Postcards featuring extracts from the Museum’s oral history collection were available in cinemas across London between 4 and 17 April 2003. You can look at the full set of ten postcards here.

Six Londoners were invited to select the extracts and to give their reasons for the choices they made.

Postcard 1

“Pimento grows on its own all the year round, you just have to keep it clean and all that. But to pick the berries, it’s like picking hops in the old days. You employ a lot of people. But only for a month - then it was over. Coconut can carry on by itself until you get a picker to pick it. And bananas, once they were planted and kept clean you didn’t need much labour. But pimento you do only for a short period.”

Sam King, born 1926 in Jamaica

This extract was chosen by Gerry Braham:

“It makes me think of hop picking. It must have been great to be in the English countryside picking hops - natural and healthy, back to nature, good community spirit but very hard work.”

Postcard 2

“The Information Services came around to schools and these films were shown. And so although we were in Ghana we saw London and Number 10 Downing Street in the British newsreel. And that was a very big inspiration and you hope ‘oh, one day I want to be there’, because your uncle has been there or someone’s uncle has been there and they say how lovely is England. And it becomes a dream that one day you’ll be there in London.”

William Parker, born 1950s in Ghana

This extract was chosen by Brij Mohan Sood:

“I chose this extract because it conveys his feelings and experiences as an immigrant, wishing to start a new life in the UK.”

Postcard 3

Translation:

“The rent for the bed was six shillings; I just paid rent and slept wherever I could find a place. I was roaming around and looking for a job. One day I met an English man who had lived in Punjab and could speak Punjabi. Fortunately I got work. Generally people’s lifestyle was OK. Mostly eight people used to share one bedroom with four beds. Four used to sleep in the mornings and four at night in the same room.”

Mohinder Singh Takhar, born 1914 in India

This extract was chosen by Brij Mohan Sood:

“I chose this extract because it conveys his feelings and experiences as an immigrant, starting a new life in the UK.”

Postcard 4

Translation:

“On 11th September 1973, a coup by a military junta changed the life of thousands of people in Chile, amongst them Jovina. The coup d'etat in Chile, the curfew bell, the executions and torture by the military junta... the fear. Later on would come the night of her flight. First to Argentina and then to the United Kingdom as a refugee. The memories stay behind.”

Jovina Espinoza Hererdia, born 1916 in Chile

This extract was selected by Amada Vergara:

“Immigrants bring with them, tattoed in their hearts, all their people, their music, and their memories. I picked Jovina because she was an extraordinary natural leader, setting an example to the community in London, and because she had a very hard life.”

Postcard 5

“We grew up in Germany until Hitler came. My stepbrother went to Israel in 1926 - I come from a long-established Zionist family who tried to help to build up a Jewish homeland in Palestine, so that people who were persecuted all over the world had somewhere to go. When he got there in 1926 it was part Turkish and part Jewish and part Arabic.”

Irene White, born 1920 in Germany

This extract was chosen by Gerry Braham:

“People came to London from all around the world and particularly from Europe. They came to London because there were many communities already here and they had a place to start their lives anew.”

Postcard 6

Translation:

”From Europe to Latin America (from Spain to Colombia). History chooses its own witnesses. Liliana Vasquez witnessed the Bogotazo (the outbreak of violence in Colombia) starting from the assassination of Jorge Eliecer Gaitan, her best friend's father. Many years later her destiny would bring her back to Europe.”

Liliana Vasquez, born 1925 in Spain

This extract was selected by Amada Vergara:

“Immigrants bring with them, tattoed in their hearts, all their people, their music, and their memories. I’ve chosen Liliana because of her contagious happiness. Although she suffered a long illness she never complained.”

Postcard 7

“I could not find an Asian in Lewisham in those days. There was one Asian Sikh with the turban. And I sort of almost jumped towards him so that I could speak my language and say hello. And we became friends and we used to go to each other’s house. And there were some black people, but very very few. Mostly European. But very friendly and nice, type of people who would take their hat off if my wife is there and talk.”

Fazal Saleemi, born 1934 in Kenya

This extract was chosen by Van Ly Ung:

“Some good experiences in the early days in Lewisham, London. Things have changed, and changed too much…”

Postcard 8:

Translation:

“Many years ago I worked [in Germany] for a German company. England is paradise, but Germany is so clean and England is like Europe’s garbage dump. Although Germany is a very clean country, I feel more comfortable in England. The working system here, you cannot find it anywhere else in the world. Overall, you can say that England is the paradise of the world.”

Sunay Ates, born 1940 in Turkey

This extract was chosen by Âdem Öner:

“Definintely a Turkish Julie Walters, full of character, amusing, and reflects the colours of the society from which she comes. Perfect choice.”

Postcard 9

“I can remember in some restaurants people were having a sweet wine with a steak, which is not what it should be. But I mean you are enjoying it, and I feel that is the most important facet, that you are enjoying that sweet wine with a steak. Or you feel that you don't like wine or you don't like water and you have coffee with spaghetti. You are enjoying it so I don't think I should be critical on that.”

Fred Rizzi, born 1926 in London

This extract was chosen by Gail Cameron:

“I think there's a lot of snobbery about food so I just love the refreshing attitude of Mr Rizzi, who is an Italian restaurant owner.”

Postcard 10

Translation:

“Yes, I was a refugee. My family was the first Vietnamese family resettled in that area. At first sometimes people threw stones at my wife. Later on we showed them that we are good people and educated. Then they treated us better. I have had 17 children with me in the UK, they are my child, nieces and nephews. All of them have finished university and graduated. Many of them are successful. I am no longer living in a council house, I moved to my own house.”

Giao Ngoc Vo, born in Vietnam

This extract was chosen by Van Ly Ung:

“It shows one of the positive ways of combatting racial discrimination and the positive contribution of refugees to the host society if they have opportunities.”