Former Butlin's Redcoat Gwyn Hughes (above) and John Bennett Jones, now living in Croydon, share some of their photos and memories of life at Butlin's Pwllheli.
John Jones writes:
One of the photographs shows Pwllheli Town Choir performing at the Royal Albert Hall in London during the first Butlins Reunion in February 1947. I still have the little red reunion badge.
We travelled from Pwllheli by coach to connect with a train from Bangor during one of the worst winters on record, with heavy snow. It was touch and go whether the coach would get through, with deep snowdrifts between Llanaelhaearn and Caernarfon.
I also send a photograph of the choir at the Pwllheli camp in about 1948 when they sang at the morning service with the Bishop of Melbourne, Australia, who was on a visit, then the choir performed at a concert for campers during the afternoon.
On a different note - as a member of Pwllheli Air Training Corps I worked with Tom Collins, the Manager and Chief Engineer at Broom Hall Airfield, where pleasure flights were arranged for the campers using a DeHavilland Rapide and Auster Autocrat aeroplanes, and these proved to be very popular.
Unfortunately the Auster crashed coming in to land, killing the pilot, Joe Veale, who came from Tulse Hill in South London, and his only passenger. I enjoyed many (free) flights over Pwllheli, Lleyn and Snowdonia.
One of the tasks the Auster undertook was to fly from about 9-11.30pm along the coast close to Tonfannau Army Camp where the personnel practised searching for targets.
Unfortunately we were unable to return to Broom Hall after dark, having to land at Valley in Anglesey and returning the next morning.
Have you got any pictures - or memories - of Butlin's Pwllheli? If you have, please get in touch.
Back to The hi-de-hi life.
your comments
Jeannie Warbey from Gt Chesterford, Essex
We had a wonderful time at the camp in 1963. It was mum's first holiday where she didn't have to cook. Dad and Mum had loads of time with each other. Us three children verging on our teens had non-stop entertainment on site. Dad did the Nobbly Knees contest and won I think, I entered Miss Butlin, the other entries were so sophisticated. I went horse riding, using the cable car to get there... so much fun. Mum loved the wake-up music so much. So when we got home I found the single of it and bought it for her it was called, The Singing Piano by Tolchard Evans. I still have it.
Mon Mar 9 10:01:04 2009
Ray Barnett, Nuneaton, Warwickshire
I went on holiday to Butlin's, Pwllheli, in 1966, while the World Cup of Football was taking place. I remember watching a couple of matches there, I was aged 15 at the time and had a wonderful time. I remember the camp being split into two, with the railway running through the middle of it. Also there were four houses i.e. Duke, Gloucester, York and one other. I do remember being woken up everything morning at 7am with the news. Also they used to play a song every morning and it goes like this. 'Good morning, good morning, good morning, it's another lovely day, for when it's wet it's fine at Butlins, we never let it spoil your holiday.' I think there may have been another verse.
My sister, who was four at the time, wanted to go on the carousel, so my dad took her on and was really enjoying it, but 15 minutes later the carousel was still going round and round. We were't sure if the person who was looking after the ride had gone for a cup of tea or something, but my dad was none too happy and began shouting to my mother to try and find the person in charge. He eventually turned up and let my dad off the ride, and surprise, surprise he has never been on one again. This was my one and only stay at Butlin's, apart from a day visit to Butlin's Skegness, but I have fond memories of my stay.
Mon Mar 2 14:16:01 2009
Miss P Moss
I am looking for any memories or pictures of Arthur Joseph Moss who was playing in a band called The Happy Wanderers in Butlins, Pwllheli from about 1947 to 1970.
Mon Mar 2 09:16:26 2009
paul off flint
I met my wife there in 1995. She'd been going for the last 30 years with her family. Then I went with friends on an end of season morris dancing weekend where we met and we got married a year later. We have been back for holidays. It has very fine memories for me and my wife.
Mon Dec 8 09:37:32 2008
