A RETIRED Pembrokeshire teacher has written about the Windrush generation in her new novel.
Joan Lewis, who worked as a teacher in Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock, has written Because You Were There, which tells the story of two elderly British women, one – Tina – is a member of the Windrush Generation who was a pupil at a school for ‘educationally subnormal’ pupils, and the other – Felicity – a young teacher at the school.
Tina makes a plea for help to Felicity but is ignored and when their paths cross again half a century later, the story follows if Tina can ever forgive her adoptive country for the wrongs she faced.
Ms Lewis said of the semi-autobiographical story: “Because You Were There explored the feelings of ‘belonging’ and national identity, and features the gross injustices that were suffered by many members of the Windrush Generation in Britain.
“It demonstrates the importance of family ties and celebrates female friendship and loyalty. Readers of Amelia Gentleman’s exposure in The Guardian will be well acquainted with the facts of the Windrush deportation scandal, but there are many people who are not.
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“Sadly, this scandal continues today with the refusal of the home secretary to honour the recommendations of the Williams report.
“I wish to wake people up to some of the injustices that have happened under our watch by creating empathy for its victims through this piece of semi-autobiographical fiction.
"As a young teacher in an E.S.N. school in seventies Britain, where immigrant Caribbean children were wrongly classified, I witnessed prejudice and the beginnings of this scandal first hand, but like most of us do, I turned away.”
“My studies at the Open University later on in my career led me to believe that many pupils with additional needs should be integrated into their local school and taught alongside their fellow pupils,” said Ms Lewis. “I was actually able to see this put into practice at my last school, when the local E.S.N. school was disbanded.
“I dream that my novel will help to increase understanding and diversity within our society, and combat prejudice.”
Because You Were There by Joan Lewis will be released on April 25 through Cranthorpe Milner Publishers. It is available in paperback and Kindle format and can be bought from the publishers, Waterstones or Amazon.
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