“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.”
“Rwy’n gwybod nad ydyn nhw’n fy nerbyn i fel Prydeiniwr ond fe ddois i fel Prydeiniwr, rwy’n gweithio fel Prydeiniwr, rwy’n byw gydol fy oes fel Prydeiniwr. “
O John’s Town, Jamaica mae Linford Isaacs yn hanu. Pan roedd e’n fachgen, roedd ganddo uchelgais i fod yn fecanig.
“Pan oeddwn i’n 10 oed, fe wnes i adael i fynd i Kingston i aros gyda fy hen ewythr dall, i’w helpu... Roeddwn i’n gwneud esgidiau yn Jamaica o tua 15 mlwydd oed nes oeddwn i’n 22, yna fe wnes i adael a dod yma... Mae popeth sydd i’w gael yn Jamaica wedi’i wneud yn Lloegr, Bryste, ceir wedi’u gwneud yma, unrhyw beth.”
“Doedd dim paratoi ar ein cyfer ni. Mae’n rhaid ichi brynu’r ddinasyddiaeth... rydych chi’n cael eich pasbort Prydeinig... yna, mwyaf sydyn... caiff hwnnw ei dynnu oddi arnoch chi. Y ffeiliau sydd ganddyn nhw amdanoch chi, maen nhw’n cerdded i ffwrdd. Sut allech chi drin pobl fel hyn?”
“Roeddwn i’n rhentu gwely, roedd yna bedwar gwely yn yr [un] ystafell ac roeddwn i’n talu £1 am fy ngwely ac roedd gweddill y dynion yn talu £1 am eu gwelyau nhw hefyd.”
“Roeddwn i’n rhentu gwely, roedd yna bedwar gwely yn yr [un] ystafell ac roeddwn i’n talu £1 am fy ngwely ac roedd gweddill y dynion yn talu £1 am eu gwelyau nhw hefyd.”
“Pan ddois i yma i weithio ar y rheilffordd ar yr hen injan stêm, y blwch tân oedden nhw’n ei alw... doedden nhw ddim hyd yn oed yn rhoi hances fach ichi i glymu dros eich wyneb, ac roedd hi’n fudr ac yn boeth iawn yno. Felly dyna wnes i am flynyddoedd...”
“Dydw i’n difaru dim, fe ddois i yma a chael dau o blant a phedwar o wyrion a thri o or-wyrion. Ddois i yma gyda dim ond bag teithio ac un cês bach...”
“Rwy’n breuddwydio am fy nghartref, allaf i ddim peidio breuddwydio am fy nghartref... mae’r breuddwydion hynny’n fy nghludo i’n ôl yno, ac rwy’n cofio... Roedd fy mam yn cau ei llygaid ac yn torri’r bara, doedden
ni byth yn llwglyd... mae bendith arnom ni.”
“Hyrwyddwch eich lles eich hunain. Unrhyw beth rydych chi am ei wneud, gwnewch eich gorau glas.”