionally.”  

On the anniversary  

Staff from Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS FT met to go for a well-being walk on anniversary of Windrush. The walk went from the hospital to Waterloo station where staff saw the National Windrush Monument and reflected on the experiences of the Windrush Monument. Artist Basil Watson was commissioned to design a monument that could be a permanent tribute to the Windrush generation and their families. The monument was unveiled in 2022 and shows three figures – a man, a woman, and a child – climbing a mountain of suitcases together.   

Colleagues at King’s College Hospital NHS FT went to an event at Tilbury Docks – where the HMT Empire Windrush first arrived in 1948. A boat cruise marked the day and Andrea Lamont, Surgical Staffing Manager at the Trust said: “my grandparents were part of the Windrush generation, coming to England in the early 60s. They both then went on to work within the NHS for over 25 years before retiring back to Jamaica. So this event celebrates a significant part of my history”.