Resolfen History Society October Meeting Report

A large and enthusiastic audience attended this month’s meeting which featured the acting skills of Deborah John. The theme for the evening was the three night blitz which Swansea endured during February 1941. In a remarkable performance the actress brought alive the privations and dangers of the time, and indeed the gallows humour which accompanied such periods of crisis. Dressed in the uniform of and ARP warden of 1941, it was easy to believe that you were in the presence of the youngest ARP warden in the UK at the time, since the character had assumed the persona of a 17 year old when the minimum age was eighteen. The experience was even more impressive since the geographical locations within the blitz were familiar to the audience, and they were able to empathise fully.

Following the performance, the sources of the performance were explained and it was rather surprising that the details regarding the number of bombs dropped and the planes involved came from an examination of the German records regarding the raids since it would have been impossible to have counted them in the chaos that accompanied the raids.

Mr Barry Britzman, a former resident of Resolven had attended the meeting. He astounded both speaker and audience that he as a very young child had a very hazy memory of sheltering in a crypt in Swansea during one of the raids, this certainly brought the realisation that these events were still within living memory of some.

Mr David Woosnam thanked Deborah John for a most memorable evening.

Next month’s speaker will be Marcus Thomas who will speak on the history of the Apostolic Church in Resolven.

Trefor Jones.

~ ~ ~ ~