大象传媒

Quietly slipping away is the opportunity to acknowledge and thank those who gave up so much of their young lives, in order that we, their decendents, are able to live in a free, democratic and hopefully harmonious society.

We so easily forget that the old lady or gentleman living down the road, who sometimes feel so vulnerable trying to cope with modern day living, often in fear of the very society in which they were brought up!

There is also the frail or incapacitated person in one of the many nursing homes around the country, that conveniently are shut away from society at large. To them we owe so much.

These and the generations before them, who willingly gave so much of themselves for the sake of freedom,in most cases, had been brought up in often exceedingly hard times. They had very few luxuries most thing were re used or re-cycled,often they were passed around the family or on to friends in the community.

The sheets or blankets which were worn thin would be cut down the middle and the sides sewn together, the edges were hemed to make a new piece of bedding. Any that were too worn were cut down for baby nappies, face flannels, even made into vests, pants or baby clothes.

Sometimes there was a Rag and Bone man, who would appear in the street with his plodding horse pulling an open cart, he would pay a penny or two for whatever the families had left over. Children would pester Mum to find scraps and dicarded items for his over flowing cart.

These were the ordinary people who so bravely and resourcefully, bore the burden of such an undertaking and carried it through to its peaceful conclusion. They then set about the task of rebuilding our Country and reconstructing their, often, shattered lives. In order to bring happiness and prosperity to future generations.

Amoung these were persons, who for one reason or another were not able to take up active service. Some of were unable to join because of age or infirmity, others who's occupation was needed to supply the forces, such as coal miners, ship builders or farmers. They often took on extra tasks such as fire fighters or home guards recruits.

Women who were generally not enlisted, took on the vast majority of the war effort at home, undertaking with fortitude the many tasks that were normally only done by men, as well as bringing up families and looking after the aged, in often difficult circumstances and depravation.

AT HOME

An uncle of my husband, Mr Arthur Smith of New Tredegar, was one of the many men who continued working down the mines in order to keep up the important fuel supplies. One day he was working as usual deep under ground at Elliot Colliery. He was leading a pit pony along the shaft, when the pony refused to go any further. As he stood their trying to persuade the pony to move, the tunnel ahead collapsed. The pony must have sensed or heard the movement of the rock above and saved both their lives.

My father Mr Mervyn Humphries of Caerphilly, was a Boiler Maker and Welder and was therefore very much needed for repairing the damaged ships. Tells how he was working at Swansea Docks, when he came back by train after a weekend at home in Caerphilly. He emerged out of Swansea Station to a scene of devasation! He had great difficulity in finding his way to the Docks, as he climbed over the rubble of so many buildings in, what had been the town centre.

Miss Roselene Davies of Llanelli, was with the Red Cross, when she tell of the difficult time she and others had, as they struggled to save people of Swansea, caught up in the boming, while fires raged all around.

Mrs Cartheine Humphries, was a teenager in Cardiff at the start of the war. She tells of how she tried to help her mother cope with a large family in difficult times. There were so many sad stories all around, like the lady across the road, who in a month was told that both her husband and two sons had all died in action.

There were light hearted moments, when people tried to make the most of it and sometimes held parties or dances, dispite the danger. One evening she was at one such party,when an incendary bomb fell on the house next door. The party goers were covered from head to foot in soot from the chimney. What a sight they looked as the rushed out of the house, They proceeded to walk home through the brightly lit streets, many of which were glowing in the sharp light of the many angry fires consuming the houses around.

ABROAD

Mr Jack Jones, of the Rhymney Valley, was captured by the Japanese after the British Army were ordered to surrender and destroy all their weapons and planes. He said that the soldiers, would have fought the Japanese to the death, rather than surrender. As a result he and so many others suffered greatly, he also contracted Beri Beri (don't know if that is the correct spelling)!which permenently damaged his health.

He told of the British Dentist who did his best to try and look after their teath and concocted fillings from what materials he could find. These fillings saved his teeth, his teeth only deterioated when he returned to Britain and had new fillings put in.

Half of the Division was sent off to build the railway bridge over the River Quai (not sur of spelling). The rest were then forces to construct other parts of the railway.

He also tells, how when the Japanese (Niponese) as they liked to be called, made them register their occupations and they were told to put meanial tasks, so that they could not be made use of. He says that it was often the strongest and fittest men who died first.

At one camp, there was a type of hospital tent and in the sick were attended to, as best they could. The men most sick were moved to the far end before they died. One man kept screaming in pain night after night, so the Japanese guards took him away and left him in the jungle to die. Still night after night, his terrified screams could be heard above the noises of the jungle!

On liberation those thin, ragged, emancipated soldiers who were left, tried best to carry out their duties and manage the camp, once it was handed over to them from the Japanese. This was as a result of the Atomic Bomb which caused the Japanese Emperor to surrender, finally World War Two was at an end!

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