Windrush & SEEME Resources
On this page you will find a range of classroom resources relating to the experiences of the African Caribbean community in Wiltshire post 1945. Use the biographies on this page with the sound clips and animated films to support the teaching of British Black History, particularly the experiences of the Windrush generation. These resources from the SEEME project can be used in school to help develop a diverse and inclusive curriculum across the key stages, providing inspirational source material for creative writing, the performing and visual arts, and as part of students' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
We are currently updating our Black History resources and more will be added to this page based on the Wiltshire Remembers the Windrush Generation project commemorating the 70th anniversary of the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush. These will include photographs from the History Centre's archive and local studies collections, written resources plus teachers' notes and lesson ideas and will build on the original SEEME project in 2010-2013. SEEME collected 30 life stories from the African Caribbean community in Wiltshire. Many of the interviews were conducted by young people including 6th form students from 2 local schools and undergraduates from the University of the West of England (UWE). The complete archive of interviews together with transcripts is available at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre.
On this page you can find:
- Biographies of some of the people interviewed for the SEEME project
- Transcripts for the 3 animated films
- Information on early black presence in Wiltshire
- Information on Bowyers
- Links to other websites with similar content
Biographies
Click on the names below to open a word document containing a biography of that person, based on the full interview held at Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre.
Transcripts
Click on the link below for a word document containing a transcript for that animated film.
First Impressions film transcript
Reactions and Racism film transcript
Early Black Presence
Research into the documents held at Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre has shown black presence in the county since the 16th century. Click here for a list of all the documents found so far containing references to black people living in Wiltshire. We have also produced a narrative of early black presence in Wiltshire.
Click here for a brief history of the Bowyers factory in Trowbridge.
Links to other sites:
Legacies of British Slave-ownership - a searchable database
Windrush: Arrival 1948 - searchable passenger list for MV Empire Windrush