大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥� War by a volunteer from The Chepstow Society on behalf of Granville Davies and has been added to the site with his permission. Granville Davies fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

Dear Mrs Evans,

I have a copy of your letter of the 6 October to Gerald Robbins and although a little late in the day am tempted to respond as I lived with my mother and sister in Chepstow during the war years of May 1942 to April 1945 when I also attended Larkfield School. The difficulty is remembering anything really memorable.

I have recently resumed contact with three of my old school friend - Donald Barton (who was Head Boy and a very competent model makes who won many of the School Eistoddfod prizes), Rhys Robinson and his brother Owen, sons of the wartime Acting Head, and disciplinary affairs tended to be handled by the Deputy Head, Miss Smith (who taught English and was firm though not harsh in exercising her authority). It was the duty of the senior pupils to read the lesson at morning prayers and the choice of lesson was also left to the pupil concerned. 鈥淩onk鈥� O鈥橬eil (years later killed in a car crash) was a rather idiosyncratic practical joker whose party piece was to hide in a tree near his home and make bird noises at startled passers-by, and he it was who invented the idea of reading interminably long excerpts from the scriptures to an increasingly restless school congregation. I decided to make an attempt on his record and the next day read three whole chapters from one of the gospels. An audible sigh of relief greeted the end f my second chapter, rapidly succeeded by a sharp intake of breath as I began my third. I was later summoned to answer for my actions before Miss Smith, who was uncertain whether my enthusiams for the scriptures was sincere or not, and as she was unable to resolve this question with any certainty I was fortunately excused punishment.

Staff members included Miss Johns who taught biology (and I was delighted to see her alive and well at the recent plaque unveiling ceremony), 鈥楶luto鈥� Edwards who taught French, 鈥楽ally鈥� Davies the historian, and Miss Rees whose only pupils for Ancient Greek (she also taught Latin) were a girl called Margaret (or Margot?) Henderson and me.

Study might be interrupted by a procession of German or Italian prisoners-of-war trooping past the window on their way to their camp near the hospital, and just before D-Day by heavy armoured vehicles making their way west (to Newport docks?) having grazed the stonework of the Town Arch on their way through.

Next to the Town Arch was also the dance hall (now a community centre) which throbbed with local girls and troops on Saturday nights. I seem to remember a wide mix of nationalities among the allied forces in Chepstow during the war, and Chepstow racecourse was (for a schoolboy) especially fascinating for it鈥檚 display of parked aircraft.

I developed a life-long interest in watecolour painting through meeting George Searl who lived at 30 Bridge Street and taught shorthand and typing in his spare time. Through him I joined the Chepstow Art Society and remember painting expeditions to Moynes Court and local churches.

All rather pedestrian recollections, I am afraid, but life wasn鈥檛 too bad in those days and I don鈥檛 think Chepstow has changed quite so much as many other towns in the land. It鈥檚 even gone back to being in Monmouthshire which can only be a good thing!

Yours sincerely

Granville Davies.

Town

Granville Davies 3 ME
Next to the Town Arch was also the dance hall (now a community centre) which throbbed with local girls and troops on Saturday nights. I seem to remember a wide mix of nationalities among the allied forces in Chepstow during the war, and Chepstow racecourse was (for a schoolboy) especially fascinating for it鈥檚 display of parked aircraft.

Granville Davies 3 ME

Just before D-Day by heavy armoured vehicles making their way west (to Newport docks?) having grazed the stonework of the Town Arch on their way through.

School

Granville Davies 4 ME
I have recently resumed contact with three of my old school friend - Donald Barton (who was Head Boy and a very competent model makes who won many of the School Eistoddfod prizes), Rhys Robinson and his brother Owen, sons of the wartime Acting Head, and disciplinary affairs tended to be handled by the Deputy Head, Miss Smith (who taught English and was firm though not harsh in exercising her authority). It was the duty of the senior pupils to read the lesson at morning prayers and the choice of lesson was also left to the pupil concerned. 鈥淩onk鈥� O鈥橬eil (years later killed in a car crash) was a rather idiosyncratic practical joker whose party piece was to hide in a tree near his home and make bird noises at startled passers-by, and he it was who invented the idea of reading interminably long excerpts from the scriptures to an increasingly restless school congregation. I decided to make an attempt on his record and the next day read three whole chapters from one of the gospels. An audible sigh of relief greeted the end f my second chapter, rapidly succeeded by a sharp intake of breath as I began my third. I was later summoned to answer for my actions before Miss Smith, who was uncertain whether my enthusiams for the scriptures was sincere or not, and as she was unable to resolve this question with any certainty I was fortunately excused punishment.

Granville Davies 4 ME
Staff members included Miss Johns who taught biology (and I was delighted to see her alive and well at the recent plaque unveiling ceremony), 鈥楶luto鈥� Edwards who taught French, 鈥楽ally鈥� Davies the historian, and Miss Rees whose only pupils for Ancient Greek (she also taught Latin) were a girl called Margaret (or Margot?) Henderson and me.

Granville Davies 4 ME
Study might be interrupted by a procession of German or Italian prisoners-of-war trooping past the window on their way to their camp near the hospital.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.