Thanks to Kathy for posting an interesting questions: How many other mixed race families were living quietly and unnoticed in Victorian Britain long before Windrush? 

My experience, over the years in publicising anything,  would tell me that if more  or less than 500 mixed-race families had arrived from the Caribbean in Victorian times, MPs and the British Press would have made a big story out of it, and we would have been referring to the incident at every opportunity. Lone migrants or just a few do not often usually receive the publicity as Empire Windrush passengers did. If they are as prolific as Olaudah Equiano and family, Ignatius Sancho and family, Ira Aldridge, et al, for example, the media would eventually pay attention to their activities, etc. Mary Seacole received much publicity, but vanished decades after, until now.

The stories of ‘Windrush migrants’ readily attract the attention of school pupils and students, especially those of Caribbean heritage. I know this because of my visits to schools over the past 15 years. As interesting are the lives and times of Caribbean WWII service men and women. The late Sam King and I, and now Allan Wilmot (former Royal Navy and RAF personnel) are well received in educational institutions.

The Windrush passengers caused a great stir because of the large numbers arriving in one ship and because they intended to settle in Britain from 22 June 2948. Furthermore, most of them were WWII service personnel and offered a diversity of skills which have significantly contributed to the rebuilding of the country after WWII.  The present Windrush scandal has highlighted some of these stories.

Arthur