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Oral history recording with Linford Isaacs ("Fred"), born in Jamaica. Recorded as part of Race Council Cymru’s Windrush Cymru Heritage Project.

“I know they don’t accept me as being British but I come as British, I work as British, I live all my life as British.”

Linford ‘Fred’ Isaacs is from John’s Town, Jamaica. During his youth he had ambitions of becoming a mechanic.

“I leave when I was 10 years old to go to Kingston to stay with my blind grand uncle, to help him… I was doing shoe making in Jamaica from about 15 to 22 and then I leave come here… Everything you pick up in Jamaica is made in England, Bristol, cars made here, anything.”

“No preparation was made for us. You’ve got to buy the citizenship… you get your British passport… then all of a sudden… that’s taken away from you. The files they have on you, they walk away. How could you treat people like that?”

“I rent a bed, there was four beds in the [one] room and I paid £1 for my bed and the rest of the men paid £1 for their bed as well.”

“When I came here to work on the railway in the old steam engine, they call it the fire box… they never gave you as much as a little hanky to tie over your face, and it was really dirty and hot. So that’s what I done for years…”

“I have no regrets, I came here and I had two children and four grandchildren and three great grandchildren. I only came over with a grip [and] one little suitcase…"

“I dream about home, I just can’t stop dreaming about home… those dreams take me back, and I remember… My mother she closed her eyes and broke the bread, we were never hungry… we are blessed."

“Promote your own welfare. Anything you want to do, do it to your best of your ability.”