大象传媒

A Year in South Wales During WW2
The author of this story has agreed that it can be entered on this website.
When I was telling a neighbour about St David's Day in S. Wales she said "You ought to write down all that valuable social history," so I did.
I was sent to Wales towards the end of the War as an evacuee teacher with London children.
We met in Cardiff to listen to a talk about Wales and Welsh people before dispersing into the Valleys to meet the local billeting officer and our 'ladies'. Mine was Mrs Jenkins in Treherbert at the head of the Rhondda-Valley. She was a miner's widow with two children - Gwennie a nurse in the Midlands now married and pregnant, and Emlyn in the army. Almost before I got inside the door Mrs Jenkins said "If ever I hear you have been in a public house I'll ask the billeting officer to move you, and I want evidence each month to prove you are not pregnant., It's what I always expected from Gwennie. What a welcome to Wales!
The infants school I was assigned to was quite near and we were given half a classroom. I was very happy there and everyone was exceptionally kind - I expect I was a novelty.
We had been told in Cardiff that Welsh people are a Celtic race more inhibited that the Irish or Highland Scots. .
A century or so ago non - conformist preachers and evangelists came to the Valleys to talk about the Sacredness of the Sabbath the Evils of Alcohol and the Value of Living Good Upright lives. At that time coal miners were heavy drinkers and often their families suffered - so a serious, strict way of life had much to recommend it to women.
Well now - St. David's Day in Treherbert - as I saw it in 1944. It was a beautiful bright Spring Day. According to custom it was the day to wash Welsh quilts and the sight of them all blowing in the breeze wasone I'll not forgot.
Children came to school in the National costume and jars of daffodils decorated window sills. Each class had been coached by a member of staff - Miss Abraham - ready to perform, a little thing in Welsh for the school concert, which always included the story of the first Prince of Wales, "who spoke no word in English" and the story of a battle long ago when Welshmen were told to pull up leeks from the field they were crossing and put them in their hats. At this point in the drama the boys produced hats decorated with leeks and soon chased the English out of Wales. I think the programme was the same every year except that in 1944 the evacuees recited

Baa Baa Daffod Dhu.
Thank you Miss Abraham.
I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT.
Miss Thomas; a member of staff of Treherbert Infants School had "day's - off' to canvas, as she was trying to get a Headship. I asked what this canvassing entailed and was told she had to visit local councillors to get them to vote for her when she was called - up for an interview. The understanding being that she would get their votes in exchange for part of her first years salary. I couldn't believe it but was assured it was so and if she didn't get votes another candidates for the job had offered more! LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP
One day there was great excitement in school among members of staff. A teacher known to them all had finally found a man. Every school holiday Miss X would stay in a good hotel hoping to meet Mr Right'. After the long summer - holiday she had at last been successful and become engaged to "a very well - off gentleman with a TITLE". But what a disappointment when it was discovered that he was only a Welshman!
KEEP HOLY THE SABBATH DAY
On Sunday I set off down the valley by train to Treorchy to go to mass then back again in time for mid - day meal.
On Sunday Mrs Jerikins wore her best black dress and went to chapel twice. During the afternoon I went a walk or read and one afternoon I brought downstairs a small piece of embroidery. At the sight of this Mrs Jenkins said "I don't have sewing here on a Sunday." I took a deep breath and replied "Since I am a guest in your house I'll put it away but I regard this embroidery as recreation - it is not as though I were a professional dressmaker going on with my week day work.
HYPOCRITE '
I found Mrs Jenkins a hypocrite, one Sunday evening I had gone up to bed and remembered I had left something downstairs. When I went down to get it I found Mrs Jenkins, black dress off, busy sorting the washing and putting it into soak read for Monday morning.
Officially, Mrs Jenkins would not touch alcohol, but often late in the evening she would net slip out of the back door with a carrier bag of 'empties' soon to return from the off-licence with full bottles (of beer I think).
Once Emlyn was on leave and he and his friends were in Mrs Jenkin's living room. I was going to say "Hello" and leave them but Emlyn said "Don't go, I've brought a bottle of Scotch, you must stay and have a drink with us." He filled up the glasses and said, "Mam?"
"Oh No" she replied, "You know I don't touch drink". "Go on Mam,it鈥檚 medicine". When my drink went down I put my hand on my chest and said, "Thank you Emlyn that's made a lovely warm glow inside." Mrs Jenkins put her hand on her chest and said, "Oh my conscience."
DID BEING A CATHOLIC MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
Liz, the same neighbour, asked me. She thought narrow - minded non - conformists might be anti - catholic. But Catholics were highly thought of in the Valleys thanks to Italians who had settled everywhere to open Ice Cream Parlours, chip shops, and cafes. They were law - abiding family people who valued education for their children and the children were not too proud to come home from university during the holidays to clear tables and serve Ice cream. Many of the Italians came from Naples and knew what poverty meant and they were kind and generous when times were hard. They also had good community spirit and supported local worthy causes - and many an Italian tenor or sopranos graced a Rhondda choir.
Several times I was assured that the language in Heaven is Welsh - presumably in case I might claim it to be Latin!
LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP
One day there was great excitement in school among members of staff. A teacher known to them all had finally found a man. Every school holiday Miss X would stay in a good hotel hoping to meet Mr Right'. After the long summer - holiday she had at last been successful and become engaged to "a very well - off gentleman with a TITLE". But what a disappointment when it was discovered that he was only a Welshman!
KEEP HOLY THE SABBATH DAY
On Sunday I set off down the valley by train to Treorchy to go to mass then back again in time for mid - day meal.
On Sunday Mrs Jerikins wore her best black dress and went to chapel twice. During the afternoon I went a walk or read and one afternoon I brought downstairs a small piece of embroidery. At the sight of this Mrs Jenkins said "I don't have sewing here on a Sunday." I took a deep breath and replied "Since I am a guest in your house I'll put it away but I regard this embroidery as recreation - it is not as though I were a professional dressmaker going on with my week day work.
HYPOCRITE '
I found Mrs Jenkins a hypocrite, one Sunday evening I had gone up to bed and remembered I had left something downstairs. When I went down to get it I found Mrs Jenkins, black dress off, busy sorting the washing and putting it into soak read for Monday morning.
Officially, Mrs Jenkins would not touch alcohol, but often late in the evening she would net slip out of the back door with a carrier bag of 'empties' soon to return from the off-licence with full bottles (of beer I think).
Once Emlyn was on leave and he and his friends were in Mrs Jenkin's living room. I was going to say "Hello" and leave them but Emlyn said "Don't go, I've brought a bottle of Scotch, you must stay and have a drink with us." He filled up the glasses and said, "Mam?"
"Oh No" she replied, "You know I don't touch drink". "Go on Mam,it鈥檚 medicine". When my drink went down I put my hand on my chest and said, "Thank you Emlyn that's made a lovely warm glow inside." Mrs Jenkins put her hand on her chest and said, "Oh my conscience."
DID BEING A CATHOLIC MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
Liz, the same neighbour, asked me. She thought narrow - minded non - conformists might be anti - catholic. But Catholics were highly thought of in the Valleys thanks to Italians who had settled everywhere to open Ice Cream Parlours, chip shops, and cafes. They were law - abiding family people who valued education for their children and the children were not too proud to come home from university during the holidays to clear tables and serve Ice cream. Many of the Italians came from Naples and knew what poverty meant and they were kind and generous when times were hard. They also had good community spirit and supported local worthy causes - and many an Italian tenor or sopranos graced a Rhondda choir.
Several times I was assured that the language in Heaven is Welsh - presumably in case I might claim it to be Latin!
SHEEP were everywhere - up on the hills when grass was plentiful and in the streets when gardens and dustbins provided better food. Their fleeces grey with coal dust and they were as agile as goats - scrambling over walls and fences to strip gardens of vegetables - and generally speaking, people were very tolerant of them. In Spring, lambs were born and a walk up the mountain was a memorable pastoral experience with sheep about to give birth, lambs newly born and many lambs skipping about among fresh green grass and wild flowers.
FINALE
Mrs Jenkins was really very nice and kind and we got on well together. We often walked up the Pass as far as the Llyn and Mrs Jenkins would tell me about her family and life in the Valley before there were any coal miners - when it coveted with green grass and trees "So that a squirrel could come from Cardiff to Treherbert without touching the ground." She sang Welsh folk songs as we walked along and she would tell me what they were all about. I often asked her to sing The Mountain Stream.' ,
My year in Rhondda valley was a wonderful experience. I saw it under very varied conditions. Water gushing down the mountains after heavy rain, beautiful sunsets, thunder storms, snow falls, once when it was so deep the school was closed for a week and everyone was short of potatoes.
I picked up a few Welsh phrases like, Please and Thank you, Thank you very much, How are you? And I learnt that Ty Bach - the Little House - was the outside toilet. I learnt Good Morning, Good Afternoon and Good Night. In school I greeted the children with Bore Da Plarrte and when I called the register they each answered "Uma" fm here.
I am writing this in 1997 more than 50 years on,and things have changed in 5. Wales. The mines have closed and the sites are being landscaped. A few pits remain'open' as tourist attractions and trees are being planted on the hillsides. Hotels are being built to accommodate coach parties and Welsh Crafts are being displayed and demonstrated. There are Welsh language classes, exhibitions of drawings and photographs of S. Wales - then, now and long ago - Book exhibitions, Readings from Welsh authors and many other schemes to bring new life to the whole area.

Well done Cymru!

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