The Admiral of the Windrush

We Talk to Playwright and Actor Christopher Tajah about the inspiration behind his play “Admiral Of The Windrush”

Synopsis: In 1960, Admiral, then 12 years old, along with his Barbadian parents, proudly accepted their invitation to come and rebuild Britain following the end of the Second World War. Like many recruited throughout the Caribbean, they answered the call of the Mother Country, leaving their homeland to work and live in Britain. Now 71, Admiral is being returned to the Caribbean to a land that he no longer knows.

Talk to us about the inspiration behind your play 'Admiral' and how the idea for this story came to you.

I wrote 'Admiral' in 2021. It had been in my mind for some time, so it wasn't very difficult to put the story down. It revolves around the government's abysmal treatment of surviving members of the Windrush generation. These are people who had been invited and requested to uproot, move to a new country, leaving behind everything they had known up until that point, to begin a new life in the United Kingdom. Having come over to the UK to fill vacancies for jobs that British nationals couldn't or wouldn't sign up for, people from the West Indies were welcomed with open arms and played their role in helping rebuild the country after the Second World War. After reading stories about the children of the Windrush and the ship HMS Windrush docking at Tilbury docks in 1948, which marked the arrival of this heroic, courageous workforce, I began to read more about this generation of hardworking people who had arrived on these shores. They had been encouraged, enticed, and cajoled to come to this country to work, pay their taxes, rebuild the country, start families, and build new lives. For this generation, these stalwarts of society, to have their British citizenship thrown into question, revoked, rejected, or withdrawn left them confused, isolated, and betrayed. Having to provide documentation to prove their identity meant that their lives, sweat, and toil that they had expended over a working lifetime here in Britain had been annulled. After reading some of these real-life stories, I was compelled to write a solo play about individuals being treated in this despicable, shameful manner.

The experiences of the Windrush Generation are an important and integral part of British history. What motivated you to bring Admiral's story to the stage?

I wanted to share the story of that generation with younger generations of all cultures. Theatre is a powerful medium to open up issues, explain, and share the life experiences of people or generations you might never have met or thought would be interesting to listen to and learn from as valued members of society. I believe it is important to write and present characters of the African diaspora from various generations, histories, experiences, and lifestyles. I wanted to write and perform 'Admiral' because I believe theatre is an excellent way to share experiences, dispel myths, educate, and give people a voice."

The Windrush Generations' experiences have gained more visibility in recent years. What do you hope audiences will take away from "Admiral," especially in the context of ongoing conversations about immigration and identity?

As with anything I write or perform, I hope that audiences stay in touch with my social media networks and come to see one of my four productions. When audiences come to see 'Admiral,' I hope they listen to the experiences of a member of the Windrush Generation. What was the Britain that they found? How were they treated? Did they face racism? If so, how? What was it like to receive notifications from the Home Office asking them to come to their offices with their paperwork to prove that they were legal UK citizens after living, working, and being British taxpayers for several decades? What was it like not having access to employment and NHS medication while they were being investigated by the Home Office? Did they become depressed or unwell due to the uncertainty of their situation? I hope that audiences will be interested in learning what it feels like to be invited into a country as a young boy with his father to help the economy, work all his life as an honest member of society, and then, as a pensioner, to be accused of overstaying his welcome, being an illegal immigrant, and shown the door.

Lastly, what message or feeling do you want the audience to take away after experiencing "Admiral"?

I don’t want to place any demands on audience members. I hope that when they come to see this play or any of my plays that they will hopefully have enjoyed the show and performance. I hope that they will have found it interesting and entertaining as well as informative. Perhaps after watch the show it has made you angry on Admiral’s behalf and the production may make them feel that they want to write to their MP or Councillor, to maybe find their local Windrush campaign group or sign up to a pressure group via a website or social media. But even if none of those actions result, just coming to watch the play will suffice. I will have done my bit by producing and presenting the play and you would have done your bit by coming to see it. I will have shared Admiral’s story with one other person in the world and that’s more than enough.

Christopher Tajah’s other work: Dream of a King (solo-play about Martin Luther King Jr) Shadow Under a Setting Sun (solo-play about Martin Luther King’s widow) Under Heaven’s Eyes -the Systemic and Systematic Unjustified Killings of Black Lives’ (A play about George Floyd) Now playing in New York Follow Christopher here: https://linktr.ee/christophertajah @CTajahOfficial