Message from America

Eric Powell, now of Florida but a Resolven boy ( John Street), has shared his memories with us before and we were delighted to hear from him again this week.

Dear Anita,

I’m still getting  enjoyment from  receiving the Resolven District News. Also my continual appearance in each edition, through the Resolven School photographs section, where I appear with my school mates near the end of our time attending the Boys School. I can recall most of the names in that photo and thought it may be of interest to your current readers to see what their grand (or great grand) fathers looked like and dressed in the years 1944/1945.

 

Resolven Boys’ School, Standard 7, Teacher, Arthur Morris (who probably took the photo); Date, 1944 or 1945.

Back row, left to right;
Unknown; Darrel Price, Neath Road; Joseph Lock, Abergarwed; Bernard Thorne, Rheola Avenue; Ken Lewis, Nant-Y-Gleisiad; Terry Norton, Glyn Neath Road; Roy Maddox, Glyn Neath Road.

Middle row, left to right;
Ken Davies, John Street; Wally Regan, John Street; Levi Evans, Company Street; Eric Powell, John Street; Evan Bevan, Cory Street; Donald Fearn, Yeo Street.

Front row, left to right;
Meirion Stock, Yeo Street; Sid Thomas, Maes-Y-Tyra; Jim Orrels, Maes-Y-Tyra; Bryn Morgan, Glyn Neath Road; Roy Harris, Abergarwed; Des Lewis, Nant-Y-Gleisiad; Mansel Johns, Cory Street

We all look very well despite four/five years of wartime rationing. Changing from short pants to long trousers, as now we are going on for fourteen, soon to leave school and start work (as did Joe Cookson in his autobiography). Arthur Morris took hundreds of photos of us boys as we passed through the Boys’ School, despite being busy as senior officer of the Resolven Home Guard. It was the job of us boys to run messages for him, to the homes of the men when they were needed to be on duty, or if an emergency occured, such as German pilots wandering the mountains, following being shot down! We also delivered the “Home News”, gathered from news of the village and edited by Dan Herbert, our Standard five/six teacher. Evan Jenkins, headmaster, put in his share serving on the committee of the Comforts Fund (but still had sufficient time to whack us with his bamboo cane when discipline was required!

With best wishes to all in Resolven and District,

Kindest regards,

Eric Powell,
Saint Petersburg, Florida, U.S.A.