“It was new to me, to work in snow and everything. Gosh, go to work in the morning, and it’s cold.”
Peter Cyril was born and grew up in St Lucia in the Caribbean and came to Britain aged 21. He worked on the railways most of his life.
“I was one of two cousins living with my grandparents.”
“Growing up was ok, I had my grandparents. My grandmother was still alive, 103…”
“I remember the journey, it was ok, I had a boy [I was] looking after, he was 14 and I was 21. That was 1961.”
“I went to do printing and that’s where I stayed. From printing, I went to a big office in Newcastle, Voice Printing, before I came here.”
“I was young, all over the playing in cricket, football… When I came over here, I tried to get into a club, in the YMCA, but they wouldn’t have me in there.”
“The main thing for coming over here was for work… I got a job on the railways because that was the only place they allowed me to work…”
“I wanted to go to college for a day a week. He [ the boss] said he cannot allow me the time off. And I needed the money, I had no help, so I just went back to work.”
“When I came over I was British, but they won’t admit it… they hate you deep…”
“It’s like falling in a pot and you can’t get out of it… Been here over forty odd years.”
“It’s important that people should know our history, to know about us, about what happened to us. They should learn the languages because we speak a lot of patois and English. It’s very important for them to know.”
“Roedd yn beth newydd i mi, gweithio yn yr eira ac ati. Daro, roedd hi’n oer wrth fynd i’r gwaith yn y bore.”
Ganed a magwyd Peter Cyril yn St Lucia yn y Caribî a daeth i Brydain yn 21 mlwydd oed. Gweithiodd ar y rheilffyrdd am y rhan fwyaf o’i fywyd.
“Roeddwn i’n un o ddau gefnder yn byw gyda fy nhaid a nain.”
“Roedd tyfu lan yn iawn, roedd gen i fy nhaid a nain. Roedd fy nain yn dal yn fyw, yn 103...”
“Rwy’n cofio’r fordaith, roedd hi’n iawn, roedd gen i fachgen [roeddwn i’n] edrych ar ei ôl, roedd e’n 14 a minnau’n 21. Yn 1961 roedd hynny.”
“Fe es i wneud argraffu, ac yn y maes hwnnw yr arhosais i. O waith argraffu, fe es i swyddfa fawr yn Newcastle, Voice Printing, cyn imi ddod yma.”
“Roeddwn i’n ifanc, yn ei chanol hi’n chwarae criced, pêl-droed... Pan ddois i yma, fe geisiais gael fy hun i mewn i glwb, yn yr YMCA, ond doedden nhw ddim am fy nerbyn i yno.”
“Y prif reswm dros ddod drosodd yma oedd i gael gwaith... Fe ges i swydd ar y rheilffyrdd gan mai dyna’r unig le roedden nhw’n caniatáu imi weithio...”
“Roeddwn i eisiau mynd i’r coleg un diwrnod yr wythnos. Fe ddwedodd e [y bos] na allai ganiatáu’r amser imi oddi wrth fy ngwaith. Ac roedd angen yr arian arnaf i, doedd gen i ddim help, felly fe wnes i jest mynd nôl i weithio.”
“Pan ddois i drosodd yma roeddwn i’n Brydeiniwr, ond wnân nhw ddim cyfaddef hynny... maen nhw’n eich casáu’n ddwfn...”
“Mae fel disgyn mewn potyn a methu dod allan ohono... rwyf wedi bod yma ers dros ddeugain mlynedd.”
“Mae’n bwysig i bobl wybod ein hanes, gwybod amdanom ni, am yr hyn a ddigwyddodd i ni. Fe ddylen nhw ddysgu’r ieithoedd gan ein bod ni’n siarad llawer o dafodiaith, patois, a Saesneg. Mae’n bwysig iawn eu bod nhw’n gwybod.”