I lived in Graiglwyd Road. The back garden looked out onto a large playing field called 'Ganges'. This was the name of the groundsman; who in his youth had played cricket for Gloucester, I believe he was a fast-medium bowler. The field was in a triangle bordered by Graiglwyd Road, Lon Coed Bran and Pentyla Road.

My first recollection was listening to the wireless, never referred to as the radio, an outstanding broadcasting medium of its day. News broadcasts were at 8 am, 1 pm, 6 pm and 9 pm and I recall that in one news broadcast I heard "Warsaw has fallen".

My dad was one of the first to join the local Home Guard which met in Townhill Secondary School, he had served in the First World War but was deemed too old to serve in the Second.

I remember the Blitz and when there was an air raid we had to go into the Air Raid Shelter which was in the back garden. Dad, some neighbours and my Grandfather had dug out and erected it there. We must have spent many nights in that shelter.

I did not see Dad for a few days because he would come home from work, have dinner, change into his H G uniform and go on duty during the Blitz, then come home and then go straight to work. He used to catch the 8 o'clock train from Cockett Station to be in work at RB Phillips, the Iron and Steel Merchants in Llanelly by 8.30.

During an air raid two incendiary devices exploded in the road. One on a house thereafter referred to as 'the bombed house'. The second was in the road nearby,which fractured a gas main. My mother was informed that Gorsei School would not be opened until 10 o'clock that morning. I remember the two air raid shelters in Cockett Road as mentioned in Doug Warners account. One is now a bus shelter and the other was demolished.

Planes of various shapes and sizes were to be seen, Spitfires, Hurricanes, Wellington Bombers and Barrage Balloons were common occurrences and were accepted as normal by us children.

My next vivid recollection was in 1944 when I was nine years old, it was the arrival of the Americans. An American billeting officer had visited my mother one day and ascertained that we had a spare bedroom and consequently we had two American soldiers, Yippee! One was John Koster whose family originated from Austria, the other, Eddie Benemerito, whose family were Italian.

They were not with us for very long but we children had perks, lots of chewing gum (got any gum chum) and sometmes chocolate which was quite a treat. Mam had tins of beef and ham for the pantry. One evening she was overjoyed when they presented her with her first pair of nylons.

Then one evening in June, they both told Mam that they were leaving the next morning, but when I returned from school that afternoon they were still there, whatever they should have been doing had been postponed for another day. The next morning they had left. I went into the back bedroom and saw across Swansea Bay a sight which I have never forgotten. The Bay was full of boats and ships of all sizes, hundreds of them. This I learned later was D DAY.

The war continued until 1945 when peace was declared. There were street parties everywhere, everybody was involved, bringing out tables, chairs and food - where did our Mams rustle up so much when there was rationing! That same week, Mam returned from Stouthall Hospital with my new baby brother. Everyone was so happy.

Recollections, when I write them down become quite vivid. My Aunt served as a Land Girl and was based in St Fagans,and is still living in Cockett and is celebrating her ninetieth birthday this year...

PS. As for the American soldiers I heard nothing, although I had written to them, and later in the 70`s I heard that Eddie had survived and was living in Cincinnati.

David Morgan