大象传媒

In the winter months, during the Christmas holidays, or on a Saturday morning, Herbie would take me out to hunt rabbits. He kept ferrets for this purpose and he would put the ferret into the main hole and then put a net over the escape holes. My job was to catch the rabbit and punch the back of their neck. I felt sorry for them and if Herbie wasn鈥檛 looking I would let them go, but I had to kill some so that I didn鈥檛 lose face.

Herbie made a few bob out of this, the butcher would give him about half a crown for each carcass and he got about the same for the skins off someone else (I suppose they made fur coats and hats from them). He also had another perk in the summer months and that was catching moles for their skins, but I don鈥檛 remember how much he got for them.

The winter months were very busy for Ruby and her mum. They would make cheeses and cure bacon. Each November they would kill two pigs that then had to be brined and wrapped in muslin. This was our main source of meat during the next twelve months. Mind you it wasn鈥檛 only in the winter months that the women had lots to do, they did the milking morning and night and they made butter and bread every week, this was all besides their normal everyday cooking, washing and cleaning. They also helped in the fields at harvest time.

There wasn鈥檛 much time for leisure pursuits; Sunday was probably their most relaxing day when they went to chapel twice, once in the afternoon and again in the evening. I used to go with them, although the evening service was mostly in Welsh. In the afternoon service we had bible class so I could understand what was going on. In fact by the end of my 3 years with the family I could not speak Welsh, but I certainly understood what people were talking about.

Another big annual event was the local Eisteddfords, which took place every Springtime at the chapels in the area. I remember going to one in Newbridge on Wye, which was about a 7 mile walk from the farm, which meant a 14 mile round journey. It seems crazy now that we would walk 14 miles and not think anything of it, but that was what life was like at that time. Herbie also found time to be a member of the local Home Guard Company, which took up at least one night each week and sometimes he had to go to a weekend camp.

I must tell you about the house and the farm buildings. The house was pitch black on the West and East sides. This was probably for protection against the prevailing winds. The South end, which was at the front, had a pinkish brick and the North side had a closed barn attached to it. The barn, stables and cowsheds were built in stone. It was probably the best looking farm in the area. At least I thought so. The interior was large and comfortable. We always entered from the back door, except on certain Sundays when the clergymen from the local chapel came to tea. From the back door we entered the large kitchen which had a rough wooden table with 6 chairs. All the frying and boiling cooking was done on the fire, which burned logs. If we had a roast dinner this was cooked on a paraffin oil cooker which was situated in the wash house.

Leaving the kitchen we would go into what we called the sitting room. Then we would pass the dairy, which was spotlessly clean and where the milk and cheeses were stored and the butter was made. It was always cool in the dairy, and I don鈥檛 know why this was because there wasn鈥檛 any ice or fridge. There were running water pipes though and a slate floor, so this may have contributed to it.

I remember that the sitting room was a lovely place. It had lovely furniture, a slate floor with rugs and a highly polished table, with again 6 very comfortable chairs. It also had a Welsh Dresser, a glass cabinet and, Ruby鈥檚 pride and joy, a piano. In the glass cabinet I remember there being a ship in a bottle. It was the first one I had ever seen and I was fascinated with it. From the sitting room there was a hallway and a staircase, which led to the four large bedrooms.

This is where I lived for over 3 years.

Earlier I stated that when I first arrived how alien things seemed to me. But I did an about face on this because the locals also had to face rationing on certain things as well. I remember that clothes were rationed for us all and we only had one set of coupons to last us a year, including shoes. I was very heavy on shoes (probably because I had to walk 7 miles each day to and from school). I remember that Mr Williams used to repair the family鈥檚 shoes, and the boots I wore for school probably kept him busier that the rest put together.

One day a parcel arrived from home. My mum had sent some jumpers she had knitted for me, and a pair of clogs. I later learned that you did not need coupons to get clogs, probably because they had wooden rather than leather soles.
When I put them on for school the following day it caused quite a stir because I don鈥檛 think anyone had ever seen this type of footwear before. Mind you, they soon got used to them as I used to play football in them as well. Have you ever been tackled by someone wearing wooden shoes?

Talking of parcels from home, mum used to send something every month and a letter every week and I would reply to each letter. I remember that the postman was a real character. I think his name was Mr Davies who lived in Pentre Llewyn. His postal round must have been all of 10 miles, but I can鈥檛 remember whether he used a bicycle. If he did, he wouldn鈥檛 have had much of a chance to ride it as he would have had to push it most of the time up the steep hills. I remember that one of his deliveries to Tyn Llewyn caused quite a shock because it was an OHMS letter addressed to me. It was my call up papers to join the armed forces and being only nine at the time it became a huge joke around the village. Herbie dealt with the matter for me and he must have done the right thing because I was never called forward for my medical examination. Mind you if they had insisted on having me they would have had to put me into midget submarines.

Putting pen to paper so many years after events, it is totally amazing how the memories have come flooding back to me. I remember some of the school activities to help with the war effort. One of these was the picking of Rose Hips in the Autumn, probably to make Rose Hip Syrup. Moss gathering was another one, although I don鈥檛 recall why we did this, unless it was to stop German tanks from being able to move.

Another pastime on Summer evenings was blackberry picking, or picking raspberries or wild strawberries. All of these were used for making jams and lovely pies. Mrs Williams also kept a well-stocked kitchen garden, with vegetables and blackcurrant bushes. On Autumn days, when not at school we would gather hazelnuts which we stored away to eat during Winter. I suppose when I look back on all these things, country folk could live quite cheaply during the Spring and Summer months.

Continued...
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