Emotional moment 65-year-old man who came to the UK as a baby as part of the Windrush generation breaks down in tears when he FINALLY receives a British passport
- West Indian Joseph Mowlah-Baksh, 65, has waited 40 years for a passport
- READ MORE: King Charles 'wants to play part in celebrating Windrush'- source
This is the emotional moment a 65-year-old man from the Windrush generation breaks down in tears when he finally receives his UK passport, despite living in the UK for almost his entire life.
Joseph Mowlah-Baksh appears in a new ITV documentary, and unfortunately it is far from unique. Joseph is one of almost 60,000 people whose lives have been impacted by the Windrush scandal, having arrived as a baby on his father's passport.
The Windrush generation was named after HMS Windrush, the ship that brought over one of the first groups of Caribbean migrants invited to the UK in 1948 to help rebuild post-war Britain.
But a Home Office 'hostile environment' policy in 2012 meant many West Indian British subjects who had spent most of their lives in the UK were suddenly deemed illegal citizens and found themselves wrongly deported, detained or stripped of their homes and jobs.
In Pride Of Britain: A Windrush Special, Joseph describes himself as an 'emotional wreck' as he speaks to former Spice Girl Mel B about living without a passport for 40 years.
![Joseph Mowlah-Baksh (pictured), 65, from the West Indies, shed tears after receiving his first ever passport, as revealed in a new ITV documentary](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/16/18/76624117-12636553-image-a-6_1697477262883.jpg)
Joseph Mowlah-Baksh (pictured), 65, from the West Indies, shed tears after receiving his first ever passport, as revealed in a new ITV documentary
Joseph said: 'Not having a passport, uh, to me has meant not having an official identity.
'I’m 65 years old. I’ve lived in Birmingham all my life. My father was in the RAF. He left the West Indies to come here.
'Here by Windrush that was wicked to find out that he was actually on the ship. My mother was a military policewoman from Ireland'.
He also said he applied for a passport numerous times but 'basically it was rejected.'
'I’ve never had a passport in 40 years I’ve tried so many times. Each time I’ve tried to pursue it, it’s ended up exactly the same way' he added.
He also revealed the difficulties he had faced in trying to find steady work over the years because he didn't have a passport to prove his right to work in this country.
Joseph continued: 'From leaving school I always worked and that was my intention - to work till I retired.
'But, because of laws changing, I just found it more and more difficult to gain employment. I had really good interviews, shake their hand.
![Joseph Mowlah-Baksh, 65, describes himself as an 'emotional wreck' as he speaks to former Spice Girl Mel B (pictured left) about living without a passport for 40 years](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/16/18/76624099-12636553-image-a-7_1697477266631.jpg)
In the new programme titled Pride Of Britain: A Windrush Special, Joseph describes himself as an 'emotional wreck' as he speaks to former Spice Girl Mel B (pictured left) about living without a passport for 40 years
'[They would ask] "When you come in can you bring a passport or driver's licence just to verify the details?" And I’d have to get into my story all over again'.
Later on the programme, Joseph holds back tears and calls himself an 'emotional wreck', before adding that the heartbreaking situation is 'enough to make anybody just go into a depression'.
Three months later, the crew returns to Joseph's home where he is finally in possession of a passport.
Cheers erupt among the film crew as Joseph receives his first ever passport and says the drama is 'finally finished with' after 40 years of chasing the Home Office.
![Joseph is one of almost 60,000 people whose lives have been impacted by the Windrush scandal, having arrived as a baby on his father's passport](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/16/18/76624103-12636553-image-a-4_1697477235564.jpg)
Joseph is one of almost 60,000 people whose lives have been impacted by the Windrush scandal, having arrived as a baby on his father's passport
![Later on the programme, Joseph can be seen holding back tears before adding that the heartbreaking situation is 'enough to make anybody just go into a depression'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/16/18/76624125-12636553-image-a-8_1697477270335.jpg)
Later on the programme, Joseph can be seen holding back tears before adding that the heartbreaking situation is 'enough to make anybody just go into a depression'
Pride Of Britain: A Windrush Special will air on ITV1 & ITVX at 9pm on Thursday, and features members of the Windrush generation who arrived in Britain between 1948 and 1971.
The brand new documentary in partnership with Pride of Britain tells the story of the Windrush generation - 75 years after the ship arrived at Tilbury Docks.
The former Windrush passengers have also been awarded a special Pride of Britain Award this year and will share their stories with key figures including Sir Trevor McDonald, Alesha Dixon, Mel B, Judi Love and HRH The Prince of Wales.
![A policy in 2012 instituted by ex-prime minister Theresa May when she was Home Secretary, meant many West Indian British subjects who¿d spent most of their lives in the UK were suddenly deemed illegal citizens](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/16/18/76624111-12636553-image-a-9_1697477440930.jpg)
A policy in 2012 instituted by ex-prime minister Theresa May when she was Home Secretary, meant many West Indian British subjects who’d spent most of their lives in the UK were suddenly deemed illegal citizens
Those featured in the programme include Alford Gardner, who set up Britain's first Afro-Caribbean cricket club in Leeds; Guy Bailey, whose rejection for a job on the buses in Bristol paved the way for a change in the law; and Vernesta Cyril, who cared for thousands of women and babies as a midwife in Wales for more than 40 years.
Their stories are told alongside those of Lloyd Coxsone, a pioneer of the sound system movement who helped shape UK pop culture, and Joseph Mowlah-Baksh, who is one of more than 60,000 people affected by the Windrush passport scandal.
Sir Trevor McDonald speaks of his pride in the Windrush passengers: 'When I think of the Windrush generation and what they brought with them from the Caribbean and how hard they worked I’m filled with an overwhelming sense of pride.
'It is such a great honour for me to celebrate their achievements'.