Journeys to Hope
Autograph Gallery, London EC2

WITH the present anti-immigrant hysteria whipped up by our xenophobic government, it is sobering to be confronted with a collection of powerful photographs like these, and to be reminded of a time when immigrants were welcomed by the government of the day.

This free, outdoor exhibition in London’s East End documents that now famous post-war influx of immigrants from the British-ruled Caribbean islands, who helped to transform Britain.

Following WWII, thousands of people from Commonwealth countries were invited by the government to relocate to Britain to help overcome the serious labour shortage.

They, along with their descendants, are often referred to as the Windrush generation, after the ship HMT Empire Windrush on which the first group arrived in 1948. 

They had been asked by the British government to come and help rebuild the “Mother Country” damaged by war and in dire need of labour power.

Expecting a warm welcome, they were instead met with unfriendliness and treated as second-class citizens; their labour was wanted but they were not.

Hackney-based visual arts charity Autograph presents a new outdoor display and online gallery sharing the journey of this Windrush generation before, during and after arriving in Britain.

It acquired the portfolio of 37 works from the TopFoto archives in 2020, some of which are being shown publicly for the first, with captions by the late Stuart Hall.

These important photographs, alongside their background stories, are now part of Autograph’s permanent Collection of Photography that aims to preserve the legacy of important narratives that have contributed to our country’s history.

Disembarking from HMT Windrush and similar passenger ships at Tilbury and Southampton, that generation of incomers are seen dressed in their Sunday best, the women with decorated hats and white or gaily patterned dresses, and the children all spruced up, their faces shining brightly, the men in smart suits and ties with trilbies on their heads.

The expression on most of the faces is of innocence, but also expectation about the new lives they are embarking on. 

They must have been horrified to be confronted with the run-down slum areas — the only places where they could find accommodation — and to note the shabby clothing and slovenly way of life led by many of their new compatriots in those run-down areas of London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester where they would settle. 

The powerful images in this exhibition are valuable historical documents. One image shows Eileen Johnson, a white mother with her mixed-race children — Terence, three, and Maureen, four — on the deck of the Windrush.

Terence is dressed in a smart Persil-white sailor suit and his sister clutches an overlarge teddy bear — an image of family joy and harmony. 

Several photos were taken in the improvised labour exchange office set up in an old air-raid shelter, 40 metres underground at Clapham South station.

Men are seen queuing up to discuss their work prospects with local civil servants.

The shelter was also used to temporarily house these Caribbean migrants. Many would eventually settle in nearby Brixton, the site of the nearest labour exchange.

In one photo a man, sporting a straw hat set at a jaunty angle, looking very like a young Maurice Chevalier signing a stage contract, is leaning on the counter listening to the official spell out his job prospects. 

This generation would experience discrimination on every level, in education, housing and employment, resulting in patterns of widespread racism and racial violence. 

None of these Windrush migrants was aware of what they were about to face when they disembarked from those ships in the late ’40s and ’50s.

However, during the period from the 1980s to 2000, political campaigning did eventually result in legislation to tackle racist violence and discrimination.

There was a gradual dispersal of black communities away from inner-city ghettos, and the expansion of education meant black employment opportunities widened.

This process led both to the growth of a black middle class, but also to a process of intense concentration of poverty for some in black communities.

Although there have been black people in the Britain since the 1600s, during the period from the 1950s to the 1970s black people’s lives were marked by the absence of their presence in history books. This exhibition helps redress that. 

This unique selection of photographs takes us back to early those post-war days of hope, challenge and expectation.

Journeys to Hope is a free outdoor display (and online) at the Autograph Gallery, Rivington Place London EC2A 3BA. Runs until September 5 2023.