Wind Rush Generation 9
How to Proceed
©Agnes Sam 2018
Heslington, York, North Yorkshire
Given the distress and stress already endured by the Wind Rush Generation, together with the length of time the investigation may last before it is resolved, it is possible that some individuals may not survive.
That is the reason it is imperative for you to record the Oral Histories of members of your own family, with their permission and with safeguards. This will not be information for the media. You want your older relatives to describe what it was like when they landed; what were their experiences; were they made to feel welcome; how easy was it for them to find jobs and accommodation? How devastating was the destruction o f London? Did they encounter wounded soldiers returning home? Were their children accepted at school? Remember it is your family’s oral history that you are writing up, or recording.
Record their voices and images with the device you have at hand if you can.
This will be significant for the history of the generation who landed here from the Caribbean. Obtaining their oral stories you may be able to trace your family tree because they will remember their grandparents’ names. Tracing the female sides of both your maternal and paternal family is usually difficult because of changes in surnames. If you are able to do this it will be family history that you pass down to the generations that follow you.
And it is your family history. It is as important to you as that of a celebrity.