The fear of deportation is not something that most British people have to deal with on a daily basis.

But for Donna Sinfield it was the case until she got her British Passport last year.

She says it was her birthright to have the document and without one she felt ‘trapped’ for decades.

Despite living here for nearly 60 years she feared she may be deported to India, a country she only lived in for two years and a place she has no family.

After years of counselling the 59-year-old is only now starting to come to terms with her experience and getting a British passport is just part of the healing process for her.

And it’s more than just not going on holidays for the grandmother, who without a passport has been unable to visit her son in New Zealand or see where she was born in India.

And although she is not from the Caribbean her experience mirrors that of the Windrush generation. It was only after the Windrush Scandal broke that Mrs Sinfield was finally able to get a passport after years of trying.

Where did it all start?

Born in Asanol, India, Donna moved to the UK with her family when she was just two years old.

Her grandfather Albert Barrett was a soldier from Beaminster in Dorset and was based in India with his wife.

They had a son, Arthur, Mrs Sinfield’s father, who met and married Mignoette, who was half Spanish and  half Italian.

In India her father used to work on the trains but in 1961 decided to move to England with his wife and seven children in tow. The couple had three more children after moving here.

So in 1961, Mrs Sinfield got on the first and only flight she’s taken, when she travelled to the UK on her father’s passport.

They settled first in London before the big family, of six boys and four girls, moved to Thornton Heath.

Her father died in 1972 which meant her mother Mignoette raised Donna and her nine siblings by herself.

She tragically died in a house fire at their Thornton Heath home in 1995.

‘You feel like nothing’

Mrs Sinfield has now been married to her husband Robert for 25 years and has two sons in their 40s, four grandchildren – one who lives with them – and one great-granddaughter.

In 1986 the family moved to Coe Avenue with her family. This was the same year she started work at Asda in Beddington, where she has been employed ever since.

As her grandfather was a British soldier his citizenship should have passed on to her through her father.

But because Donna travelled on his passport as a baby in 1961, her family never originally had to apply for one on her behalf.

As a result of this she never had photo ID, and later struggled to apply for a passport as she had no exising document to prove her British citizenship.

“I’ve worked since I was 16-years-old, I pay tax, national insurance, how can you say that I’m not a Birtish citizen,” said Mrs Sinfield.

“You feel like a nothing – to this day I am still having counselling.

“You feel trapped. I used to say if I did manage to get out of the country I would never get back in. Where would I go?”

“Being a British citizen is my birth right, I feel cheated.”

And things became more difficult for her when new rules about work came in.

“When they started bringing in the rules that you have to produce a passport for work I thought I was going to lose my job so I had to keep producing my dad’s passport,” she said.

“In Asda they used to get the immigration people come in and many times I thought I would be deported. It has been terrifying.”

‘Stress and heartache’

It’s not just holidays abroad that Donna has missed out on by not having a passport.

One of her sons now lives in New Zealand and she has never been able to visit him out there.

But her first trip will be a holiday in Spain to celebrate her 60th birthday in September with her sister.

She is eligible for the Windrush Compensation Scheme and hopes to put any money from this towards a trip to New Zealand.

“I don’t think the passport will sink in until I go somewhere,” said the 59-year-old.

“All this stress and heartache over this stupid bit of paper but people don’t realise how deeply things like this can affect you.”

Despite not remembering much about her first two years in India, Donna feels a connection to the country.

She adds: “If I’d had passport I would’ve gone to India I would’ve done so much more with my life. I feel that I’ve been held back, I couldn’t go anywhere because I thought I wouldn’t be allowed back.”

Mrs Sinfield would like to see Asanol where she was born, and visit Barrett Club a boxing club started by her grandfather in 1926.

It still stands and is now a library and community centre.

‘I identified with the Windrush generation’

Last year after the Windrush scandal broke Croydon Central MP Sarah Jones held surgeries for victims in Croydon.

Mrs Sinfield went along to one of these where she got the help she needed to apply for a British passport.

Here she was told that her grandfather’s British nationality should have passed down to her as he was in the army.

“When I went to Sarah Jones she said you sound like you belong to the Windrush era,” she added.

“I identified with the Windrush generation.

“Nothing has ever been explained to me. I would like it to be acknowledged that my grandfather was a British soldier. He was out in India serving the Queen.”

In April Ms Jones revealed that all constituents she worked with who were victims of the scandal involving lost immigration papers, have been given indefinite leave to remain.

All the people she helped were invited to the Houses of Parliament for a tour and celebratory tea.

Mrs Sinfield said: “When I met all the other Windrush people at the Houses of Parliament they were from every walk of life but we all had the same sort of stress.

“It made me think how could this happen to so many people.

“Luckily I didn’t lose my job but there are other people who have suffered immensely.”

But she adds that while she is still coming to terms with her experience without the support of her husband and family over the years she doesn’t know where she would be.

And now after years of uncertainty she has been given the passport she should have had all along.

Croydon’s Windrush generation to be celebrated

At the Croydon Museum there is currently an exhibition of artefacts, memories and stories.

The free exhibition is part of a month-long celebration of the Windrush Generation and their contributions to Croydon.

Celebrations will also include a dinner and awards afternoon on Friday (June 21) open to everyone, but must be pre-booked, and will be free to ‘Windrushers’ aged 65 and over.

It will take place at the De Vere Selsdon Estate Hotel. Contact 07821 612280 for tickets and more details.

National Windrush Day is on Saturday (June 22) which will be marked with Windrush Street Party and Caribbean Cookout in North End.

A full list of events can be found here: httpshttps://croydonwindrushcroydonwindrush.orgorg/2019/05/21/events/