Leeds Windrush pioneer Alford Gardner dies aged 98

Tributes have been paid to one of the last surviving Windrush pioneers, who has died aged 98.

Jamaica-born Alford Gardner served in the RAF as a motoring mechanic while stationed at Filey in North Yorkshire during World War Two.

He returned to the UK in 1948 on the famous HMT Empire Windrush and settled in Leeds, where he founded Britain’s first ever Caribbean cricket club and became regarded as a pioneer for community relations in the city.

Paying tribute to their father in a statement, Mr Gardner’s children said his “laughter and larger-than-life personality were infectious”.

They added: “We are so very proud of our dad, all he achieved and the impact he made – not just on our lives, but on Leeds, the city he called home for 76 years, and on Britain too.

“As both a WW2 veteran and 1948 Windrush passenger, he was a true pioneer, a member of a generation of West Indian men and women to whom the country owes so much. And yet he found it amusing that a barefooted boy with big dreams growing up in rural Jamaica would be celebrated by communities, the nation and Royalty alike.

“He approached it all with humility and humour but never shied away from mentioning the struggles for equality and fairness as well as the happier times too.”

The HMT Empire Windrush, which docked at Tilbury in Essex, brought 492 passengers to the UK from a number of Caribbean islands, including Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, to help fill post-war labour shortages.

Paying tribute on X, formerly Twitter, The Jamaica Society Leeds posted that Mr Gardner had been “a proud Jamaican and part of a generation who helped to rebuild postwar Leeds and Britain”.

“We owe him more than a tweet can say. Thank you Mr Gardner. For everything,” the society added.

In October last year, Mr Gardner was visited by the Prince of Wales to honour him for his work in breaking down racial barriers.

Prince William went to see Mr Gardner at his home in Leeds, before taking him to the city’s Headingley cricket ground for a surprise party with cricketing stars.

Posting on X on Wednesday, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) described Mr Gardner as a “trailblazer”.

The ECB said: “A founder of Leeds Caribbean CC, and someone who did so much for the Black cricketing community in this country. Rest in peace, Alford Gardner.

“Our thoughts are with his friends and family, and everyone at Leeds Caribbean CC.”

In November last year, Mr Gardner’s name was inscribed on the wall at Leeds Civic Hall, in recognition of his contribution to the city.

At the time, Mr Gardner said he was “happy” and “humble” to be given the honour.

Posting on X, Leeds City Council said: “It is with great sadness that we have learned of the death of #AlfordGardner at the age of 98.

“He was one of the last surviving passengers of the #EmpireWindrush.”

Mr Gardner was immortalised in paint in 2023 to mark the 75th anniversary of the Windrush crossing.

Just under a year ago, he was also awarded an Outstanding Contribution award at the Daily Mirror Pride Of Britain Awards.

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