Captain Abdul Qayyum Meer and his family have been living in Leeds since 1972 when they were forced out of Uganda. Captain Meer arrived in Leeds with just £55 in his pocket.

Would he like to return to Uganda one day?

Idi Amin

During the time of Idi Amin, in 1972, foreigners were expelled from Uganda so we came to England. Most of the people who left Uganda were businessmen who had already transferred their money to England.

The majority of Ugandan Asians have rebuilt successful lives in the UK

The people who suffered were civil servants (like me) who couldn't get their money out. They were just given £55 in their pocket and came here as refugees.

One hot summers day, we were having a picnic on a Sunday in Entebbe, 22 miles from Kampala.

News broke out on the radio that Idi Amin had announced that all foreigners had to be expelled. We did not take it seriously because there were about 55,000 foreigners living there and we thought it was a hoax.

Red card

The red card was an exemption card allowing permission to stay. We travelled with a red card in our glove compartment to be on the safe side.

The military police were spot checking that we posessed a card. Their way of checking was to put the barrel (of their gun) on your neck and say "come on, show us".

Ugandan Asians often led a privileged way of life

There had been some cases where the person became anxious as they attempted to take out the card and they were shot. There was no security at all so we had to move out.

I came to England with my family which consisted of my wife, my son and my daughter. When we arrived here I only had £55 in my pocket.

The children who came from Uganda were supposed to take their exams so we approached the Lord Mayor and local authorities and successfully established a school to continue with the examinations.

Diamond of Africa

Uganda was called 'the diamond of Africa'. It was a good country with nice climate, food and scenery.

My social life was great. People met every day and especially on Sundays. We used to go to drive-in cinemas. During the interval the food would come out and everyone would share it.

Captain Meer competed in many rallys in Uganda

I was very interested in cricket and set up the youngest cricket team called Shining Star at the Muslim Sports Club.

I was the official organiser and Captain of the team. Some of the cricketers went on to play for Uganda and East Africa.

I was also interested in rally driving. I took part in many Autocross rally races in my UST 400 Mini cooper. The racing track was cut through the hills at Lugazi, 32 miles from Kampala.

If I was given the opportunity to go back I would like to go back, not for settling down but just to see if 'the diamond of Africa' still exists.