One of the last known survivors of the Windrush voyage attends exhibition opening

A new exhibition documenting the people that followed the Windrush generation and how they live today opened on Thursday.

Windrush: A Voyage through the Generations is a new photography exhibition at Clapham Library, in St Luke’s Avenue, Clapham, by Jim Grover, an award-winning social documentary photographer.

Attending the opening as guest of honour was 97-year-old Alford Gardner, one of only two known remaining passengers from the landmark 1948 voyage on the Empire Windrush. Mr Gardner is also the subject of the exhibition’s opening photo. 

Also attending was Gilbert Clarke, one of the oldest Caribbean war veterans and 110-year-old Merah-Louise Smith, who is amongst the oldest women of Caribbean heritage alive today in the UK. 

The exhibition displays a set of 70 colour photographs which shine a light on South Londoners who have preserved their Caribbean heritage and traditions for current and future generations. 

These include Deborah Klass and Sandra Bynoe, two of the driving forces behind the Windrush Generation Legacy Association in Croydon.

Mr Grover’s photographs are intimate and show joy but also sadness and loss, reflecting the many changes since 2018.

Windrush: A Voyage through the Generations also continues the stories of the familiar faces who featured in Mr Grover’s previous exhibition from the 70th anniversary, Windrush: A portrait of a generation.

Mr Grover said: “It has been a true privilege to spend time, once again, with this community, a community I hugely respect, admire and enjoy being with. 

“And I am deeply indebted to all of those who participated in, and contributed to, the creation of Windrush: A Voyage through the Generations.

“Without their warm welcome, their kindness, their encouragement and their openness I could not have created this work.

“Just like Windrush: Portrait of a Generation, this is their story, and a story to celebrate and be proud of.  I am just so grateful to have the opportunity to share it.”

Other intimate family stories are shown throughout the exhibition portrayed through food, gathering, ritual or activities such as a grandmother teaching her granddaughter to crochet.

The exhibition ends with a display featuring a collage of 75 photos from the youngest generations – under 16s who have each contributed a photograph of an artefact which is important to their families Caribbean story.

The exhibition opened ahead of the 75th anniversary of Windrush Day on June 22, which marks the arrival of the HMV Empire Windrush at Tilbury Docks in 1948.

The merchant ship brought 1027 young hopefuls, including 539 from Jamaica, to help rebuild Britain in the aftermath of the war. 

This was a momentous moment in the evolution of Britain’s cultural life: the arrival of those first passengers and ensuing steady flow of migrants from the Caribbean was a major step in the creation of a multi-cultural Britain.

Many of the ‘Windrush Generation’ in Jim’s photographs, still live in Brixton and Clapham as some of the very first ‘Windrushers’ were accommodated in the underground war shelter at Clapham South and sought their first jobs at the Brixton labour exchange.

The exhibition will be on display for three months from until September 2.

Pictured top: From left, Howard Gardner, Alford Gardner and Jim Grover  (Picture: Maja Smiejkowska/Story Picture Agency)