Empire Windrush

Dear Family,
My journey began. Windrush started to move away from the beach and after a short amount of time, my home was just a tiny black dot on the horizon.
Two months ago I arrived in the UK and the opportunity until now had to write you a letter. On 22th of June we arrived by ship at the UK and I didn’t know what to expect. I thought in England the opportunity for jobs in this country is better than back home and it is true but first it was very hard form me to find work. I had to learn new trades and I will employing in the manufacturing and engineering industries in the next few months. My first impression is that the country is quite destroyed because of the war not long time ago so housing was a huge problem for everybody, who lived in the UK. There was plenty of work for me and the other servicemen, but first we clashed with the natives over the issue of accommodation. But alongside the conflicts and the discrimination, another process was taking place. Excluded from much of the social and economic life around us, we began to adjust the institutions we had brought with them - the churches, and a co-operative method of saving called the 'pardner' system. There was a minority of hardcore racists, with policies based on the idea of 'keeping Britain white' and banning all immigration.
When I came to the UK, an Industrial Hostel was the first port of call for me and the other immigrants, because it was very difficult for us to find a nice place to live.
I wouldn't say England been good to me, but I say it made a change in my life at the time.
John Tomlinson

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/windrush_01.shtml

vor 3 Wochen bin ich in Großbritannien angekommen und hatte erst jetzt die Gelegenheit euch einen Brief zu schreiben. Am 22. Juni kamen wir mit dem Schiff hier an und ich wusste nicht, was mich erwartet. Das Land ist ziemlich Zerstört, da der Krieg nicht lange her ist.