After the war

I going in army 17 years old, 1940. I been gunner in British Army. I’ve been inside Japan and there through atom bombs, about 300 mile from atom bombs. After I win the war then I come to here.

After the war, after 1947 I come back to India, before India Quali Muballa? That place. That where my unit is going from and come back there. Everybody’s happy. After I left the army about 1948, then I start the Merchant Navy. Then I been all over. I speak bit of Japanese, I been one, two years Japan. After I left army I go to Merchant Navy then I been to Japan one two times.

I been first Dewsbury, no I been first Birmingham. When I came on the ships. I left the ships in Dover and then I come Birmingham and saw my friend there. I been there and he told me which I found Dewsbury. Then I came Dewsbury.

At that time when the people came from ship they came here legal or illegally? Asked M Saleem

No bother at that time about legal, no legal this is in English about seventies. Anybodies come, nobody stop you. Immigration in about 68 or seventies. Before nobody stop you. I come here on identity card. In Merchant Navy, you get identity card, you put in pocket and you can travel all over the world. Nobody ask me. Nobody ask me. I came here and I start Sweet Street job, make big stones. (It was start job making slabs, stone slabs translates Nisar Ahmad). When work full week, the foreman say ‘You bring the stamp card and I give you wage’. I go ‘Where I get stamp card?’ He says ‘Go to Odeon cinema, go down there and you go to tell them, they give you.’ When I go there woman sit there she says ‘Where is your passport?’ ‘I have no passport’ ‘I can’t give you number, insurance number because you have no passport.’ I have passport but in Birmingham so they give me.

Fazal Kareem Butt