© The Royal Mint, 2023
© The Royal Mint, 2023
50 Pence - Charles III Windrush Generation; Silver Piedfort
2023 year| Silver (.925) | 16 g | 27.3 mm |
| Issuer | United Kingdom (United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies) |
|---|---|
| King | Charles III (2022-date) |
| Type | Non-circulating coin |
| Year | 2023 |
| Value | 50 Pence 0.50 GBP = USD 0.65 |
| Currency | Pound sterling (decimalized, 1971-date) |
| Composition | Silver (.925) |
| Weight | 16 g |
| Diameter | 27.3 mm |
| Shape | Equilateral curve heptagon (7-sided) |
| Technique | Milled, Coloured |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Updated | 2024-10-09 |
| Numista | N#369367 |
|---|---|
| Rarity index | 100% |
Reverse
A depiction of a Caribbean man and a woman set against a Union flag accompanied by the number 75 and the inscription.
Script: Latin
Lettering:
75
VJ
WINDRUSH GENERATION
Designer: Valda Jackson
Edge
Plain
Comment
This coin was issued individually. The design was also struck in copper-nickel, copper-nickel colour, silver proof, silver proof colour, silver piedfort and gold proof. Issue limit: 1,260© The Royal Mint, 2023
On 21st June 1948, a ship called HMT Empire Windrush docked at Tilbury in Essex after arriving from Jamaica. It carried 1,027 passengers, 802 of which were British subjects, including men, women and children, who gave their last country of residence as somewhere in the Caribbean, travelling to the United Kingdom hoping to start a new life. Marking the date of disembarkation, Windrush Day takes place on 22 June each year.
Whilst it was not the first ship to transport British Caribbean passengers to the country following the Second World War, many of the people on board were UK ex-service personnel. These people sought work in the ‘mother country’, as the war had left the UK with a significant labour shortage and a decimated economy. By 1961, the national population census recorded 161,000 Caribbean-born people were living in England and Wales.
Windrush garnered much attention upon its arrival and has since become symbolic for many of the Caribbean communities who, alongside numerous Commonwealth citizens, arrived in the UK between 1948 and 1973. They played a pivotal role in rebuilding the UK after the Second World War, as well as shaping modern British culture and society.
Interesting fact
One interesting fact about this coin is that it commemorates the Windrush Generation, a significant historical event in British history. The Windrush Generation refers to the group of people who migrated from the Caribbean to the United Kingdom in the aftermath of World War II, aboard the ship MV Empire Windrush, which arrived in the UK in 1948. This coin is a tribute to their journey and the contributions they made to British society.
