Looking back with fondness on life in North Kirklees in the 1960s

He was part of a large group of Indian and Pakistani nationals who were encouraged to come and work in England’s mills throughout the post-war decades of the 1960s and 1970s due to a severe labour shortage existing across the country.

As someone who now makes up a dwindling generation of men, Mr Nazir has agreed to be interviewed for the Kirklees Faith Network’s “Heckmondwike Stories In A Suitcase” project.

In this second interview, Mr Nazir has spoken to the Reporter Series about the social lifestyle which a lot of men from his second generation saw throughout the 1960s.

He said: “I came to England at the age of 15 in November 1963. All I had with me at the time was just £5 in my pocket, and a small suitcase tightly clutched in my hands.

“Heathrow Airport - where the aeroplane I happened to be travelling on landed - was much smaller in those days than the huge complex structure we tend to see at the present time. Only one control tower and a few small buildings were scattered around the runway when I first came in 1963.

"It was nowhere near as busy like the hustling and bustling airport used today by thousands of people for all sorts of international air travel.

“Four other men were with me from that same flight when I came outside after having gone through all the necessary airport security checks. Once out of the airport, we were to go further towards the north where a new life was waiting to begin for us.

“The M1 motorway certainly did not yet connect with any of the cities in the north of England. So we had to get into a black cab which drove us roughly half the way into the city of Coventry.

“I can still remember clearly the fare for that 98-mile Heathrow to Coventry taxi ride was only £4.75!

“All I had with me was a £5 note. The other three men were in a similar situation. We did not have much cash.

"So the four of us decided to split the cost between us, and each one of us ended up paying a mere £1.23 for the entire journey! But it was still a lot of money in those days.

“What became apparent to me when arriving at Coventry was the fact it had still not fully recovered from the devastating effects of the Second World War.

"Our helpful cab driver was trying his best to explain to us that after London, it was the city of Coventry which had suffered the most from the bombing raids and the Blitz.

“Large areas of derelict land, as well as rows of boarded up empty run-down houses could still be seen everywhere, even twenty years after the war had ended. I also saw little children running around and playing amongst these ruins.

“Yet as a newly arrived Pakistani migrant, there was no time for me to dwell on my first impressions of England.

"Coventry was not destined to be my new home. Instead, I had been given instructions back from Pakistan to get on a train from Coventry to a place called ‘Bradford railway station’.

“It was a very cloudy rainy day when the train eventually reached Bradford two hours later.

"I then got into a taxi outside the railway interchange, and soon arrived at a house on William Street in Liversedge. A tiny group of friendly British-Indian Army veterans already living there welcomed me with open arms as their guest.

“One of the first things I noticed immediately after coming to England was the furniture in our homes at that time was very simple. In fact, we lived a very modest lifestyle compared to today’s materialistic society.

“The wooden chairs, tables, cutlery, electrical appliances like kettles, fridges, or Hoover vacuums, as well as the sofa upholstery, and amazing wool carpets of that era used to last for many years.

"Whatever electrical products were available at the time hardly ever broke down unless they were extremely worn out. All these things were able to withstand the wear and tear of our tough working class environment for decades.

“I can remember very clearly how affordable everything was during that period. Today the value of Sterling as a currency stands at 100 pence to the pound. In those days, it was 240 pence in the pound because the currency had not yet been devalued.

"One pound was a lot of money during the Sixties. The pound’s value made life much easier for us because inflation was not a big problem at that time.

“Even the good quality fresh fruit and vegetables we bought were so cheap. We got them from what used to be the old Heckmondwike Market held every Saturday and Tuesday.

“Heckmondwike town centre was such an attractive place at that time. It fitted everyone’s ideal description of what was an ideal small market town.

"The shops in that period sold everything and the displays visible in their clean shiny glass windows were some of the most beautiful ever seen in our area.

“This was a time when shops did not have to pull-down ugly metal shutters at closing time. Lights were left on inside at night. So the displays looked even more elegant.

“Heckmondwike also had its own banks and building society branches. There was even a British Gas showroom, along with a Yorkshire Electricity office in the town centre.

"We did not have to put up with the nightmare of voice messages over the telephone whenever anything needed discussing on our bills.

“Despite the austerity, one thing else I can remember clearly standing out from that post-war period was the fact people in our small Pakistani Muslim households always seemed to be happy and very talkative in those days.

“There was a very jovial feeling in the living rooms. A strong community spirit even existed outside amongst the neighbours, and inside the shops.

“In fact the shopkeeper knew his customers by name, and they knew him as a good friend.

“There was also a lot of trust amongst neighbours at that time. The house was left unlocked if a person went to see the family living next door for a cup of tea. Theft-related house crime did not exist in that era.

“The good thing was people really cared about each other. They were always ready to share in each other’s happiness and even sorrow if something like a bereavement happened.

“Everyone was willing to help out in good times and even on bad days. This is why I suppose mental health conditions like depression, stress and anxiety were unheard of in that period.

“It was also an important part of our weekend Pakistani culture for the men to gather together in one house. Sometimes there could be around ten individuals sat in the same living room.

“Finding an empty chair did not seem a problem because the community spirit amongst us was so strong in those days. You could make space for ‘one more’ due to the strong goodwill existing amongst our generation.

“The kettle was always on, and tea bags kept getting taken out of the jar. Biscuits like digestives were always on the table.

“We would gather on our weekends off work to listen to the Indian cinemas’ most famous playback singers of that decade.

"Singers from the memorable ‘Swinging Sixties’ era like Mohammad Rafi and Mrs Lata Mangeshkar were hugely popular.

“But it was Mohammad Rafi’s amazing sweet voice lighting up the atmosphere in our living rooms.

“There were no CD players or Sky digital channels in those days. All we had was a small audio-tape recorder in the living room’s background playing his songs. The words ‘put on Rafi’ were a common phrase.

“I always tend to look back at those years with a lot of fondness. There was so much humanity all around us.

"Spending time with friends and family seemed far more important to many people than working overtime.

“Yes money was important, but so were our friends and neighbours during that post-war 1960s decade.”