AN EX-army veteran is fighting for former servicemen to be recognised in the Home Office’s Windrush compensation scheme after tirelessly serving their country and putting their lives at risk. 

Paul Phoenix, who is in his late seventies, arrived in Britain in 1962 after signing up for the Royal Engineers regiment of the British Armed Forces. 

Phoenix, who is from Barbados, told The Voice the Home Office is “failing miserably” in their efforts to support victims of the Windrush scandal.

He says the harrowing scandal, which first came to light in 2018, has blighted his opportunities and self-esteem when he was denied a student loan to study in university. 

“I was shocked when the Home Office, who were supposed to be the  last signatory to sign off the loan, said they couldn’t do it, because as far as they were concerned, I wasn’t even supposed to be in the country. They had no knowledge of me being in the country,” said the Lewisham resident. 

The government’s failure to properly record immigration documents of over 14, 800 Caribbean migrants who came to Britain as part of the Windrush generation from 1948-71 has shattered lives and torn families apart. 

The scandal has led to many of them being denied access to healthcare, work and housing. In some cases, they were even deported back to the Caribbean. 

The Windrush Compensation Scheme (WCS) was rolled out by the Home Office with the support of MPs David Lammy and Diane Abbott to right the wrongs of the government due to racist immigration laws. 

In March 2020, the Windrush Lessons Learned review was overseen by Wendy Williams who outlined 30 recommendations for the then Home Secretary Priti Patel to “to build a fairer” department.

However, a progress report in March 2022 blasted the Home Office for its failure in making the “cultural changes required,” warning that the department was at a “tipping point” of another scandal. 

Latest Home Office figures show more than £37 million has been paid out for 993 submitted claims.

However, 3,618 people still remain without any form of compensation. An estimated 285 people have died before receiving any pay-outs.

In a desperate attempt, Paul said he turned to his local MP Vicky Foxcroft for help after the university he applied to “did absolutely nothing” to help him. 

“It was only because of the involvement of my MP that she contacted the Ministry of Defence who said we have records of this particular person, and we have his records,” he said. “But it was a shock, it really was a shock, because any day I expected that knock on the door to say well we’ve come to collect you. You’re not supposed to be in this country.”

Phoenix says he felt he was treated as “one of those immigrants” that try to use access to education as a “backdoor” to securing immigration status in the UK.

He went on to add that law and policy makers don’t understand the toll that institutionalised racism can take on people that exist amid raging inequalities.

“People talk about discrimination. And there are a lot of people who’ve not experienced discrimination are the same people who tend to make the rules and laws, govern how we deal with it. But discrimination is an attack, it’s a very silent and legal attack on people. It’s an  attack on your self esteem,” he said.

“You think to yours, I did this for this country and now they’re saying to me we don’t remember, you don’t exist. It’s as if they regarded you as being less than a person.

“With the history of slavery, you start to draw comparisons between yourself because you felt you weren’t a person of worth.”

Following his ordeal, the ex-service man says he now wants other servicemen like him to be properly considered in the Home Office’s handling of the WCS because of their efforts in serving in the British ranks. 

He said: “It is the only contract [joining the forces] you male whereby you were expected to lay your life down. People don’t understand that they were the only employers to stipulate that in your contract. It marks the difference in the contractual obligations to this country.”

Over 15, 600 servicemen served in the British West Indies Regiment during the Second World War from colonies across the Caribbean. However, their contribution is very rarely acknowledged amid the Windrush scandal and during Armistice day commerations. 

Phoenix says while walking the streets of London, he often sees ex-servicemen who are now buskers or living on the street despite their honourable contributions. 

He’s now trying to rally more former Caribbean veterans together to ensure they are properly acknowledged by the compensation scheme after enduring years of struggle. 

Phoenix adds: “Being a person of Caribbean origin, and if you look at our history [with slavery] our history is unique. Really people don’t understand this. Don’t say that we suffered worse than anybody else. But our history is different from a lot of other people, and we don’t dwell a lot on our history.”

The WCS faced calls from campaigners and MPs for its handling to instead be passed to an independent body. 

Paul, who is now studying Advanced Creative Writing at the Open University, says he hopes he can use his new found skills to bring more attention to the plight of ex-servicemen.

“If there are any ex-servicemen who are reading this, I want them them to be assured their efforts and their cnotributis is not more or less dovetailed to a once a year march around the Cenotaph. We intend to have that process in the public 24/7, 365 days a year.:

The Home Office were approached for comment.