Jeff Downer of Swansea recalls Swansea in the 1960's:
"
I have read and enjoyed the features on Swansea history. I have a question. During the 60's I remember that Swansea students as part of a Rag Week stunt carved /painted a white horse into the undergrowth of Kilvey Hill. It was based I think on the famous Uffington Celtic White Horse. I seem to remember it being on the White Rock side of Kivey Hill and was clearly visible from the train as it went in and out of Swansea. (Used to take the train to Swansea from the old Llansamlet Station). Does anybody have similar memories and a photograph if posible?"
Roger Wyn Beynon of Ammanford has memories of Craig-y-Nos Castle:"I spent much of my early childhood at Craig-y-Nos Castle in the children's T.B ward and can vaguely recall being wheeled out in my bed ( irrespective of weather conditions! ) onto the verandah and seeing deer and peacocks down below in the castle grounds. Also the immense joy of Walt Disney cartoons in Madame Adelina Patti's own theatre where, incidentally, us children received our formative education. Can anyone help me with info of the above and of it's staff/ children circa 1949-55 please? I believe a fellow inmate next to me was called Graham Canning."
Graham Davies of Pembroke remembers the Sunderland planes:"I remember the Sunderlands flying during the 1950's. I attended a couple of the Battle of Britain shows at Pembroke Dock and there was always a rear turret for children to sit in and 'spin around' in. There was also at least 2 Sunderlands in the air, one would shut down 3 of the four engines and just fly on the one.
Sad to see the station close in 1957 and the last Sunderland go to Hendon. However, as a respite, there was one last Sunderland flight over PD and that was in 1980. I was working at Texaco Refinery on a Saturday and heard a familiar sound. I went outside with a few others and saw a Sunderland flying overhead. I later found out that this one is now preserved at the old RAF Coastal Command station on the Solent (Calshott I think). Pleasant memories. Thanks for sharing yours!"
Jac of Llanelli says:"I remember the snows of 82 - I was nine at the time and lived on Pwll Road. At this time, it was an extremely busy road serving the areas between Carmarthen and Swansea, with many lorries in particular using the route throughout the night. I remember it starting to snow on the Friday evening - my mum told me it would probably turn to rain soon as we were so close to the sea.
"In the morning I awoke to find that the garden had disappeared under a blanket of white. That morning my grandfather carried me down the middle of that normally busy road, with the snow coming up past his knees. I remember not being allowed to play just outside my grandparents house because the icicles hanging from the eaves were considered too large and far too dangerous, and that we seemed to live on bread and jam for weeks.
"Obviously the best thing of all was not having to go to school - I don't think we would have made it up the hill to Pwll Primary School anyway, but the thrill of listening to the radio each morning to see if the school was still shut was something else!
"I might be 32 now, but I still yearn for snow like that, despite everyone else I know finding it a nuisance."
Peter Lewis in Eastleigh remembers being stuck in Pembroke as a result of heavy snow:"I was interested in the
story of the two caught up in the snow of 1982 as I had a similar experience a couple of years earlier. I had taken my girlfriend to Pembroke, from Fleet Hampshire to spend some time with her family. I intended to drive back on the Saturday afternoon but it started to snow and by that evening the snow had closed the roads out of town. I was stuck there, which was no great hardship. I was due at work on Monday, however and my boss was not amused to find I was standed in the only snow fall on the UK. During the three or four days I was stuck, Lynne and I got to know one another really well and, to cut a long story short, we recently celebrated 25 years of marriage."
Harry Bishop says:"I was born at Oddfellow Street, Ystradgynlais in 1931 and used to play around the canal. I went into mining on leaving Cynlais School, from there into the RAF Regiment and went to Iraq. Was given a name from a mate for a 'pen pal' in Swansea.On coming home I went to meet this girl and we got on very well. After a 'date' one night I missed the last bus home, and went to look for the canal in the Hafod area and found it. I walked to Cwmgeidd in about two hours,sadly one could not do that now ... what a pity it was not saved, it would be nice to walk it. There were some nice sights along the way ...."
Norman from Sheffield says:"I was stationed at Pembroke Dock for 29 months September 1951 until January 1954. I was a sheetmetal worker had good times and bad times. Stood on parade at Llanethly for the Queen and Phillip. Got wet through ..."
Andy Rees from Neath recalls the blizzards of 1982:
"I was a young police officer in Neath, and when the snow started I worked overtime after the afternoon shift. I remember the Inspector gathering some of us together in a shoe shop dooorway in Wind Street and sending us home. I had an MG Midget and gave one of the detectives a lift to the Neath by-pass where a 4 wheel ambulance stopped to give him a lift up to Glynneath. We must have been one of the last out of Neath that night. I managed to get back into Neath that weekend and was set the task of digging the front of the police station out.
" We had officers from all sorts of places working with us because no-one could get to their regular place of work. One of my collegues who attended calls with me was Martin Morris, played for Neath and Wales as wing forward. He usually worked Port Talbot which was severely cut off. I also remember one of my neighbours telling me her husband was stuck in the steel works and they were working right through keeping the furnaces going."
Read more about the blizzards of 1982 by clicking here.
Mr Hughes from Pembroke remembers the ferry from Pembroke Dock to Neyland:"The ferry from Pembroke Dock was a life line to all the men that worked on the Neyland side of the water, and the same to the men from Neyland that worked on this side. It was a form of transport that you could rely on - it was only very bad weather that stopped it running and the crew worked hard at all times to accommodate everybody."
Irene Cassidy from Ontario Canada has these tales from the 2WW:
"I was evacuated to South Wales, Lower Cwmtwrch I was just 4 years old and living in Seaforth, Liverpool in 1939. They people I stayed with and looked after me so well I would like to try and get in touch with as over the years I have lost touch with them. Their name was Pitts and they had a son called Alistair.
"My husband and I are now retired and live in Canada and have children and grandchildren of our own. I remember going to to Mumbles Beach in Wales, with the Pitts and enjoying the time with them, they were very good people, they used to call me Margaret Cave and not Irene, my second name was Margaret. Any information that I could obtain would be most appreciated - thank you."
Phillip of Maidstone has these memories of Swansea:"My father, David John Clarke and his father used to assist in the running of the White Rock Ferry at Swansea during the 1920's (I think). They were well respected members of the community and there is now a road, Clarke Way, named after our family in Llansamlet. Has anyone heard of this ferry or remember it?"
Vernon has been in touch with a picture of workmen on the White Rock ferry - click here for more...
Richard of Connecticut remembers the Swansea Blitz:
"I was in the three nights blitz as an exact 8 year old my birthday February 21 the last day of the blitz. We were living at 95 Ceri Road on the Gorse-side of Townhill my mom, dad and younger sister and me. My other sister was yet to be born in December."
"I don't remember the exact time on February 21 that we heard the sirens and hurriedly left the house for the shelter in our back yard it had steel sides and curved top, mostly buried in the ground with earth piled on top and a step ladder to get down to two sets of double bunks inside of it. No sooner had we got in when there was a deafening bomb blast that we later found occurred just three backyards away.
"Our house was devastated, all windows gone, roof damage, but still standing. My dad was not home at he time, he was on the roof of my uncles pub in Dyfatty Street near the Swansea Police Station in the town center (not a city then) shoveling off incendiary bombs with his coal trimmers shovel."
"The day after the blast we were all evacuated to some exceedingly kind lady's private house in Sandy Lane, Parkmill in the Gower. During the next six months my dad, uncle and grandfather built us a 3 bedroom bungalow there in nearby Philips Field using wood framing and asbestos sheets on both sides with an outside privy."
"We lived there until 1947 when we moved back to Swansea on Dyfed Avenue. Recently, on one of my return trips home on vacation from Connecticut, USA, where I now live, I've passed by that bungalow in the Gower its still there after sixty-three years, and looking in good shape. What memories it brings back, sometimes with tears."
Charlie Curtis in Bribie Island, Australia remembers the time he spent in Port Talbot during the Second World War:
"As a rank outsider to Port Talbot, I would just like to say thank you to all those nice folk who took me into their home during the war years. I was evacuated to 22 Saltoon Street, Port Talbot as a young lad from London. Mr and Mrs Hughes were wonderful to me. I had so many aunties in the street, I suppose they were sorry for me ... Anyway I well remember the steel railings in the front gardens being whisked away fro the war effort. There was constant overhead noise from our aircrafts that must have been stationed near there. My main contribution here is to say a big 'thank you' to all those people who took me in and gave me sanctuary in those dark ol' days."
Gareth from Neath recalls the snows of 1982:
"I remember trying to dig out the drive and helping to clear the road I was only seven at the time. It was so bad I could not even find the back gates to get to the back garden."
Read more about the snows of 1982 by clicking here.
John Sandilands from South Island New Zealand shares his memories of RAF Station Manorbier:
"I've been looking up some fo the RAF stations in the UK where I was stationed during WW2 and afterwards, and one of the stations was Manorbier, Nr. Tenby. I was only there for a short while from 3 Jan. to 14 March 1946, but the work I did there was, to my way of thinking, highly unusual. "I was modifying standard airspeed indicators, altimeters, etc.for use in radio controlled drogue towing a/c. The modifications consisted of fitting the instruments with contacting switches which enabled the ground controller, in conjuction with the radio controls, to 'take off' and land the Tigers. In my opinion, Heath Robinson had nothing on this control set-up! From memory, a large proportion of the personnel at the station were, as I was, Instrument Repairers, or as we were more often called 'Instrument Bashers'!
"Another memory of this station was the abundance of good food available in the Mess. chickens, pigs and rabbits were raised on the premises and I remember getting a little tired of eating pork! Anyway, after a year of serving on operational units in the 2nd. TAF & ASR squadrons, I found work at the station a little boring, finishing up in Egypt and South Rhodesia soon afterwards. The offical title of the Manorbier unit was 'PAU (Pilotless Aircraft Unit) RAF Manorbier. I transferred to the RNZAF in 1950 as an AC 1 Instrument Fitter, retiring as W/O in 1971."
Learn more about Pembrokeshire during WW2 by reading this piece on RAF Carew Cheriton.
your comments
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Roger Anthony Neeves
I was born at 11 Grove Road Pontardawe, the house was owned by my Grandmother Sarah Banner, whose Welsh was much better than her English...My earliest recollections were of walking up the street to the Don Sweet and Ice cream shop for treats bought by my Grandfather Tommy Banner. His favourite "stop" was the Ivy Bush Public House, next door to the Don! Lovely memories.
Fri Jun 12 17:50:33 2009
David Pearce of Preston Lancs
I have fond memories of Wales, having once lived at Margam, Port Talbot. My father was a youth club leader at Taibach Wesley Youth Club, who did the town proud with its mixed choir of over a hundred young people, who brought the house down at the Royal Albert Hall London at an annual MAY WEEK-END in the 1950's.
In 1953 just twelve months after I was discharged from a hospital in Pembrokeshire I remember the great celebrations that took place in the Steel Company of Wales, for Coronation Day.
Wed Apr 29 14:00:46 2009
Carol Howells, Whitland
In the snows of '82 my husband and I had bought a two-up two-down in Bancffosfelen, Llanelli. My husband, Phil, had broken his leg in an accident and was in a plastercast from his toe to his thigh. His mother visited on the Friday afternoon for an overnight stay, bringing her dog, Toby, with her (much to the annoyance of our cat). The house was in need of a lot of TLC and we had no safe fireplace, no heating, no hot water and windows that let in rain.
It was a real fixer-upper which we planned to start doing as soon as Phil's leg was better. The snow started to fall, in tiny balls hitting the windows like small snowballs, we didn't think anything of it - snow doesn't last long around our way and melts almost as soon as it lands.
When we woke in the morning, the windowsills were thick with snow - on the inside! We couldn't move and the road outside was covered in snow so high that it reached the top of our garden wall.
Tentatively, we lit the old chatanette fireplace in the kitchen (afraid that it would explode, but it was better heat than the gas cylinder fireplace we had) and to our delight the old fireplace worked, warming the kitchen area.
We didn't have much coal in the shed, only the little left by the house's previous owners, but the old couple next door, Mr and Mrs Healy, gave us some coal and it kept us warm.
My mother-in-law was furious as she couldn't get her car out to travel home and her overnight stay ended up being a stay for a whole week. During the course of the week we saw people dragging kitchen trays down into Pontyberem (down the 1:10 hill) to collect bags of coal from the garage at the bottom of the hill as the coalman couldn't deliver.
I ventured down to buy food - thank heaven Pontyberem had bakeries in those days so we always had fresh bread as the local Co-op certainly wasn't getting any deliveries. I recall the shop shelves almost empty of necessities as it served a community for a week. The farm that supplied dairies with milk couldn't get the milk collected and the farmer left milk in bottles at the top of his lane for anyone who wanted to take it as he couldn't use it.
What a fantastic 'Dunkirk' spirit the two little villages had, working well together. The road through to Cross Hands was eventually accessible and there was freedom for those in Pontyberem and anyone who dared venture down the hill from Bancffosfelen. It was great to have a week off work, but to have my mother-in-law for a week - well that's a different story.
Wed Mar 11 16:32:42 2009
John Kaszuba--Norwich Conn. USA
I'm 75 years old. Whenever I feel blue I revert to a 20-year-old airman stationed in Fairford. London was the city of choice in those days. My pick city was Swansea. It was a wonderful place.
When the train pulled up at the Swansea station I was inheaven. The people were friendly, the girls beautiful and leaving Swansea for my base was awful.
I met three girls who were sweet, fun to be with and they all dumped me for good reasons. They will remain forever young to this old man and I hope they are healthy and had a wonderful life.
Swansea was my land of Oz. The beauty ofthe landscape and the kindness of the people makes Swansea my favourite spot on earth. It's been 55 years since I left Swansea but it seems like yesterday. God Bless youall and please count your lucky stars you live in this place I call God's country.
Mon Jan 26 15:42:47 2009
Carol Davies, St Clears
When the snow of 1982 landed it closed off so many little villages. The village of St Clears, nine miles west of Carmarthen, was no exception. The housing estate in which we lived was blocked off and the whole of the village had several feet of snow. To consider going up Station Road and up Station Hill was suicidal.
My father, brother and a couple of others on the estate managed to dig out paths to houses, parts of pavements and roads to make moving between houses safer for all. When the snow laid on with no sign of it melting and food was getting harder to buy a Chinook helicopter landed in a field just outside the village and dropped food for outlying areas.
I am sure there was a business called Abertawe Frozen Foods, no longer with us, that helped distribute or provide food for the village. I know my father was involved in the unloading and distribution of the food.
The village was quite a wonderous sight with snow heavy on branches and snowmen being made in gardens, my children have no idea of what I'm talking about. It was hard, we had no central heating and sometimes no electric, but the snow was lovely and I don't think we've seen the like since.
Wed Jan 14 16:59:24 2009
Roger Sweet
I was educated at Clarks College Swansea1954 onwards and worked in Lewis Lewis, Soft Furnishing Department, 1957 onwards -wondered if anyone attended these places or remembers, Lewis Lewis Store Director was Gwyneth Lewis,Herbert Lewis (Farmer from Carmarthen?) and Gerald Gabb, Store Manager. The Company Secretary was Phillip Dahlgren, Townhill and I was in school with his niece Marlene Dahlgren.
Thu Aug 21 09:30:16 2008
Tom Keegan-Birmingham.
Many years ago I was driving back to Birmingham from Milford. It was a downpour. In my rear view mirror I saw a very old man walking in the rain. I could not undersatand how I had not noticed him as I passed him. I reversed back to him and offered him a lift. He said very little and I had an uneasy feeling about him. A few miles later I dropped him off, as I drove away I checked my rear view mirror.....he was nowhere to be seen. That was thirty seven years ago,but it stll gives me a chill.
Thu Jan 3 10:50:10 2008
Peter Popham from Swansea
I remember that white horse on Kilvey Hill at that time I lived in Mill Street Greenhill. We all thought at the time the students painted it during the night.
Does anybody else remember it?
Fri Dec 8 10:22:23 2006
Joy King from Abergarwed
My memeories are from being brought up in Morriston in the fifties-of seeing `Cec the Milk` delivering the milk every day by horse and cart,`Greco's ` the brachi cafe in Woodfield Street who we lived behind and Ernie Greco bringing me ice cream when I was so often ill with throat problems. Morriston carnival where all the shops and organisations had a float and Roy Bennet with his comedy band. The smoke from all the stacks of the steel industry that surrounded Morriston. My Tad-cu ,Bryn Roberts worked in the Dyffryn Steel works and my other grandfather Joe Howell worked in the Forest Steel works. Sunday night and everyone in their best walking up to all the chapels,we went three times a day. Mrs Owens `the chips ` did the best ever chips.I was born in Strawberry Place and they were the best ever times.
Mon Jul 24 09:16:46 2006
Chris Woods from Yorkshire.
I was born and raised in the Afan valley. I well remember the severe winters we had in the early to mid sixties. Whunberry picking was an essential passtime in the summer, it earned us a few bob. The numerous collieries, were our playgrounds, much to the annoyance of the watchmen. I have fond memories of Abergwynfi Junior School, those were indeed the days.
Tue Jun 13 08:48:39 2006
Anthony Lee, Now in Derby
I was born in my grandmother's house at 62 Queen's Road Mumbles in April 1953.
My favourite memory is walking 100 yards down the road to Presdee's bakery shop on the corner on Good Friday morning.
Mr Presdee always had hot cross buns fresh from the oven, smelling spicy and sweet - is it any wonder that not all of them survived the journey home?
Mon Jun 5 13:44:53 2006
Anne Lewis from Port Talbot
My main memory of the snows of 1982 is pulling my Sister-in-law out of a snow drift to get her to the doctors for her tetanus jab after being bitten by a mouse.I also had to spend ages out in the garden melting holes into the ice covering my Mother-in-laws carp pond.
My husband and I walked to the Unigate depot in Aberavon to get milk for my Mother-in-law and her elderly neighbours.
Tue Dec 13 16:38:25 2005
Vernon from Neath
In reply to Phillip of Maidstone.
Re: The White Rock Ferry at Swansea.
I have an old photograph showing two men standing in the 'White Rock' ferry boat in the River Tawe.
Thu Sep 8 10:31:03 2005
Edward Evans - Canada
The only reason I am writing this is I am getting on in years and I thought
that some of the things that were are not there any more, such as, the
copper-works chimney stack, it was the tallest in the land two or three
hundred feet high. When they knocked it down they had to do it from the top
down brick by brick, every-body in town had brick walk-ways or brick lined
pathways. Did you know that the bessemer converter for making copper was
invented in Llanelly? I have worked here in Canada at the copper mines and
helped improve the converter to make it automatic, thought you might be
interested.
Thu Aug 25 11:51:46 2005
Vince Evans - Canada
I was born in Trimsaran & raised in Florence St. Llanelly in 1923. What I remember most was the first electric light on the street. My Dad & I were in the first movie picture house when it went on fire, we got out over the temporary wooden bridge over the river it collapsed many lives were lost in the water and the fire.
Mon Aug 22 14:32:15 2005
Ann Good (was Moore)
I was a Police Officer in Sandfields PC Ann Davies, my sister Jean Moore was getting married on the Saturday at St Theodore's Church. It was to be a real musical wedding as she was marrying a bandsman in the Queens Own Hussars. People were travelling from all over, Germany in particular, and all over the UK. On the Thursday - when the snow came down I was on duty in Sandfields and by 3pm the snow was really drifting, and settling. In the end I was taken home - Baglan Moors, by the traffic landrover. I was walking on the snow that must have been at least 2' high walking over the front garden wall just seemed so unreal. I had visitors staying and luckily had plenty of foodstuffs in. Our back garden fence which was 2 mtrs high was just not visible, neither was the back gate!!
It ended up us getting onto Swansea Sound to 'postpone' the wedding! Antolin's as it was had to be cancelled too - the reception. The bridegroom's parents took the wrong turning off the M4 from Bristol and ended up in Maesteg, and were there for 3/4 days! They made friends though.
The wedding finally took place on the Thursday, my father paid a chap with a digger, to drive his machine down Morfa Avenue and Glan y mor Avenue, so that the taxis could get down to take my sister to church. Thompsons, the photographers from Victoria Road did a good job, keeping everyone light hearted. Instead of around 100 guests, there were just 28 of us and the reception was at home - Margam we ate very well indeed. Talk about a small affair! It was awful - at the time, we giggle about it now though. Jean and Andrew have now been married 23 yrs they now live in Kenilworth where Andrew is a Police Sergeant. Yes, I remember 1982 very well indeed.
Tue Aug 9 11:02:31 2005
Ceri Snyer Speen Bucks
I remember walking over the mountains in Glamorgan with my freind. We were about eight years old we went to pick whimberries. I would love to do that again, they taste wonderful.
Mon Jul 4 15:24:03 2005
Jen Colbert - Swansea
I am currently collecting memoirs on individuals from the Treboeth, Tirdeunaw and Lisbon regions in Swansea.
http://uk.geocities.com/treboethswansea/TreboethMemoirs.html
Fri May 20 16:32:23 2005
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