Cyprus-Forum.com

[Jerry]

I recently came across this picture I took on the Messapia (it could have been the Enotria) in January 1967. I spent a couple of days with them sailing from Cyprus to Venice, they had left Cyprus for good seeking a better life in Germany. I wonder if anyone recognises them. They were nice lads, I remember thinking at the time "what is all this Cyprus Problem about, they are just like me"

Phucking politics!

[Tim Drayton]

I often hear stories of people sailing off to Italy and continuing the journey to London by rail and ferry, in search of a better life. Were no flights available in those days, or was flying so expensive as to be out of the reach of ordinary people?

[AWE]

Hi Tim,

Flights were certainly around a year later so guess it was expense. My father went our to Cyprus on business at about this time and in '68 started a company and built a holiday complex near Bellapais.

[Jerry]

There were plenty of flights in the 60s Tim, Comet 4B was the first plane I flew to Cyprus in 1961. In 1966 we drove to Cyprus and spent the winter there coming back early the following year by boat to Venice. That is how I came across the TC boys. They told me that they were fed up with the lack of a future in Famagusta so one day they put on as many clothes as they could, without it being obvious, and cycled out of the walled town to the nearest police station. They gave me the impression that had they left with luggage they would have been stopped by the TC police. They knew I was of Greek Cypriot extraction but it did not seem to bother them, they appeared to me to be more pissed off with the Turkish army/soldiers who controlled their town and who kept pestering their sisters. I suggested they went to the UK but one of them had friends in Germany but I don't know where they ended up. The GC police/authorities funded their departure by ship. I remember naively thinking at the time "that was good of them to help young TCs seek a better life". I posted this picture because I often wondered what became of them, perhaps I should have kept in touch but their English wasn't too good.

[annaka]

My husband was 17 when he made the trip to London via boat and train in November 1952 and stayed with his sister in Camden Town. I had moved to London from Bournemouth in 1957 where we met and got married four months later.

There were a large number of Cypriots there at that time and one thing that sticks out in my mind was how the ones in work used to help the ones still looking for a job. That meant those in the catering trade used to provide food and I often saw packages passed to several people when we used go to a coffee bar just off Tottenham Court Road.

Others helped by introducing their friends to the people they worked for and asking outright if there were any vacancies. Weddings were a great time to meet up with people from your village or home town during the early days when many felt cut off if they lived outside London such as the Midlands and Wales, etc.

Regards,

Annaka.

[denizaksulu]

I recently came across this picture I took on the Messapia (it could have been the Enotria) in January 1967. I spent a couple of days with them sailing from Cyprus to Venice, they had left Cyprus for good seeking a better life in Germany. I wonder if anyone recognises them. They were nice lads, I remember thinking at the time "what is all this Cyprus Problem about, they are just like me"

Phucking politics!

I also have travelled on both the Messapia and the Enotria, first time in 1958. The greatest moment was squeezing through the Corinth Canal and the water taxis in Venice. Pireaus was where on the outward journey I had Kafe Tourkikon an the way back it was Greek coffee. The dolphins in the Adriatic were lovely too.

No I am not one of those aboard in 1967, but if I am not mistaken it was in 1968. It was great fun.

[denizaksulu]

I often hear stories of people sailing off to Italy and continuing the journey to London by rail and ferry, in search of a better life. Were no flights available in those days, or was flying so expensive as to be out of the reach of ordinary people?

Flights were mainly out of reach of the ordinary persons pocket. We would get our tickets from Cooks in Larnaca for £38 pounds. Even that was expensive those days. The ships would leave from Limassol, Pireaus, then either to Venice or through the Messina straits to Genoa, where we would take the train to Victoria. When air fares became cheaper, Olympic Airways was the normal means of travel for holidays. No more time wasted on trains. It was still a luxury.

[denizaksulu]

My husband was 17 when he made the trip to London via boat and train in November 1952 and stayed with his sister in Camden Town. I had moved to London from Bournemouth in 1957 where we met and got married four months later.

There were a large number of Cypriots there at that time and one thing that sticks out in my mind was how the ones in work used to help the ones still looking for a job. That meant those in the catering trade used to provide food and I often saw packages passed to several people when we used go to a coffee bar just off Tottenham Court Road.

Others helped by introducing their friends to the people they worked for and asking outright if there were any vacancies. Weddings were a great time to meet up with people from your village or home town during the early days when many felt cut off if they lived outside London such as the Midlands and Wales, etc.

Regards,

Annaka.

My father arrived in the UK in 1939. He was a chef in the Chez August Reastaurant , Old Compton Street. All Cooks, Chefs, waiters Managers were from around our villages. Louroudjina, Lefkara, Alaminyo, Klavdia< Maroni Ay. Theodoros, all Greek and Turkish Cypriots working together for Nevvar Hikmet and later Fortes. It was like one good family. Everybody heled everybody.

[kurupetos]

I often hear stories of people sailing off to Italy and continuing the journey to London by rail and ferry, in search of a better life. Were no flights available in those days, or was flying so expensive as to be out of the reach of ordinary people?

The latter.

[kurupetos]

My husband was 17 when he made the trip to London via boat and train in November 1952 and stayed with his sister in Camden Town. I had moved to London from Bournemouth in 1957 where we met and got married four months later.

There were a large number of Cypriots there at that time and one thing that sticks out in my mind was how the ones in work used to help the ones still looking for a job. That meant those in the catering trade used to provide food and I often saw packages passed to several people when we used go to a coffee bar just off Tottenham Court Road.

Others helped by introducing their friends to the people they worked for and asking outright if there were any vacancies. Weddings were a great time to meet up with people from your village or home town during the early days when many felt cut off if they lived outside London such as the Midlands and Wales, etc.

Regards,

Annaka.

My father arrived in the UK in 1939. He was a chef in the Chez August Reastaurant , Old Compton Street. All Cooks, Chefs, waiters Managers were from around our villages. Louroudjina, Lefkara, Alaminyo, Klavdia< Maroni Ay. Theodoros, all Greek and Turkish Cypriots working together for Nevvar Hikmet and later Fortes. It was like one good family. Everybody heled everybody.

I reckon even swinging was common those days!