大象传媒

I'm woken by the loud shrill of a bell its 2.0am. wartime January 1943,it signals another fire call out for my father Jack Darch who is a member of the local Auxiliary Fire Service. The bell with its deafening ring is located on the stairwell of our house 20, Brynmynach Ave Ystrad Mynach. The bell being operated from the control desk of the main Fire Station.
All firemen had a bell fitted at their home address and they were on call from their place of work which could be Tredomen Engineering Works (Powell Duffryn)or local industries or collieries.
Fires are dealt with some urgency as they would be a target for German Aircraft which have been seen recently in the skies over Ystrad Mynach and the surrounding area. I can now here my Father scrambling to put his clothes on which he has placed neatly in order over a chair at the side of the Bedside. Within minutes he is running down the stairs and out into the street slamming the Door behind him. In the excitement I am out of Bed into the cold night air to join my mother on the landing who wraps a blanket around me as we make our way to the Window.
We open the blackout Curtains first ensuring that all lights are put out. Our Bedroom window gives a panoramic view of the Valley. I'ts pitch black outside and we and we are just in time to here the quick footsteps and make out shadowy figures of other members of the A.F.S hurriedly making their way to the Fire Station some 500 yards away.
It must be the fire its an orange glow lighting up the skies in the direction of Pontllanfraith. Any enemy Aircraft in the area must surely see the fire.
Anxiously we watch and slowly the flames subside and within the hour the flames are out.
Its back to bed and next morning the events of last night are discussed at the breakfast table. My mother Tilly (Matilda) stated that firemen from Caerphilly,Ystrad Mynach and Bargoed fought the fire which was in the Cooperative Milk yard near Pontllanfraith.
In their haste to get to the fire station many items of clothing were dropped on the pavement outside which were collected and returned to the fire station for collection.
The following night another air raid, a quick dash to my bed made up under the stairs, this time the target was Tredomen Works where they made Bomb casings, it was unsuccessfull as the Aircraft could not get close due to the poor visibility and the overhanging rocks above.
It was fortunate that the milk yard fire didn't occur on the same night!

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