I was born in Gwynfi Street in 1948 and I can remember when the flash flood happened, it was 1955 and I was in Blaengwynfi Infants School at the time and the rain started to pour down it seem to rain for ages and the school yard started to fill up as the drains could not cope with the sudden downpour.
The rain stopped and then came bright sunshine. At the end of the school day there was still about a foot of rain water in the yard so after waiting for about twenty minutes a number of us got our feet wet and we made our way home to Gwynfi Street, which was about ten minutes walk.
I can remember walking up the hill which was full of slurry and turning the corner into Gwynfi Street, there was mud and rubble all over the road, which seemed to be mainly around my house. There were also a number of the front garden walls knocked flat.
Apparently, during the heavy rain there was a build up of water on the top of the steep mountain about 300 foot above Gwynfi Street which was normally drained away by a culvert along the ridge of the mountain.
It could not cope with the sheer volume of water and overflowed down the mountain side bringing large stones and rubble with it and demolishing the rear garden retaining walls in its path.
My mother Iris Thomas was in the house as it was happening and recalls that she could hear rumbling and the back door shaking, she just grabbed her purse and run out of the front of the house as the deluge was coming into the back of the house.
I can remember being taken to the nearby Zoar chapel which soon became a refuge centre, it was full of people affected by the flood. We were only there for a couple of hours as my "Aunty Peg" (Peggy Casey) came and took us to her home.
Graham Thomas
your comments
Graham Thomas, Maesteg (formally Blaengwynfi )
The top photo Left to right Dai Lloyd , Tunnel Terrace,Gwylym Watkins (child in doorway) 10, Gwynfi StreetBen Evans (sailor) 70,Gwynfi Street, John Thomas (my father) 13,Gwynfi Street, Ronnie Coombes, 11,Gwynfi Street
Mon Jun 15 15:22:07 2009
Bob Thomas
This thread was posted by my cousin Graham Thomas who now lives in Cwmfelin. Second from left.Ben Evans [sailor]3rd] John Thomas [Machen] who was my uncle.He was Graham Thomas's father.I don't know the man on the far right.
Fri Jun 12 18:06:20 2009
Bob Thomas Glasgow
Second from the left is Ben Evans [sailor] and then John Thomas [Machen]who is the brother of Peggy Casey who lived across the road. Peggy was married to Joe Casey. John Thomas was my uncle.
Mon Oct 20 10:13:18 2008
Jenny Evans, nee Thomas
Great to look at this site brings back many fond memories my parents were Will Thomas, Violet Moore. I had three brothers Cyril, Denis, Oliver, two sisters Myra, Joyce. We were brought up in the terrace and I married a Graigy ha ha David Evans - we had six children.
Mon Oct 20 10:12:25 2008
Jaime Jones Blaengwynfi
Hi I was wondering if you knew who the men are on the top picture, because I am almost positive the one on the left is my late Grandfather known as Dai Lloyd?
Mon Sep 29 16:10:14 2008
Jane Jones
Hello everyone, I have showed this picture to an elder relative and he seems to know who the men in the above photo are, Dai Lloyd the bus, Ben Sailor (not sure of his surname) next to him is apparently John Casey, he does not know who the last man was.
Mon Sep 29 15:53:18 2008
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