Windrush descendant honours ancestors with display

Stories of success and struggle among Caribbean settlers to Britain are being told at a new exhibition in Essex.

After World War Two, the government called on the help of hundreds of thousands of Caribbeans to help rebuild the country, starting with the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush, which docked in Tilbury in 1948.

Dexter Stewart, known as Papa D, found and researched the stories of eight local settlers for a display at the Museum of Chelmsford, which will remain in place until September.

"When Caribbean [people] first came into this country, it was hard to get employment and find places to live. So, they had it hard, but they followed through," he said.

"This is why we are here now, so that I can tell the story, so respect to my ancestors, and we can just build on what they started.

"The story hasn't really been told substantially for them [the public] to really understand, and this was one of the reasons I decided to put this out.

"I know it may be [a] gone time, but it's never too late. It's something that has always been needed."

Many who spent decades working and paying taxes were then incorrectly identified as illegal immigrants, leading to millions of pounds being paid out in compensation.

Thomas Tobierre arrived in the UK aged seven in 1961, but was made redundant after 40 years as engineer, and then told he did not have the documents to reapply for work.

He said: "They said, 'You've got to produce your right to work'. I said, 'You have to be joking – I've been working forever.'"

His family was forced to burn through savings and later received £25,000 from the government.

Tobierre, now 72, said the level of paperwork was "horrific".

"You would probably make three piles of at least a foot high of each pile of paperwork to produce, to show who I was, where I worked. I had to prove from my schooling.

"Luckily, I still had my school report, and all that was donkeys' years before the law even changed."

Tobierre said the museum display was "very good".

"Dex has done an excellent job putting it all together," he said.

"I've known him when he was from a youngster, actually trained him up."

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