COMPETITION: Use your imagination to write about the life and times of Sam King MBE
Without Sam King MBE, there would be no Windrush Day and the Empire Windrush might have disappeared into the mists of time.
It was not the first ship to have brought West Indians to Britain after the war and it would by no means be the last. But it is this particular ship that we remember and whose name has come to symbolise a turning point for Britain.
Sam was among the hundreds of Jamaicans on board the boat that steamed up the Thames to Tilbury on June 22, 1948 but the only one to note down their names, with a view to keeping in touch with as many as possible.
As the Empire Windrush left Jamaica, he likened them to “pioneers on the second Mayflower” in their efforts to seek a better life for themselves and he wanted to keep the spirit of their arrival in the UK alive.
With his help in 1968, the story of the voyage was recorded for the first time in print after he had rounded up several former passengers to be interviewed by the Sunday Times magazine in a piece marking the 20th anniversary.
Twenty years later, it was Sam who organised the first commemoration, a small but memorable event in Lambeth in London.
He doubled down on his efforts and the idea developed wings.
In 2018, the government set June 22 set aside as an annual celebration, marking the Windrush’s arrival.
COMPETITION
This Essay Writing Competition is to help children learn the Windrush story by researching his life and times and using their imagination to write a story as he did.
Photo Credits: Courtesy: Windrush Foundation