Obverse. Photo © Royal Mint
  • 50 Pence 2023, United Kingdom (Great Britain), Charles III, 75th Anniversary of the Windrush Generation
  • 50 Pence 2023, United Kingdom (Great Britain), Charles III, 75th Anniversary of the Windrush Generation
  • 50 Pence 2023, United Kingdom (Great Britain), Charles III, 75th Anniversary of the Windrush Generation, Box with a certificate of authenticity
Description

People arriving in the UK between 1948 and 1971 from Caribbean countries have been labelled the Windrush generation.

On 21 June 1948, a ship called HMT Empire Windrush docked at Tilbury in Essex after arriving from Jamaica. It carried 1,027 passengers, 802 of which were British subjects, including men, women and children, who gave their last country of residence as somewhere in the Caribbean, travelling to the United Kingdom hoping to start a new life. Marking the date of disembarkation, Windrush Day takes place on 22 June each year.

Whilst it was not the first ship to transport British Caribbean passengers to the country following the Second World War, many of the people on board were UK ex-service personnel. These people sought work in the ‘mother country’, as the war had left the UK with a significant labour shortage and a decimated economy. By 1961, the national population census recorded 161,000 Caribbean-born people were living in England and Wales.

Windrush garnered much attention upon its arrival and has since become symbolic for many of the Caribbean communities who, alongside numerous Commonwealth citizens, arrived in the UK between 1948 and 1973. They played a pivotal role in rebuilding the UK after the Second World War, as well as shaping modern British culture and society.

Obverse

Depicts King Charles III’s effigy, surrounded by the Latin inscription. Engraver's initials on the neck.

CHARLES III DEI GRATIA REX FIDEI DEFENSOR means King Charles III, by the Grace of God King, Defender of the Faith.

Engraver: Martin Jennings (MJ)

•CHARLES III•D•G•REX•F•D•50 PENCE•2023
MJ

Reverse

Depicts two people of the Windrush generation, smartly dressed, as many who arrived on the ship were, standing against a backdrop of the coloured Union flag. The image is one of unity, representing the bond between the UK and the Commonwealth citizens who helped rebuild the country in its time of need.

On the left, the large numeral 75 (years). On two lines in the exergue, WINDRUSH GENERATIONS.

The artist Valda Jackson's initials (VJ) are below the exergue line on the right. Her parents were among the generation of people invited to leave their home in the Caribbean to come and work in Britain. She joined them at the age of five.

75
VJ
WINDRUSH GENERATIONS

Edge
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Silver
Fineness 0.925
Weight 8 g
Diameter 27.3 mm
Thickness -
Shape polygon
Sides 7
Alignment Medal
Mint
Royal Mint

Related coins

Silver Proof Coin

75th Anniversary of the Windrush Generation

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75th Anniversary of the Windrush Generation

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