St. Valentine’s Day Greetings
Photo by MIKE DAVIES (taken on Rheola lake)
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.
Melincourt Falls in Winter
Image by Mike Davies
Tweet! from Gnoll Country Park
Frozen! I wish it was spring!
Taken this morning at Gnoll Country Park by MIKE DAVIES
A report on the January Meeting of Resolfen History Society
In the absence of the normal scribe, David Woosnam and Cathy Grahame have kindly provided an account of the meeting. Another change to the programme, was that of the advertised speaker since Mr Phylip Jones was unable to speak owing to illness. Glyn Williams, ably stepped into the gap and gave another splendid talk on his “hero’, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, this time on the numerous mysteries which surround the engineering genius that was Brunel.
The first mystery surrounds Brunel’s Christian name since he may have originally been called “Eysambard”, ( he was half French by extraction Ed.) though no one really knows which one is correct. Glyn was of the opinion, that probably either would have suited.
The second mystery surrounded the “Lost Bridge at Paddington”. Brunel had favoured a different location to that of today’s London terminus. He built a bridge over the canal and erected a new viaduct at the site ,so obstructing the view of the bridge. As rail traffic increased, the staton was moved to its present location. Some ninety seven years later, the bridge (which was the first built by Brunel) was discovered and lies now ( in pieces) in the good care of English Heritage. Glyn wondered how such a treasure could have been simply forgotten ?
The third mystery, is that of Brunel’s famous fixation with that of using the “broad gauge”, for his famous GWR between London and the west of Britain. Robert Stephenson had set the gauge between the rails at 4’ 8”; George Stephenson at five feet but Brunel set the gauge at seven feet and a quarter of an inch. Despite, protestations as to the efficiency of the broad gauge , Glyn thought that Brunel had proverbially “dropped a clanger”, but pride dictated that he kept to his original plans.
Resolven Welfare Hall Events
- The Welfare is host to a fundraising concert by local youth group Resolven Young Performers on Saturday 26th January. After so many successful shows over the years by this group the Welfare is pleased to welcome them back again to perform a charity night for the Restoration Fund.
- CHINESE AUCTION – Saturday February 2nd at 1pm. Anyone who has attended a Chinese auction at the Church Hall will understand the concept. There is a £2 entry fee and light refreshments are included. There will be a variety of new and nearly new items up for grabs ranging from household items to jewellery and even a guitar will be on auction along with all manner of other things.
3 .WELFACTOR = in conjunction with BBC Wales we will hold a Variety Show on February the 8th with mainly local talent and the Welfare is thrilled to have Owen Money and Mandy Starr in attendance on the night . More details can be found on the Resolven Miners Welfare Facebook page. This is going to be a cracker.
REPORT BY DIANE SIMS
Total Lunar Eclipse
When most people were tucked up in their beds last night, I could not miss this wonderful show of our universe-the lunar eclipse. Getting the picture was a waiting game, hoping the cloud wouldn’t spoil the spectacle. On this occasion, the heavens were kind to me.
The next one is in ten years time and I’m hoping to get that one too!
This kind of eclipse occurs when the Earth passes precisely between the Sun and the Moon. In this situation, the Sun is behind the Earth, and the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow.
REPORT and PICTURE MIKE DAVIES
First Snows of Winter
Is this a taste of what is to come?
Brecon Beacons. Picture taken from Neath,17/01/2019, by MIKE DAVIES
Calm Before the Storm?
Sunset over the Vale of Neath taken from the Brecon Beacons 16th Jan. by MIKE DAVIES
