1. Key Topic: What was it like
for Immigrants who came
to Britain 1939-75?
Todays Lesson focus:
Who and why did immigrants come to Britain
during 1939-75?
Lesson Objectives:
1. To know which nationalities arrived in Britain and
when
2. To understand the complex factors that led to them
moving to Britain

2. Who Britain during World
War II?

3. O Poles:
O 14,000 served in the RAF
O 120,000 left Poland after Russian invasion and settled in Britain
permanently
O American GIs:
O Over 3 million were posted in
the UK throughout the war
African American GIs - 130,000 African American soldiers came to
Britain
Common Wealth Troops:
Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders and Indians served in the
British forces as well as those from the Caribbean
O POWs:
O There were 157,000 Italians and 402,000 Germans in Britain
at its highest figure.

4. Where are the immigrants
from?
Use the map that you have been given to locate
where people came from around the world
You need to annotate the map with the
information provided

5. What can you find out from
the source?
O Look at the source provided and you need
to write down as much information as you
can find out from it
What is the source?
What is it talking about?
The name of what It is talking about?
Where it came from ?
Date?
Professions?
Where they were staying - where did they see themselves
staying in the future?

6. Do the Immigrants look the way you
would have expected them to look?

7. Windrush 1948
O The arrival of the ship Empire Windrush is a key moment in
British History – seen as signalling the start of post war
immigration
O IT was in fact NOT the first ship to carry immigrants from the
Caribbean (that was the Ormonde one year before in 1947)
O Why was Windrush so important?
O After Windrush there was a large influx of Caribbean immigrants
into the UK in the 1950s
O It was the first immigrant ship which was met by news cameras
O There was a small crowd of whites protesting for them to ‘go
home’
O It brought the public attention to the arrival of immigrants in
Britain

8. Why Did people leave the
Caribbean for Britain?
O Create a table in your books with two
columns
O One side is looking at Pull factors and
the other will look at Push factors

9. How far does this source explain
why Caribbean immigrants came to
Britain? (6 marks)
O Source 6 page 452
O Source 7 page 453

10. Immigration from East
Africa
O Most of the people who came to Britain from East
Africa were in fact Asian!
O Because….. In the 1830s when slavery had been
abolished, British companies and govs in Africa still
needed workers so they took people from the poorest
parts of Asia to work in Africa in not much better
conditions than slavery.
O By the twentieth century an Asian Middle class
emerged in Africa who migrated to Britain to look for
work as lawyers, doctors etc.
O Also during the 1960s when most of British colonies
became independent – they often wanted to establish
their own national identities and therefore Asians were
forced out. Eg Uganda President Idi Amin expelled
50,000 Asians who fled to Britain

11. Asian Immigrants from
Asia!
O Its important not to forget that Asian
Immigrants who came to Britain were also
from Asia!
O Use page 455 to find out about this group
of immigrants.
O Complete the following table
Factor East Africa Caribbean Indian
Subcontinent
Economic
Hardship
Example Example Example
Persecution or
Disruption
Economic
Opportunity
Adventure
Prospect of
returning Home
Existing
Community
offering support
Links with Brtain
For each group of people
highlight the factors which you
think were the most important in
attracting them to Britain.