"After the war, there was a collapse in the job market and unemployment in Cyprus - because the work for the army ended...Those who came out of the army were unemployed - and over there they had priority.”

“In the midst of this, we - my uncle and I decided to migrate to England because it was really tight living altogether in our house. We used to get ideas about coming to England to work. As you know we had to come by invitation. Someone from here had to be your guarantor and invite you over."

This is the experience of Ibrahim Dervis who, like many more Turkish Cypriots came to London after the war. This is what By Invitation Only, an exhibition at the Hackney Museum, is all about.

Running until March 26 2006, it tells many stories of migration and resettlement of the Turkish Cypriots who came into this country between the years 1935 and 1963.

A documentary film and audio files titled I Used to Live In Cyprus is also showing alongside the exhibition panels. Together they tell emotional tales of migration through experiences and memories.

There are many stories: about their lives, feelings, friendships, their first homes in London and their first jobs. The exhibition provides a fascinating insight into the social history of first generation Turkish Cypriots that arrived in England. Memories are dealt with sensitively and there is a sense of understanding and a sympathetic interpretation of their experiences.

Pictures on the panel illustrate how the people moulded into a peculiarly British way of living whilst still retaining some of their customs and traditions. A wedding picture shows currency pinned to a woman's wedding gown - a tradition brought over from Cyprus.

One particular story that interested me was that of Dudu Hakki and her experience with a traditional bride-seeing ceremony that happened in London. Of the two men sitting in the living room, her usak (proposed bridegroom) would be the person her uncle touched on his knee.

Emine Ahmet, one of the participants in the project, described the contrary and dislocated nature of being part of a Diaspora. "First work kept us here and now children and grandchildren. We were going to go back after five years. Those five years still didn't come.”

Another participant Ali Hassan mirrored this pull of the homeland. "After 1966 I started thinking of London as home. But I have, I still have the intention of going back."

All material on display has been collected and collated through an oral history project conducted by the Turkish Cypriot Heritage. You can see more pictures and stories at www.turkishcypriotheritage.org