MRS KATERINA SENTOUKARI

I was born in the famous lacemaking and centrally located village of Lefkara.  I should add that my father’s family originate from Paphos.  I left my native island at the age of twenty two.  My father spent many years in Italy and France selling our lace.  My fiancé also joined him but being homesick he returned back to us. In 1937 my father purchased a flat in England and within a year we joined him.

From Cyprus we took a massive ship and we were on our way into the unknown.  We spent a week in Greece and from there we boarded another ship to Italy then by train to a French port.  We then crossed “a sea” and from there by train to Victoria Station.  I was married here in London.  I was impressed by the long rows of houses which really looked the same to me.  We faced many difficulties.  Both my father and husband were going round the shops and houses trying to sell our ‘ Lefkaritika’ lace, which we had brought with us.  They could not make ends meet.  So they opened a social club – a ‘kafeneio’ in the West End.  Then the war came.  A bomb fell more or less on top of us.  My husband hid for hours under a table to save himself. 

The war years were very difficult.  We slept in bunkers, in unhygienic underground spaces.  We wore masks to protect ourselves from the smoke and from other substances.  My husband was injured and his hearing was badly affected.  London was hit by hundreds of bombs.  I saw dead bodies.  It was sickening.  Sirens warned us of the impending dangers.  We used to run for our lives.  We then left London and went to an area where there were no electricity, gas or water supplies.  We could not even wash our plates.  That’s how bad it was.

We sold our ‘kafeneio’ and moved to Cambridge for six months and then onto Birmingham, where we purchased a fish and chip shop.  When the war ended, we returned to the capital and bought an exclusive restaurant in the West End.  It was doing well, but then we moved to Cyprus for a year and on our return we found the falling trade was not conducive to our needs.  We proceeded to sell it and buy a factory.

When we arrived in London , we found very few Cypriots.  Most of our compatriots lived and worked in the West End.  After the war there were more arrivals.  There was also a movement to the other areas.  Socialising then was out of the question.  We used to visit Regents Park and a social club in Oxford Street, where we used to have tea.  Not knowing English created many problems for us.  When I had my first child, I used to take him to a lady in Camden Town, so that I could go to work and earn some money.  Life was a constant struggle.  The war of course made things worse.  Since I was doing well as a machinist, I decided to have someone staying in the house to look after my children.

I have one son named Yiannakas and two daughters; four grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.  I was married in the Church of St. Sophia.  My daughters were christened there but were married in All Saints Church.  My son-in-law did his schooling in Yorkshire and proceeded to open a factory here in London.  I advised him to finish his legal studies.  He did exactly that.  I have a wonderful and loyal family.  I am very happy because my children and grandchildren are honourable human beings.  They always followed my advice and guidance.  At home, I may add, we always spoke Greek.  I did not allow anyone to speak English.  We have to remember where we came from.

For many years, I was a member of the Greek Cypriot Brotherhood and for three years a committee member.  We organised many functions to raise money.  My husband was also doing the same thing in order to help establish our church of Ayioi Anargyroi in Kentish Town.  Now I feel rather lonely.  I do not want to burden my children.  In my case however, I did have my in-laws staying with me for six months a year: three months around Christmas and three months over the Easter period.  They loved it because we had a church here.  How do I spend my time?  I still do a bit of sewing, I attend church services, especially on Sundays, I read the Parikiaki,  I listen to the news from PIK and I visit people in hospital.  I love helping others.  I remember when I had a factory, I arranged for some of my female workers to get married.

There are no reasons for me now to return to my beloved Lefkara.  I have always lived here.  My family is here.