My Mother went out to India to join my Father on her in '46. " the Windrush, more Wind than Rush ", she used to say !

That was fascinating and - as always - impeccably researched. I knew some of the story because my Dad was on a contemporary troopship (the 'Dilwara') at the same time whilst he was on National Service. In fact, he was very nearly posted to the "Empire Windrush" instead of the "Dilwara". Another contemporary British troopship from that era has a long and eventful story to tell - the "Empire Fowey" which began life as the German liner "Potsdam" in the early to mid 1930s. Captured by the British at Flensburg, she was refitted, renamed, and served as a troopship from the war's end until the 1960s. Incredibly, when her British service was done, instead of going for scrap she was sold to a Pakistani concern in Karachi, renamed "Safina-E-Hujjaj" and served for a further 20-odd years as a Pilgrim transport. She finally went to the breaker's yard in the mid 1980s, by which time she was at least 50 years old! If you were able to find out more about her to "fill the story out" she would, I am sure, make as equally fascinating a video as the "Empire Windrush" - very few of even the most heavily-built ships manage to reach a half-century of nearly constant service!

I travelled on the Windrush to Singapore aged 7 with my mother and sister leaving Southampton in December 1948 to join my father at RAF Changi. Remember being taken to the bridge by a ships officer when he saw myself and another boy up to mischief on deck! lol. Also her eventual sinking in the Med in 1954.

Thank you Chris, for another great story. As retired Merchant Navy officer I know what a lot of research has gone into this story....! Great!

Excellent video as always Chris, and you are correct, I knew very little about this ship.

What a fascinating and storied history that the Empire Windrush lived, I was in St. Kitts-Nevis which I believe was a former colony of the Empire. Thank you for telling her story so eloquently and with gusto. I think her brief involvement in the Holocaust can be forgiven as this ship brought numerous civilians and military personnel safely home. Kudos to you, amigo!

Thanks Chris. Delightful as always. I never miss your videos and I am yet to be disappointed. 👍👍

What an amazing story she has. Thank you.

“I bet there are bits of this story you were not aware of” … that is an understatement of epic proportions. Just wow! That was a superb piece of work .. fascinating & thought provoking.

A lucky ship whose luck finally ran out! Thank you for yet another interesting video, Chris, this one proves that there is far more to the story than "popular culture" gives credit to.

Wow! so much i didn't know. Love this channel

I did not know the story of this ship. thank you for telling it!

Thank you for this, I had never heard of this vessel and its history, so I could enjoy it without any prior knowledge or subconscious bias relating to it.

Thank you for the informative and interesting video, Mr. Green. I seem to be developing a fondness for British history. I would appreciate if you continued to make content, as you present your stories very well. Always a joy to watch. Take care!

You have stated many of the passengers that came to the uk on the Windrush were ex servicemen and of the RAF. Also, making the point of how many people from the caribean fought for the british during the war. It felt to me like you were trying to justify them coming here and would like to see the evidence of how many of these passengers had indeed served in the war? Very interesting story of survival of a very lucky ship. I have to wonder how different the uk would be now, if the windrush had never visited the Caribbean?

What an amazing story. I obviously know of her, but nothing else. Fascinating, thanks Chris, looking forward to many more.

I really liked the inclusion of the map of the Carribean at the 10:10 mark. My Dad was stationed in both Trinidad, and the Panama Canal Zone during WW II. And, when I was working in Angola, the "Houston Express" flight chartered by Chevron would overfly the island chain of the Eastern Carribean on the flight between Houston and Luanda. The lights on the islands at night were without number.

What an amazing story, thanks for sharing.

Just found your channel Chris and can’t stop binge watching. Superb channel , thank you Chris 👍

Such interesting history. Thank you for sharing!

I just came here for the comments and I wasn’t disappointed. Very interesting history of the ship although I think I like the original name better.

I'm a naval history buff, enjoyed this story a lot , not being aware of this ship, thank you mr.Green!

What an interesting history , darkened though by the history of the jewish prisoners to Germany and the disastrous one and only Caribean run and all that has entailed for Britain in the intervening years . Thank you for the video .

What a fascinating story...i never knew that the"windrush"had such an interesting backstory...thanks so much for posting ,always something more to learn😊

Fascinating. She seemed unsinkable, grounding, torpedoes, sea mines. Ironic that she destroyed herself in the end.

Another excellent video, these stories are niche and not always noticed but the shine a light on the past.

Excellent video Chris.. what a remarkable life the Monte Rosa / Empire Windrush had; the ship version of Carlton de Wairt

I sailed to Hong Kong from Liverpool on the Empire Clyde and back to Southampton on the Empire Fowey. On the way out we had to stand at attention as we passed over the Windrush.

Thank you - I do not know how you make such good videos - I never go away from you video without being more entertain, enlighten and edumacated

Thanks Chris awesome as always

An amazing and odd history for a ship. Well worth the listen. Thanks Chris. 👍

Another great video thanks

I had absolutely no idea about this story other than the trip from the Caribbean. Thank you so much for your excellent video sir.

I thought it was unlucky to rename a ship, oh well bad memory on my part. Interesting video thanks Chris.

I knew that she was German but never got the history. Thank you,

Excelent story. It was Max Manus and Gregers Gram who put limpet mines on her in Oslo. They later sank the "Donau" the same way. It's covered in the movie, "Max Manus", which is quite viewable, though slightly exagerated....

Thank you Chris for another fascinating video.🛳

I had never heard of the Empire Windrush, so found this story fascinating. What an incredible journey she had. Looking on Wikipedia I was amused to see that the "fate" of the Monte Rosa was to be Seized By The United Kingdom.

My Dad brought his new family back to the UK in September/October from India in 1947 on the Empire Windrush. I had just had my sixth birthday in the embarkation camp, Bombay. I recall the awful steamed fish meals. boys diving for coins at Aden, passing through the Suez Canal and docking at Southampton. I don't know if he sailed on her again going to and from the Korean war. My son still has the Teak trunk marked "Not Wanted on voyage.". This is part of our family too.

Thanks Chris, great education

Thank you this was really interesting, i had no idea about the history of the ship

Quite a story. Thx.

Such an interesting story and really well told, thanks and have a great weekend and stay well.

Excellent story. It would make a good specialist knowledge round on Mastermind!

Thank you so much for this video! I hope there will be many more of this era. I will be watching the Suez video next.😊

Thanks!

Interesting post, thank you.

Hi Chris have you made a video on the Royal Navy’s West African Squadron.? A tale of great hardship for all concerned.

Good video Chris, excellent story well told. Thank you. Regards Jim.

My Dad came back from Libya on her in 1953 to be demobbed. I remember as a kid we had a Reader's Digest in the house (still the only one I've ever seen outside of a doctor's waiting room) with an article called "They Remembered The Birkenhead Drill", about the origin of the 'women and children first' protocal (HMS Birkenhead - 1852) and its rigid application when the Empire Windrush sank.

Fascinating. Thanks Chris 🎉

As an Australian old white man 64 lol I can honestly say say brilliant my friend would love a bit of a story about hmas Sydney doing the runs to Vietnam in our campaign and the 707 that flew to and from Australia to nam and return thank you Sir

Mmm, Windrush, that's certainly a word... Mmm. Well, fishing later anyway, ships are a fitting topic when on the hunt for carp.

The arrival of the Windrush was the beginning of the end for Great Britain.

Chris I truly was interested in this story and makes you think what else happened in the second world war. Keep making the great videos love watching them

Thanks

Far too many in America have forgotten the Korean war too!

Brilliant 👍

Great Story Chris... History is a Bitch ...we may not like what reflection she shows us...but we should learn from Her

i'm at an age (i originally learned by reading so many long books🤫), that i kinda envy the youngers who are just learning such fond history tales. tyvm again, Chris. 🫎🇨🇦😁

Fascinating, please do more of this kind of content. Your videos get better all the time. There is much more history to know than the narrative about Big A and his band of psychopaths.

Truly Fascinating!!!

I was a passenger (11 months old), travelling with my mother from Hong Kong to Southampton in 1954, on that fateful voyage when the engine room exploded and caught fire. Four crew members died, but of course that story is never told because no-one has been interested since “The Windrush Generation” was created. True, they and their descendants were cruelly treated by successive UK governments, but whether it is fair that the only voyage to the West Indies continues to be the one story the ship is known for some would disagree with. My story is virtually unknown.

That ship had quite the existence, good and bad. Her demise reminds me of the Titanic. I'd be up for a video on the Third Battle of the Hook.

I do hope this video does not get demonetized due to your mention of Germany in certain years and a certain warship

Chris, is there any name for the biography or the life of a ship ? Your fine crafted story made me think of Hornblower and Graf Luckner .. Thx for the lesson again despite any propaganda or political ideas behind it, it was at least a very good history of a vessel! Ludwig

The Service Personnel and the Polish passengers were certainly different from those now known as "The Windrush generation"; afterall ther had been invited .

Another excellent story, again revealing how History is "messy" - a lot more complicated than we think!

Was she one of the Strength Through Joy ships in the 30s?

Great video again, can you let me know if you have done any research into Job Henry Charles Drain V.C from the first world war, I believed he died at the beginning of the war saving two guns. he was a barking boy and has a statue out side the town hall. Once again great videos keep them coming I have enjoyed every one

Some time referred to as Empire Flatulance must have had something to do with wind ..

Great to hear more about this famous ship

What a pity there were no icebergs around

Pictures of the Frozen Arsehole Brigade sailing for Korea

You seem to be getting it from both sides, Chris. I am sorry for my earlier comment on your previous video. The comment about your video on the Windrush is also lacking in justification. This is a very good video about the ship, not its supposed symbolism, which you address very clearly as lacking in justification. It was not the first ship taking immigrants from the Caribbean, it did it once but it was the one that got the publicity. That is a lot like how history is written. Great video, keep it up, Chap.😊

D-Day

I was on this ship with my mum in 1952,on our way to join my dad in Malaya

Whole story completely new to me. I was afraid it would end in tragedy, to be honest. Thank God all of her last batch of passengers made it safely home.

Absolutely love your stuff. But am sick to the back teeth about the Windrush ?

"They (the Poles) had been detained by the Soviets after Stalin's occupation of Poland in 1939" I thought it was Hitler's attack and occupation of Poland in 1939 that marked the start of WW2. Or do I need to watch another one of your educational videos to correct my thinking?

Can't wait for the Gurkhas

Shouldn’t that have been emigrants on the voice over?

Chris, I love your videos, but the Windrush narrative is pure propaganda and I won't be watching this one.

Did you know ... ? Did you know ... ? Did you know ... ? Did you know ... ? Did you know ... ? Did you know ... ? Did you know ... ? Did you know ... ? If that was a quiz, I got an F-.

Hi Chris... its Annette, and I watched this video with my Chris, I must admitt when I saw the title I thought it was going to be all about the men and women coming to the UK on the Widrush... but guess what I was 100 per cent wrong wasnt I..... my chris use to be a mercant navy officer.. ( 2 nd mate ) and he , like you has 100's of stories to tell .. one such story he told me is... normally he would sail under the red ensign and proud of it.. but on the particular voyage, because the captain was R.N. R... the ship flew the blue ensign.. and just like the Windrush... just after leaving the suez canal coming home... the Captain decided to do a man over board drill..... so when the alarm was given... that a man ( actually a barrel ) had falling overboard... the ship did a emergency hard a starboard ( so the the propellers would not hit the man ( or the barrel )... you must remember thwe ship had only just left suez so there were a lot of other ships in the immediate area... and my chris tells me... it was a bit like the keystone cops... they ( the other ships ) did a very hasty retreat in all directions... dont know about you.. but I can just picture it... cant you.

Thanks