The story of
Ivor Cummings
Ivor Cummings (1913–1992) greeted the iconic arrival of the Empire Windrush at Tilbury in 1948. He became known as the 'gay father of the Windrush generation'.
Migration and citizenship
Official documents chart the movements of people to and from Britain over the centuries through ships’ manifests, naturalisation certificates and applications for passage. While laws and public information campaigns show the state’s responses to a changing population.
Stories from the collection
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Record revealed
List of immigrant Londoners from 1483
This 15th-century list of ‘alien’ residents, gathered for tax purposes, gives us a remarkable insight into London’s medieval immigrant population. -
Record revealed
Sarah Parker Remond’s application to become a British Citizen
Sarah Parker Remond (1826–1894) fought for a more equal world as an abolitionist and suffrage supporter. Why and how did she apply for British citizenship? -
The story of
Sir Ludwig Guttmann and the birth of the Paralympic Games
In the summer of 1948, neurologist Ludwig Guttmann set up a sporting competition between patients. It was the birth of the Paralympic Games. -
Focus on
The Huey Fong: Hong Kong's 1979 refugee crisis
In December 1978, Vietnamese refugees seeking asylum aboard the Huey Fong were refused entry to Hong Kong. Records we hold document the 34-day standoff. -
The story of
Kumar Sri Ranjitsinhji
How did an Indian prince come to play at the highest level of England’s national sport? -
The story of
Louise Bennett-Coverley
Described by the Birmingham Post as the ‘queen of Jamaican theatre’, Louise Bennett-Coverley (1919–2006) was a poet, performer, folklorist, writer and educator. -
The story of
Sir Learie Constantine
Sir Learie Constantine (1901–1971) was a renowned cricketer, author, politician and persistent campaigner for racial equality and justice. -
The story of
The Imperial Typewriters dispute
The Imperial Typewriters dispute in Leicester saw over 500 workers, largely from South Asia, go on strike over discrimination in 1974. -
Record revealed
Christine Granville’s application to become a British citizen
Christine Granville, Special Operations Executive agent extraordinaire, was Churchill’s favourite spy. How did this document possibly save her life? -
The story of
Insaaf
Insaaf was a film made by the government, filmed partly in Urdu, to promote employment rights under the 1968 Race Relations Act. -
The story of
Ormonde, Almanzora and Windrush
Passenger lists for the ships that carried post-war migrants from the Caribbean to Britain can be crucial resources for people tracing their family history.