MUSLIMS IN BRITAIN III. - EVERYDAY LIFE IN BUTETOWN (CARDIFF, WALES, UK, 1943)
A procession of Muslims carrying large banners winds its way through Butetown towards the new Mosque which opening today on Peel Street. Children can be seen watching the parade as it passes by.
A young Muslim boy named Hassan holds on to the reins as he says hello to the local baker's horse on a terraced street in Butetown. The horse is linked to the baker's cart, which features the name of the baker, T Richards.
At the local school in Butetown, headmaster Mr. Spinks collects Savings Group contributions from children. According to the original caption, the Group is flourishing and collects about £5 per week from 40% of the students.
Infant children, assisted by their teacher, learn about traffic layouts and road safety with wooden models at the local school in Butetown. Other activities at the school include Montessori toys and a percussion band.
Children play on the roundabout in Butetown's recreational square in the sunshine. According to the original caption, the square also includes chutes, swings and a large paddling pool.
Visitors to Butetown for the opening of the new Mosque enjoy a meal at 'The Cairo' cafe. Left to right, they are: Abdul Aziz, from Calcutta, who runs a cafe in South Shields, Mrs Aziz and their daughter Joynob, Mrs Annie Nian, with her son Kenneth and Azin Ulla, a seaman from Bengal.
Young Muslim girls learn about Islam as they receive teaching in the home of Hussein Sheir, the Secretary to Sheikh Hassan Ismail. Mrs Fatima Sheir reads from the Koran to the girls as they all sit on the floor in front of the fire in the living room.
Young Muslim boys listen to Kaid Shef as he reads to them from the Koran in a room in the old Mosque in Butetown. Kaid is an ex-seaman, having being invalided out after being torpedoed during the Norway campaign. Another teacher, Abdul Yhia, is a retired seamen and air raid warden. He can be seen second from right, just below the window, through which a member of the Mosque staff is looking.
A view inside Kaid Sala's grocer's shop in Butetown, showing Mr Sala as he serves Mrs Farragia at the counter. Mrs Farragia, who is Welsh and married to a Maltese man, is buying two loaves of bread. Various packets can be seen on the shelves around the shop, and the large scales used by Mr Sala to weigh his produce are clearly visible on the counter.
Local Muslims in Butetown, Cardiff, stand outside the new Mosque on Peel Street, wearing ornate costume. One holds a banner, which he has carried during the procession to commemorate the opening of the new Mosque. Second from left is Kaid Sala, the local grocer.
Kaid Shef recites passages from the Koran to a group of young boys in a room in the town's old Mosque. According to the original caption, Kaid is a seamen, originally from Aden, who was torpedoed during the Norway campaign and spent 18 days on a raft, suffering terrible frostbite. He and one other man were the only survivors on the 38-strong crew.
A group of young Muslim boys who will have the honour of leading the procession through the town to the commemorate the opening of the new Mosque, wait with their banner for the parade to begin.
The Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Councillor James Griffiths, addresses the audience gathered in the sunshine outside the new Mosque on Peel Street during the civil opening ceremony. Various dignitaries can be seen gathered beside him around the main entrance to the Mosque, including His Excellency Sheikh Hafiz Wahba, Minister for Saudi Arabia. Two plaques, one on either side of the door, state that the Noor Ul Islam Mosque and associated Islamic Cultural Centre have been erected with subscriptions raised by the Muslims at Cardiff and initiated by the Islamia Allaouia Society.
