Prince William addressed the Caribbean community in the U.K. in a heartfelt speech on "Windrush Day". The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited to the unveiling of the National Windrush Monument at Waterloo Station. He said,
"This is something that resonated with Catherine and me after our visit to the Caribbean earlier this year, Our trip was an opportunity to reflect, and we learnt so much. Not just about the different issues that matter most to the people of the region, but also how the past weighs heavily on the present."
Windrush Day was named for the Empire Windrush, a ship that brought hundreds of Caribbean immigrants to the U.K. in June 1948 to help fill a labor shortage following World War II. Until the early 1970s, thousands of men, women and children — dubbed the Windrush Generation — settled in the U.K., helping cities and industries rebuild after the war. Windrush Day was officially marked as a day of celebration by the U.K. government in 2018.
"Here in Waterloo Station, we are reminded of the role played by thousands of people from the Windrush Generation in our essential public transport system — from train drivers to conductors and technical staff,"
"Although it is not where the passengers of the Empire Windrush first arrived, subsequently many thousands of Caribbean people did pass through Waterloo and dispersed to cities across the U.K. So the placement of the monument here is an acknowledgement of the contribution of those people to one of the most important elements of our national infrastructure."
"Just down the road, in St. Thomas's Hospital, we can reflect on the Windrush Generation's huge contribution to the NHS, a service founded only two weeks after the Empire Windrush docked in 1948. Since then, over 40,000 Windrush and Commonwealth nurses and midwives have cared for those in need."
"When the Windrush Generation sailed from the Caribbean to rebuild war torn Britain, they did so as British citizens, answering a plea to help our country thrive again,"
"These people didn't have to come. They volunteered to fight for King and country — in the full knowledge that many would never make it home again."
"Many of them were not strangers to these shores. In the decade before 1948, thousands served in the RAF, either flying, navigating or as ground crew keeping our squadrons airborne — including Allan Wilmot, the eldest Windrush pioneer whose family are with us today."
"As one of the inheritors of that great military tradition I understand how much we owe to these men and women. Today's ceremony would not be complete without remembering their sacrifice."
The royal family also shared official statement on the Windrush Day on their official Instagram account, Scroll down to read the post.
"The Queen has sent a message to mark this morning’s unveiling of the National Windrush Monument at Waterloo Station, which will be attended by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge."
"The monument symbolises the courage, commitment and resilience of the thousands of men, women and children who travelled to the UK from 1948 to 1971 to help rebuild post-war Britain, and celebrates the outstanding contribution of the Windrush Generation to British history."
