THE LIFE OF….. WILLIAM JAMES HUNT #1
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A CHILD OF GOD - JESUS CHRIST
This book is about my life with our Lord God's Guidance, and how he has answered my prayers all my entire life.
I grew up in an ordinary working class family whose parents came out from London to live in a country village in Wales. In those days we did not get the education one receives in school today. We also finished our school days at our 14th birthday. My mother and father also only had ordinary education, and were Christians.
They had to work very hard to give us a good life. God expects them to give their children a better life. I did not realize when I was young how good our parents were! I was also brought up to believe in our God - Jesus Christ, and to thank and to thank them in our prayers at night before going to sleep. Also my Mother taught us to keep God in your life as all good things come to you through God and Jesus Christ.
I have never forgot those words from my Mother, who went on to say you will never regret that. Believe me as you read through my life story you will see what a wonderful life I have received from having God in my life, I have had my ups and downs but you will find I always came out on top all through my working days and into my Retirement.
Our Lord God as a purpose for each one of us if we care to find it, my purpose had taken me a long time to find what God had for me, how did I eventually realized my purpose, first why did I have a wonderful long time memory like a computer when I had little education as a child, and to be able to memorize all those things that happened to me from the age of 5 years old when at the time I had no idea of ever being able to write a story of all my life, and also all those conversations I can repeat over and over again. If you read through my story you will see over the years how and why God gave me a wonderful memory. Which without doubt God gave me.
I did not start writing my life story until I lost my wife who went to be with our Lord God in August 1994. I eventually started after a few time in 1995, but I had to give up to get over the loss of my wife. I did start in 1996, and at that time I only had a typewriter. When I moved down to Keremeos, B.C. I later decided to go for a Computer just to keep it in memory. I wanted someone to teach me. Then new neighbours came to live next door, and our lord new I needed them. Beverley, she was a Christian and from our first meeting she came to teach me the computer.
I never forgot the words my Mother told me many a time in my young days to always keep Jesus Christ in your heart, and one day you will never regret that. As you read my life story you will see how those words from my Mother has been. Remember the things your Christian mother will say to you through your young years, and still enjoy your life with other friends. Also remember your Christian mother will be your best friend on earth that you will ever have. Also remember, that God and Jesus Christ know everything.
TRUST THE LORD HE WILL NOT DESERT YOU
MEMOIRS BY AN ORDINARY WORKING CLASS CITIZEN. STARTING FROM A VERY YOUNG AGE. THIS IS A TRUE STORY OF OUR LORD GOD'S GUIDANCE THROUGHOUT MY WORKING LIFE AND IS STILL GUIDING ME IN MY RETIREMENT.
This is a summary of my life from the age of five years old when I started in the infant school to the time I left school at the age of 14 years old. In those days we started working at that age, there was no chance of going to collage because everything had to be paid for, even if you passed to go, in those days money was very low, and most parents could not afford to send their children collage. This is a true story of my early life. Whoever may read my life story may forget all the help I have received through our Lord God's guidance over me, and may forget from one section to the other. I did not realize then the guidance of our Lord God-Jesus Christ until much later in my life.
WHAT IS RIGHT
That's the strength of me all my life, God will guide you, it's up to you to carry it through, that's God's help to believe in your own life. I gave my best always, and received God's guiding hand, all through my life. When I gave my best I always ended up as a leader. That was God's reward to me. He guided me all the way to be a leader. I thank the Lord every day for all the help I have received in my whole life. (2005)
MY LIFE STORY BY WILLIAM JAMES HUNT
CHAPTER 1
My name is William James Hunt. I was born in Wales in a little village called Crynant, on Thursday the 26th of August 1920, at 12:10 am. This is the story of my earliest recollections. I know the exact time I was born because my mother told me that, among many other things. My Mother also told me that I started school at 3 years of age at our local infant school, the first year was more like a play school where we simply played little games and drew pictures. After that we started to learn things.
The next year we moved up to class one. One of the first lessons I can remember was to count up to ten in Welsh. I would like to show how it is done. English first, One - Un, Two - Da, Three - Tri, Four - Pedwar, Five - Pump, Six -Chwech, Seven - Saith, Eight - Wyth, Nine - Naw, Ten - Deg.
My Mother told me that, on occasion, I had been a very naughty little boy. Every time the teachers let the children out to play in the yard, I would run away and go home. The person looking after us had to come and fetch me back to school, but later, I settled down for the rest of my days in the infant school.
I do not remember much that happened in the first year, I do remember one thing because I got caught out one day, we had a few little bed mattress so that should we fall to sleep we would be placed on them until we woke up. We were getting close to Christmas, I kept thinking I would like to go on one of them, it was now our last two days before breaking up for the Christmas period. I pretended to fall asleep and I was placed on the mattress.
I was listening to the lady telling the class a Christmas story, and when she was showing them a big picture of reindeers with father Christmas, I opened my eyes to look at it when the lady looking after us turned around to pick up another picture, when she saw me looking at it she said, " Come on you, back to your chair you're not sleeping!" I felt awfully guilty as she told my mother when she came to pick me up, and as usual she told all her friends and relations when they came to visit us, and that is why I never forgot about being naughty that time. Why was my Mother like this with me, I think she also realize God had given her a loving child.
These stories are what my Mother told me, as I grew older, before I could remember what was going on. When my Mother was expecting me, she had a friend who lived in our village who was also expecting a baby around the same time. My Mother's friend had her baby on the 25th of August 1920 at 11: 45pm. They named him Manfred Bowen. As I was born a few minutes later after 12 a.m. on the 26th of August, we were brought up together. There were at that time a lot of older children and a few older girls around our street. One day one of the girls was on her way home from the big school when she saw this little boy playing on the sidewalk. She thought it was I, so she got hold of my hand and took me home.
When my Mother opened the door, the girl said to her, "Do you know where I found him?" My Mother laughed and said that the girls face was a "picture" when she told her it was her friend's little boy, Manfred. Then of course, the girl had to take Manfred back to his own home.
When my Mother told her friends what had happened they both had a good laugh. The funny thing was, it happened twice more with different girls during that year, my Mother told me when I got older. Apparently Manfred and I looked very much alike when we were toddlers. Manfred and I grew up together and were very good friends until the day I left Wales in November 1940.
Here is another thing my Mother told me. It was about the time three men were from, the next village above us, (Seven Sisters) who regularly drank in our village pub. Our bobby (policeman) would wait outside ready if the landlord needed him to turn any one out after closing hours.
Then one night these three men wouldn't leave, so the landlord had to throw them out with the help of the Bobby. One night after being turned out they waited for the Bobby to come out and "set" about him. They did not see my Dad talking with his friend outside; they went straight to the bobby's assistance and helped the bobby to arrest them. Since then my Dad and our village "bobby" became very good friends indeed. I heard that story many a time as I grow up. The rest of my story is what I can remember personally.
These are my memoirs between five to six years old. I can assure you that it is absolutely the truth, so help me God. I had been in the infant school almost two years and learning now in Welsh words. Following is some of the easy ones, Mother - Mam; Father - Tad; Baby - Baban; Soup - Cawl; Fire - Tan; Ball - Pel; Cake - Teisen; Sweets - Taffyn; Morning -Bore; Good - Da. To say, "Good morning" in English like we say it, to say the same thing in Welsh is backward. They say. Bore-Da translating it as is "Morning-Good." Lots of sayings in Welsh, to translate, are backwards. That was all we learned in welsh in the infant school. Then the seventh year and there after, we were learning English (Welsh English), Then the our time in the big school we were taught all English.
(My Dad did not learn to speak the true Welsh language. His parents were from London - true "cockiness" [within the sound of Bow-bells] and did not speak Welsh. Today Welsh is taught in schools, to preserve this very ancient language. As the Welsh like to display on things you can buy in their stores; "Welsh is the oldest living language in Europe." Indeed it is so. The Welsh language is akin to ancient Hebrew; there are no vowels used. Hence no one can read Welsh unless you are taught by someone who knows how the words are to be pronounced. The name "Hunt" is Anglo-Saxon; in fact one of the oldest Anglo-Saxon names on record. The "Hunt clan" lived on the border of England and Wales, hence a mixture of Welsh and English blood - Keith Hunt)
These are the things I can remember while in infant school. I did not understand actually, what was happening at the time, but my Dad was not working then, and he and my uncle Tom used to come passed the school every afternoon, when we were in the play yard to see me. I did find out much later, however, that there was a big strike occurring all over the United Kingdom around the summer of 1926. I was then almost six year old. I remember my Dad coming down passed the school each afternoon. (as my uncle Tom lived by our infant school). At the time we were playing outside in the play yard, and always giving me a penny to buy candy. We had a little shop near the school, which was on the way home, and I have never forgotten that. By then, the strike was a few months old. We had what we called a soup kitchen, which was in the church hall just above the infant school. We had to cross the main road with our teacher, and once in line she would leave us alone there.
The trouble with me was, once it was known what was for dinner and I did not like it, I would run home to my mother and she would share her dinner with me. Then she would take me back to school. I did this a number of times, but she never did tell my Dad about it. My uncle Tom and my Dad looked after the fires, for the ladies cooking for the soup kitchens.
I was four and a half at the time. I remember this tale about a gipsy. I was hanging around my Mother's skirt, like most of us did at that age. My Mother being a Londoner, was a very superstitious person, I found that out as I got older, especially when it came to dealing with those gipsies. They used to roam around the country, staying for a few months in each place. This is how they lived. They had a caravan pulled by a horse, and they parked on waste ground. They lived by making clothes pegs that was used to hang their washing out on a line in the back gardens.
The men did this by taking little branches off trees. Then their
wives would come around the doors selling them, they were really very good pegs in those days, "especially made by hand." The men would finish them off by using sandpaper that was used for smoothing the pegs off and nice to use; today similar pegs are machine made. I still have the hand made pegs. Even today, they lasted a lot longer then the machine pegs of today, it is really unbelievable how good they made them, especially with the little tools that they had around in those days; then they knew the very best trees with the strongest wood.
My Mother would never turn a gipsy away, as she believed they would place a very bad spell on your home. She would always buy a dozen pegs whether she needed them or not. Then she would always ask them if they would like a cup of tea and a biscuit. She would never have them in her home. We had a three-foot brick wall between our home and our next-door neighbour. It was a nice place to sit waiting for my Mam to bring it out on a little tray, then while the gipsy was eating and drinking my Mam would stand by the front door talking to her. I am still hanging around my Mother's skirt like we all did in those days.
I remember the conversation that followed. Remember I was four and a half at the time this took place. The gipsy said, "Is this your youngest boy?" My Mam said, "At the moment," (I, at that time did not know what that meant, but I eventually found out a lot later). And this is what the gipsy came out with, "He will have a very long life, but will always suffer with his stomach all his life." I have suffered with a very sensitive stomach, with the discomfort of Heartburn, how true those words from that Gipsy turned out to be. Until new medication came out at the end of year 2001. I do not have heartburn still I have a sensitive stomach. I can still enjoy eating the food I once had to eliminate from my diet with this new medication. (Prevacid).
Why do I remember what that gipsy said that day, you may be thinking, how could he? My Mother repeated that tale over and over again to all the family and her friends for a very long time. After about twelve months, it eventually was forgotten, until I got to the days when I left school to start my working life at fourteen years old (I will come back to the reason later) after starting working in the coal-mines.
The other problem I had with the gipsy and my Mam, which I did not understand when I was only four and a half years old was when she replied to the gipsy question, "Was he her youngest son?" she said, "Yes, at the moment." At that time I was too young to know the date. As I got a lot older, and I was asked how I knew my age, I realized later what my Mam meant by saying "at the moment." I have a younger brother who is five years younger than me. He was born in August 20th 1925. My Mam was not expecting a baby when she said that to the gipsy. Now I hope everyone will believe me what I have said in my life is absolutely true, and believe me our good Lord knows it is true; there were many a time I can remember things that happened during the time I was in the infant school.
We were brought up to go to church from a very young age. I also did send our son to Church and my grandchildren when they were with us in 1974. (I would like to say this!). As I was growing up I believed that you did not have to go to church every Sunday to be a Christian. I was so glad my Mother was a believer in the Lord! I have never forgot what my mother told me to this very day.
I lived next door to Glyn, who was about three years older than I. He used to take me at the weekend to play with him. He had no one his age on our street to play with. One Saturday morning, we went a little way down to the end of the village, we played on top of the cuttings that the new road went through. We were having fun that day when along came his mother and his sister. They were walking to our largest nearby town (Neath and the strike was still on.)
His mother called up to him to tell him about the key being left in a 'secret place' that only they knew in case he wanted to go home. After we played for a few more hours, Glyn decided to go home and get something to eat. Away we went and he took me in with him. After our eats, we played hide and seek. His mother came home and the place was all turned upside down. She went mad. I happened to be under the table hiding. She dragged me out and gave me a good going over and then she realized it was not her son Glyn, but it was I. She was so sorry when she realized her mistake, I had a "right face," believe me. She took me home and told my Mother what had happened and how sorry she was. I can tell you, for a few days after the incident I had lots of goodies from her.
As the years went on, her son Glyn went to collage, he was a very well educated boy; he was the best in the whole of our street. In the following years I did not see much of Glyn he was busy studying for his collage exams. But I did enjoy the little time I had with him and he taught me a lot of things, he was a very nice boy and I will never forget that time at the weekend he had taken me to play with him.
It was not long after that incident that his father, who was a fireman in the coal mines, had a very bad accident, and got burnt very badly over all over his body. The "shot" (explosion) went off accidentally and he never did go back in the mines.
I would like to explain what a fireman's job is, in the mines. It is a very important job, and he is the only person that is allowed to fire the shot when we need to drill a hole in the coal or stone, some times we have to wait for the fireman to get to our place of work. He is responsible for checking all gases before firing the shot. It is a very highly paid job after passing all the necessary exams - this was in the year 1926.
At that time I still had Glyn taking me on the weekends to play with him. I only had one more year in the infant school. The biggest thing that I can remember is embedded in my memory. The strike had now been running for almost five months, this meant we did not have any public buses and we had to walk everywhere. I was coming home from our school one afternoon and was crossing the bridge. I happened to look across to the village "square" where there was an official stop for the buses. There was a bus parked there! So I got excited, and ran all the way home to tell my mother what I had just seen. She told me that the strike was over. This meant there would be no more soup kitchens. Oh boy! I was pleased, because I used to hate going to them.
We finished school for the summer holidays and when we return back to school in September. I was six years old. After this year it will be my last in the infant school. We move up to class one next year, I'm not looking forward to it, I loved it in the infant school. That year went much to soon. We were learning English the last few years. I did not get into any trouble all through the rest of that year. Again all through the rest of our school days we did not learn any more Welsh, it was English only.
We once again had lots of fun during those six weeks holiday. Our parents could not afford to take us anywhere on holiday in those days when we were young. We still enjoyed our time and found lots of things to do every day in the country village. We did have small sports day and I still remember all those happy days.
Now the time had come to go back to school after the holiday. This will be the last year in the infant's school, 1927. We had a good year and after school we had plenty of our usual games, and climbing mountings when we set off for picnics. If we had nice weather we would go up the mountain to use the farmers sheep dip pool that was the only place we had for swimming. We knew no better way then being able to enjoy ourselves, and that was our life in those days. The pool was only three foot deep at one end as it was made by the farmer, and the stream had clean flowing water. The farmer only used it every spring time, and then let us use it for a little dip.
Once more it was time to put our enjoyment away and back to school. I was now seven years old. We went back on the Monday 3rd September 1927. It didn't take long for my teacher to notice that I was not showing any interest in the basic schoolwork that we were being taught, so my teacher called to see my mother to tell her. I got a good talking to, but I just wanted to stay in the infant school. My Mam told me that I could not go back to the infant school, and if I did not settle down my Mam would have to talk to my Dad. I knew what my punishment would be and no way was I going to miss out on my entertainment again. The rest of my time I soon settled down until we left school on our 14th birthday that was the age we finished school in those days.
We did not try to go to collage as we knew my family could not afford to send us, because in those days they had to pay for everything plus a special uniform and bus fare to go to Neath collage. There were three sisters in our family that left home and went to live in London, I did not blame my Mam and Dad, they always saved to give us a good Christmas and I now appreciated my Dad for doing odd jobs around the village after working all day, so that he could give us a good enjoyable time, and I will never forget how wonderful they were. The rest of my family never appreciated how good they both were.
My Dad did not give us the strap, however, he always punished us by stopping our "goodies" and so believe me I tried to be good. We did the same to our Keith when he was growing up. I must say we did not get much trouble from him. I wonder if this would work today?
Eventually I did settle down again, according to my Mam. My school days after that was concentrated on sport, but I still got into trouble many a time, for not concentrating on my other schoolwork. As time went on, I did learn many other things. I did not realize in those days how important it was to have a good education and today they do not leave until they are eighteen years old, that's if they do not pass to go to higher school; we did not get a chance in our days; the education as improved a lot since my time.
In those days we had nothing set up for us. We had to create all of our own entertainment. We had no fields to play in, but the farmer had plenty of fields. We used to go and have some fun there. However, if the farmer caught us, or the village bobby caught us, we were in big trouble. The bobby would go and tell my father and that meant no "goodies" or "pictures" (in Canada "movies") for a few weeks. If the bobby surprised us we would get a smacked bottom from him. He never did take it any further, I did not get many smacked bottoms because as I said, I was a very fast runner - the bobby seldom caught me.
My Dad was friendly with the bobby after that incident when he went to his aid; he always let me get away with my pranks. When my Dad came home from the pub one night, the bobby was off duty and was having a drink with my Dad. I was in bed and I heard my Dad say to my Mam, "The bobby had said 'George, that son of yours is so fast that I can never catch him.'" My Dad must have told him to give me a smacked bottom.
When we were in the year 1931 Thum ("Tommy" in Canada) and we had a new chore to do every afternoon before going back to school. This was because our brothers had now started working and we had to take the job over of collecting milk from the farm. I must tell you about one bad thing my friend Thum and I did. This happened when we were 11 years old. We had to go home for dinner because there were no meals in school. We could have taken sandwiches and eaten them in the cloakroom, however we only did that if our mothers were out for the day.
One of the jobs the older boys had was to go to the farm for the milk. Thum and I had the job of going for the milk to the farm across the way after we got old enough to work. Of course, inevitability in the first few weeks we got ourselves into "bother" because we used to drink a little of the milk before we got it home. Naturally my mother noticed that she wasn't getting a full pint when we first started, and she asked me if that is what we got from the farmer. We both said "yes." She must have got in touch with the farmer, because the next day he had us both in his house and eventually, we told the truth (after bribing us with candy, that was). He also said he would not tell our mother's so long as we did not do it again, and we never did. As you now know my Mother was a strong believer in the Lord above, and always told us to say our prayers before going to sleep every night. I would always asked God to forgive me if I did wrong!
The next very bad thing we did and this was really bad, was when we first started collecting the milk, we used to take a short cut to the farm by crossing the railway line and into the farmer's field. Just above where we lived, we didn't think there was any harm in this, as long as there was no man working on the line. If there was, any men on the line, we had to go the long way round to get to the farm., then this one day there was men working on line.
This particular day we had to go the long way round. As we got to the end of the village, a van came round the corner and its back door flew open and a big carton fell out and down the embankment. There was no one around except Thum and I. The driver mustn't have noticed what had happened. When we got to the carton, we saw that it contained lots of small packets of cigarettes ("fags" we called them in Wales). We picked up the carton and placed it in a big bush where it could not be seen.
On our way back home and as no one was around we opened the carton, and filled our milk bags with the packets of fags and made our way back to my house and hoped that my mother wasn't waiting at the door. We went round the back, as we had a cellar [basement] in our house that was not used for anything else but storage. So we thought that was the ideal place to hide them. Obviously the driver of the van discovered his loss when he stopped at the Village "square" to deliver an order at our sweet shop, and found a carton missing. He called-up our bobby to report it. He must have said that there were only two boys on the road. He had been back to see where it could have fallen out but it was nowhere to be seen.
The next day our Bobby came to see my Dad to ask him if he knew anything about it, and of course he did not. He must have said to the bobby that he would have a word with me when I got in. When I did get in that night, my Dad started asking me if I knew anything about it. I said that we did not go that way as we used the shortcut to the farm. Next day my father had Thum and I together and asked us both if we did know anything. We both said, "no" once again. Only we knew that we had gone the long way round, that day. After several "weeks, things quietened down and by then we thought we had got away with it, and so pleased that we were believed.
Now we thought we would pick up a few packets of fags and take them up to a special place we had. We crossed the railway line at the same place as we went to pick up the milk, then we went to the farmer's top field, close to the mountain, where there was a nice big gorse bush where we often played. We could get right inside of this bush and nobody could see us. So Thum and I went up one night and smoked a fag or two, then we started having our school friends joining us and it went on for some time. We invited more boys from other streets that were in our class in school. Then we got more and more each night when the word got around and we never thought we would get caught and even the farmer could not see us. We kids could crawl inside through a small hole in the bush.
Then one night there was a lot of us and we did not know how to smoke, all we did was draw in and blow straight out. We did not see the farmer one night in the next field, close to us; we had been there for a good hour all smoking one after the other. He happened to look up and saw a lot of smoke coming from the top of this bush. The next thing we knew was the farmer head coming through the hole. He sent us all "going" and of course the only ones he knew were Thum and myself.
He went straight away to tell my Dad what he caught us doing. I got grounded for a very long time after my Dad had a word with me for lying to him. I had to show him where I had the rest of those fags. I never did find out what happened to the rest of those cigarettes. I must admit that none of us had a clue how to smoke properly, as I said it was just a case of sucking in and blowing straight out again. I never smoked another a fag after that time to this very day 2005, and never will again. In other words I have never smoked all my life, after that episode, I was taking my sport really seriously. I told our Lord above that night I was so sorry! And I promised never to do that ever again, and I never did smoke again.
I had had a paper round since I was 11 years old and it did gave me a lot of walking, and it kept me quite fit. It was at the top end of our village and I had a lot of customers and a good mile to walk - morning and at night. When I got to 12 years old I got a bicycle. My Dad helped me to pay for it, which helped a great deal to get my round finished quicker.
On weekends, my two friends and I would set off on our bikes in the early morning and go to the seaside for a full Sunday outing. The one we liked best was Porthcawl (in Wales), it was almost equivalent to Blackpool). It was 32 miles to Porthcawl, but we really enjoyed going there, especially when the weather was good. I travelled all over on my bike. You would have thought I was glued to it. Of course, wherever we went, we always took plenty of sandwiches to eat and pop to drink and thought nothing of riding 46 miles there and back or more to different seaside towns, for a full Sunday outing, if weather permitting of course. Even though we only had a short time as it took us almost 3-1/2 hours to get there, so we only had the afternoon, as we had to leave for home at 6-30 p.m. It would take us a little longer as there were a lot of up hills going home and we did stop a lot of times for a rest. That's why I'm so fit today at 84years old and also having God in my heart all my life; still enjoyed my time playing with my friends.
Once more we are now in 1932 and looking forward to the end of June to our summer break from school. We did not go away in those days but found plenty to do in our little village, and of course our rides to the seaside. Those two months we had seemed to us young ones to fly away and time to go back to school once again. We have just come back to school from our Christmas holiday. We did not travel around on our bikes during the winter, except in our
village. As for me, be it wet or dry, I did my paper round. I did not give that job up until I started work some years later. I was happy to be able to earn some spending money and to give my Mam half of what I earned, it all helped a little.
I was very lucky as my parents did not have much money and in those days our Mothers did not go to work. My Dad, as usual, saved money from his extra job that he did around the village. They always give us things for Christmas and never a dull moment, as we always had my Dads brother's family with us. Uncle Tom's family slept overnight. We had to sleep anywhere, sometimes six of us kids in the same bed. One of my uncle Tom's three daughter, her name was Hetty - she was a right comic, the fun we had with her in bed, we couldn't go to sleep for laughing at all her jokes they were so funny.
Hetty was a lovely girl every one loved her. That was the best week of the winter months. That went on for quite a few years; we sure looked forward to those Christmas times.
(Now I did not meet Hetty until I was about 16 or 17 at my Dad's younger brother's wedding. During those years growing up people could not figure out who I looked like. I did not look like my Mom or Dad; I never thought I looked like either of them that much. But when I met Hetty, I knew instantly where my "Hunt" genes had come through. Hetty could well have been my Mother, we looked so much alike, only she was of course 20 years or so older than me. And what a lovely lady she was, warm, friendly, smiling, up-beat; so I could well imagine she was the life of the party when she was a youngster, as my Dad has related above. After I had come to Canada, my Dad told me Hetty had died of breast cancer at about age 45. I felt so sad because she was such a lovely lady - Keith Hunt)
My Dad could play the mouth organ and sure was good, he always entertained us, his one song was "The Laughing Policeman" Not only play but would be acting it out; he had a few songs that sure made us laugh, I have loved music from that time I heard my Dad play the mouth organ; he had a big one, and one that was only about one and a half inches long and played a few tunes with it only using his tongue. I hoped that one day I would get the chance to learn to play the piano, as that was the only thing we had in those days. Still we really enjoyed those times at Christmas, it all stopped when we got old enough to start our working life, but after we got to 16 years old we ended up chasing the girls and having lots of fun with them.
Again I will say, when we are young we don't realize that we have good parents, so once again we were so lucky in those days. We had just two weeks holiday from school at Christmas time, and once again it was time to start back to school once more, not much changed with the system. We still played soccer in the yard, at break time. We had all sorts of positions on the team, in other words, we played all over the place, and my favourite place was in goals. We boys only had a concrete yard. I had that job because if, the ball went over the top of the big doors, I had to climb over the doors to retrieve our ball and we were not allowed in the girls yard. They were suppose to throw the ball back to us but they would keep it and throw it back after a little while.
Now I must tell you of a big change that came over me. I was 13 years old when we started after our school holidays. In the summer of that year I did not know at that time there was a new girl started that year. She had just arrived in our village, and she was a class behind me. It wasn't until I went over our big green doors separating the girl's yard from the boy's yard to retrieve the ball that I came face to face with her. She would not give me the ball back. I chased after her as I was a very fast runner, but I found my match, she could run as fast as me, and I couldn't catch her. The girls had a big field as well as a yard. I ran all over the field chasing her, she teased me, running everywhere, but in the end she give me the ball back.
The boys were playing "hell" with me for not giving them the ball. When we went back in class, I got "caned" as someone had told the teacher I was playing in the girl's yard. I did not mention that the girl would not give me the ball back - I did not want to tell about that girl so I just took the blame. I was told not to go into the girl's yard again after I got caned, I did not take any notice? (You bet I didn't). After school was over I was walking home. This new girl, along with her friend, was a little ways in front of me. I hurried to catch up with them. When she saw me, she said, "Did you get caned?" I admitted, " Yes, and I'm not to go over to your yard again!" Then she said, "One of the girls told the teacher." I said, "Where do you live?" I had a right shock when she told me this, "I live in the new houses off 'Neath' road." I said, "What number?" and she said, "Number 8 Lewis road." That was almost by me. I could see her back door, from our pantry window. Later, I found out her name was Edith.
By this time, after finding out that we lived across the gardens from each other, we arranged to meet after school and walk home every day. Then we would play around the streets at night. There weren't any youth centres in our young days, so we had to make our own fun. We did lots of things, like knocking on peoples' doors and running away, silly harmless things, but people got to know us and chased us off because it was annoying them. There were lots of other things we did, but it would take too long to tell you about them. They were only harmless pranks anyway.
You may think to yourselves, how did you find time to see Edith? Especially with all the sport and church activities I was involved with. We did not have to be indoors until 10 p.m. in summer time so, we would meet at 8 p.m., after the rugby practise, and play out till 10 p.m. We were allowed to play out till that time in the summer, as it did not get dark until 11p.m. We always met and played unless it was a wet day.
We saw plenty of each other, and in winter we did not have practice, then we would be out playing straight after tea (supper in Canada,) We were seeing a lot of each other up until I left school at 14 years old. There was never a day went by without us being together, Now can you see how God once more brought us together.
We both fell in love from the first time we met in school. We had a long happy time together, almost 54 years of marriage plus the years we had as teens, don't think we never had our little tiffs, but not one bad quarrel.
We are back once more after our summer holidays, this will be my last year in school, Edith will have another year to go as she is thirteen this year. It was not long before I was "caned" once more for being in the girl's yard. This time, I told my Dad about it. I gave him the reason why I had to go into the girl's yard, to retrieve the ball. My Dad said, "You tell your teacher, that if he 'canes' you once
more I will be up to see him." They all knew my Dad in the village and he was a very strong man, when he was young man he did exercise every day, also he trained in weight lifting when living in London. I was the same when I was young, it will come up later.
Then the headmaster had me in his office. He said to me, "If you do it again, we will stop you and Edith from going out to play." I told Edith that afternoon on our way home what the headmaster had said. "They had me up with the headmaster and he told me the same," said Edith. We decided not to do it any more. Anyway, they could not stop us from going home together. And we still played out at night and had lots of fun playing on the streets, as I said before we had to make our own fun in those days but never thought of doing what some of them do in the later years, we lived in the time when everyone was friendly, today it is an entirely a different world we live in. But I still believed in what my mother taught us to love one and all, as that's what the Lord in heaven wants of us.
Some of the lucky ones got to go to collage. I told you I didn't learn a lot while I was in school. I guess a lot of that was the fault on the school because we only got taught the basics, of the Mathematics and English we had five classes and good or bad moved up to the next class every year, the sums got tougher and the same with our Welsh (English). All I was interested in was the sports and to day the education they have is a lot better then in our days.
After I left school I did not see much of Edith. I had changed my job from working in the shop to working with this man in Crynant who had a fruit shop. He travelled around a few Villages in Wales, which meant that I could only see Edith at weekends for the last year of her schooling. I did get into the coal-mines just before Edith finished in school. How did I get in the coal-mines you will read how it all came about later in this story with help from our Lord-God and Jesus Christ.
After Edith left-school things did change quite a bit. Edith went away from Crynant to live with her aunt in Halifax, West Yorkshire. She eventually went to work with her uncle in the cotton mills. He was the manger there so she got the best job in the mill that meant we could only see each other at holiday times. They were Easter, Whitsuntide, August, (Wakes in Halifax. U.K.) and Christmas. It may have, been only for a few days at a time, so she asked me to write to her. I never had much time to write and anyway, I did not know how to write letters in those days. I just had too much going for me to find time to write, still her mother kept an eye on me especially when we got a dance in our little village or some social activity taking place, and then she would have a tent and read the cards for people.
One of the times while she was still in Halifax, she came home for the weekend. I didn't know she was coming home, so we hadn't made any arrangements for the weekend. I came home from evening church and she was waiting for me at the top of the crescent. The only thing was she had her sister Nancy with her. We all chatted for a while. Then my friend went home and so did Nancy. Edith and I had decided to go for a walk down by the railway. There were no trains running on a Sunday and it was a short way down to our favourite courting spot. It was at the end of the village on the old road near the bridge. The lights on the road only came so far, and it was then pitch black, till you came in sight of the next village. From our courting spot you could see the last lamppost, but no one could see us in our little spot against the farmer's gate even though there was no big trees or big hedges around in our early days, we still could not be seen from the lamppost as it was so dark. I was leaning against the gate and Edith was close to me with her back to the main road. After being there for a while I saw this figure of a man standing by the lamppost. I said to Edith, "Is that your Dad over there?" and she turned round to look, "Yes, it is my Dad," she said. He stayed there for a little while just watching, and then he walked-away. We waited a little while to give him time to get home. We thought we had given him enough time, then decided to go home. As neither of us had a watch, we had no idea what the time was. Just as we got to the main road, the lights went off the main road so we realized that it had turned midnight. We couldn't believe it. I think the time must have flown by. We got to the bottom of my street and at the top of the crescent her Dad had been hiding behind the wall waiting for us to appear. He jumped out, got hold of me by my coat collar and lifted me off the ground and said, "Don't you ever take my daughter out again." I got the fright of my life believe me. I was only small and he was a big man.
I was told when Edith next came home that when I was in the "air my feet were going fast, and as soon as he dropped me down, I ran up the road like a shot out of a gun, (I told you I was fit, and a very good runner). The next day Edith went back to Halifax and I didn't see her till the next big holiday, that was three months later before I saw her once more. Every time I saw her mother she got on to me to write to her, she was always asking her mother how I was keeping. Still I never forgot Edith even when I met other girls.
Her Dad was working afternoon shifts at the colliery. His job as collecting a full tram of coal and bringing it to the surface, then returning with an empty tram to the coalface. This is the difference between a pit and a drift. (A pit is straight down, drift is level and "one can walk into"). In a drift they have a horse to pull the fall rams all the way to surface. Edith's Dad would stand on the bar fixed to the tram. In a pit it was similar but the horse was used to take the tram only a short way to where they would be connected to a train of eight or more and pulled to the bottom of the pit by machine. It was a few miles to the coal face, we also walked it.
When her Dad was going to work, he used to sit on a little hill across from the shop at the top of the crescent. If he was sitting there when I came out with my bike to go to the square, I would not pass him. I would go in the other direction. I was so scared of Edith's father. I really did that every time I saw him sitting there, until he got his bus taking him to his work place. That went on for a very long time, I never got told he wanted to tell me he was sorry.
It would be about two years after the incident with the coat collar, that he had a very bad accident at his work. As I said earlier, he used to ride on the bar connecting the horse to the tram. When he thought he was almost at the surface he lifted his head up to see where he was and did not notice that a stone with a sharp point was sticking out from the top and this cut his head very badly. He was brought home for the rest of the day. He was back to work the next day because he was a very good provider for his family. He worked about six months after that incident, until he couldn't carry on working any more. The cut had now turned septic.
He passed away several months later. Edith stayed home for a few weeks after her Dad passed away. We saw each other every night until she decided to go back to Halifax to work in the mill. Her father was laid to rest in his hometown of Pointycummer in Wales. Edith had asked me several times since the "incident" to come home with her on an evening, but I was too scared of her father to take up that invitation.
Then, when I eventually did go to her house after Edith's father passed away, her mother told me that he was so sorry about what he had done to me that night. She said to him, "Why don't you tell the boy?" He replied, "I can't because every time he sees me waiting for the bus, he turns round and goes in the other direction." I found out a number of things after Edith's Dad died. I was really upset that Edith's mother did not even tell her, how sorry her father was, I would have gone to see him. The biggest surprise I got one night when we were out was about her Dad. She said he was her Step-Dad. I just could not believe this, as he was so very good to them, I don't think any one in our village knew.
He actually met her mother at one football match in Manchester, England. The next thing was, that her real Dad was a Manchester man and he worked on the railway. Her Mom had three little girls with him. He was killed when he got crushed between two carriages. This is another way of our good Lord bringing her Mom and Step-Dad together. He did not want any children of his own. He told her Mom that three was enough for her to look after, he was a very good man believe me. I was so sorry that I avoided him. I wish that Edith's mother had told me while he was still living. I regretted that time very much, believe me!
When all this happened, I was very upset that I did hot know bout him. If I had, I would have gone to see him. When he was very sick his dog would never leave his side before he died. He was very protective of his master. The dog was called "Bruce," and he would only let Edith's Mom go into the bedroom. When the doctor came they had to drag the dog away. After the Doctor left they let the dog see his master, then he would be taken away but he still would not leave the bedroom door. He was a very faithful dog; I got to know him, after his master died.
When I started visiting at Edith's home, I got to know "Bruce," he was a lovely dog. After he got to know me, he loved coming for a walk with me. He was so faithful to Edith and I after his master died. "Bruce" lived quite a few years, and I would go up to Edith's house when she was away, and take the dog for a little walk. The next time when Edith came home we decided one afternoon to go for a long walk taking Bruce with us, after a while we notice that Bruce was dragging behind us, we thought he was getting tired so we turned around and started our way home, when we got home and into the kitchen Bruce went straight under the table; where he always slept. We both loved that dog and he loved it when Edith came home on holiday, we went for a walk many a time. I just loved having him with me; he was a faithful dog believe me!
Edith and I were having a cup of tea and a bun when I called him to come for his titbit, which I always give him, he didn't move. After a few times calling him, I looked under the table and found he had fallen asleep, and died. What a shock! We were both with him right up to the time he died in his sleep. We talked about him for a very long time. There was a time, when both of us could not stop the tears, even now I have to stop and dry my eyes. Oh, now we both loved that faithful dog. The next day they dug a hole in the back garden. Edith and I wrapped him in blankets and we laid him there to rest. We planted some nice flowers with stones around the edge. It took us a long time to get over the loss of Bruce. When Edith came for visit we talked about him, we missed him so much.
Going back some time before Bruce the dog died, I must tell you this little story, it happened this way. We had been out for the evening, and I was walking Edith home. There was a Lamppost at the top of her street, which we would lean against to say goodnight. We had been there for half hour. The lady of the house must have been fed up of hearing us laughing and talking, she opened her bedroom window and threw a big bowl of water over us. I was soaked to the skin and I had to go into the house with Edith to dry off. That was the start of me going into her home after her Dad passed away, I had to go into her home and her mother was so kind to me. Edith went back to work in the mill in Halifax. I still called in Edith's home to see her Mom now and then to get news about Edith, every chance I had, until Edith came home again.
Well I think I have gone on long enough about my younger years, I could go on and on, but this is only a short version of my life after starting in the infant school. I realize that I had a very good upbringing, and I was blessed with a very good Mam and Dad. I also realized that I was very fortunate, and in those days I did not realize that I was in the hands of our good Lord God. As you read through my life story you will begin to realize how I were guided for better things, and it will happen to you if you believe in Jesus Christ right from your young days, or even later.
Remember to ask God for help when you say your prayers, also remember it may take a long time for God to answer your prayer, when you read my story you will find how long it had taken to get me out of the coalmines when I was not ready to come out, but God knew when the time was right. Now I think about it, God was so right from the very beginning and what my Mother told me. "Trust in the Lord and he will always see you through" - many a time in my story you will read how our Lord God and Jesus Christ came to rescue me and I never forgot to thank them every night.
The door will open if you do not walk away from it. God will not quit on you
The door will open if you do not walk away from it. God will not quit on you
CHAPTER 2.
When I first left school I worked in a shop, behind the counter and delivering groceries. The money wasn't very good. I was paid a very poorly, only five shilling per week. I used to give my mother most of that, and it did help her. I didn't have much spending money. On a Saturday night, a few of us school friends would go up to the miners billiard hall to spend the night playing a game of "pot black." This was a game that we invented ourselves and we played it nearly all night. We had six coloured balls and the black. We would start off by picking a colour each, and then the black would be put on the spot. We would then pick a number to see who would go first, second, and so on. Wherever the black stopped, each one in turn would try to pot it. When one of us did pot the black, each one of the boys would have to give the boy that won, a penny. It was not as easy as one thinks. If one thinks he has no chance of potting the black, naturally he will play safe.
Most of the time I would only have five or six pennies, to start with. If I lost all my pennies, I would have to sit out. My school friend Thum would give me a few pennies to play on. One time, I asked them how much wage they were getting as they all worked in the coal-mines. Thum told me how much money he got. I was amazed. He explained the way things work for the boys in the mines. You went to work with an experienced miner who would give you the wage from the company that was one pound, five shilling a week. But if you worked well with the man, and had good production, he would give you extra money. My friend Thum told me that the man he worked with gave him one extra pound at first. Then a few months later he gave him two pounds. He still gave him two pounds extra, all the time he work with him. When I heard that I wanted to work in the coal-mines.
I went home and when my Dad came in I told him what Thum had told me. I asked him again if I could work there. His answer was the same, "It is too dangerous Son." I was back working with the man that went round the villages selling fruit. I was getting 7 shilling and sixpence, which was more than I got in the shop. I gave my Mam 5 shilling and I had the rest. (1/2 a crown = 2 shilling and sixpence). After a few weeks of asking and then begging my Dad to let me go to the mines, I was quite discouraged. His answer was always the same "NO!" My Dad was only looking after my safety but I still wanted to go to the mines to get more money. My family had some bad news during this period, I knew something was upsetting my Mam, she told me that my Uncle and Aunty had decided to go back to London to live. When I asked why my Mam said to me they do not like living in the village any more. My next question was, "Are all the family going back," my Mam said, "No only Doris and Bill (Doris was the same age as I was), Bill was the second of the oldest boys, the rest of family was staying, I did not understand why this happened when my mother first told me. I just didn't understand why my Aunt and Uncle never said goodbye.
Two weeks later when I was up playing pot black with the boys, my friend Thum said to me. "I see your Aunty and Uncle have gone back to London to live" I told him, "I know they don't like living here any more."
"Who told you that?" he said.
"My mother did."
"That is not right, it's because Bill is changing sex. They are ashamed of it and gone back to London."
I was shocked with his answer. I did not do very well that night because in our days it was a bad thing, when I went home I told my Mam what they had told me that Saturday night, at first my Mam did not want to tell me, then I said to her that Thum had said it was all over the village. In the end my Mam told me that it was true.
"I did not want to tell you," as they had told my Mam no one knew. My mother was very up set as they had always been so close, I was a little disappointed with them not coming to say goodbye. I would have liked them to tell us they were leaving because we were so friendly and especially at Christmas time.
Then, one Saturday night, I did not have any pennies to go out. A man called to see my Dad. I got my Dad from the garden to see him. I found out that he had come to pay my Dad for the job he had done for him. I had no idea who this man was. My Dad said to him, "I'll get ready and take you for a drink in our pub." While my Dad was getting ready this man started talking to me. He said, "Are you not going out with the boys tonight?" I was upset and told him the entire tale about my friends. I told him about the money they got working in the mines, by, this time I was crying. I told him how much I got from that man selling fruit. Now my Dad was back ready to go out.
I did not know that this man was a miner. He asked my Dad, "How about your son coming to work with me?" My Dad said no at first, but with a little more persuasion he began to give in. This man said to my Dad, "George, I will take good care of him." Eventually my Dad said, "Okay, you better look after him." I was 15 years old at this time. That turns out later to be God's guiding my life to get me in the mines. FOR ANY ONE WHO WOULD DOUBT GOD'S HELPING HAND, just think! Why was I broke that Saturday night, and this man turning up to pay my Dad for a job my Dad had done for him and him getting me into the mines. Believe me it was the work of our Lord God. He had answered my prayers. Ones again I still have never forgot that time and thank the Lord for guiding me to where I wanted to be, as it is absolutely true. Believe in Jesus Christ and your prayers will be answered! Read on and see what a good life I received, believing in God - Jesus Christ.
Glyn got me in the mines a week later. I started on Monday the 21st October 1935. I was very happy and I told my friend Thum that I was starting in the "Seven Sisters pit" the following Monday, because that's where Glyn worked.
My life changed after that. I got two pounds extra from him that first week! That went on for six months! He became ill soon after that with a serious complaint the miners get by working in the mines. (Silicosis). In my last week of work with him, this man, being a good person, asked me if I would be willing to work with his friend, Emlyn. He assured me that he was a very nice person and a very long time friend of his. I said, "Sure I will go with him." He arranged for Emlyn to meet me on the top of the pit, the following week. I was very sorry for Glyn that last Friday he paid me. He never got well enough to work any more. I found out that Emlyn and Glyn still sang in the choir together and he always asked Emlyn if I was still working there as time went on.
I soon found how nice Emlyn was to work with. He asked me how much extra Glyn had given me, after the first week. I told the truth, it was two pounds. To my delight he gave me Three pounds extra and said, "If we are on the coal all week I will give you more." The reason for that is every so often we have to bring the stone top down to bring the tram closer to the coalface. That week he would not have as much bonus.
When I went home I told my Mam what Emlyn had told me, In the six months with Glyn I gave my Mam the extra two pounds and I had the wage from the firm, (one pound five shillings). My Mam did not want it that way at first but I insisted that I had enough, and if I needed any more I would ask her for some. It was getting better and better with Emlyn giving me three pounds, I still passed
it on to my Mam, later he gave me four pounds every week for the first two years of my working life in the mines with him.
When I went back to work with Emlyn in the New Year 1937 he told me that when we had a full week on the coal he would give me Five pounds, he said that I was the best boy he ever had working with him. I still gave my Mam the five pounds.
When I first started working with Emlyn one day we were having our dinner and waiting for the firer man to arrive to fire a shot in the coal. This went on for a full year. The company wage went up at the end of that year and we got five shilling extra, now one pound, ten shillings a week. My mother said, "You keep that." I was now like a millionaire! I got a brand new bike with three speeds! I even went to work on my bike in the summer. I just loved that time and sure kept me fit. There was a lot of up hill to go to the pit and coming home it did not take me long. Now I was able to play "pot black" all night long win or loose. The funny thing was, I was winning a lot of times.
I must say the time I worked in the pit they had built what was called a "pit-head bath" they did not have them where my friends worked. I could go to work in my everyday clothes and did not have to have a bath at home like all my friends had to bath at home. And remember in those days we did not have homes with a bathroom, we had a big bathtub brought to the kitchen and had to boil the water on an open fire. Just think, how God kept me out of the coal-mines in our village and when the time was right, herding no money to go out that Saturday night, and he brought Glyn to get me into the coal-mines when it was the right time.
After working a long time with Emlyn, he was off for three weeks with the flu. I had to go and work with another man where we were working. I had only been with him a week and he asked me, "Would I stay with him?" He would give me a pound more than Emlyn did, if I would! I said to him, "I have promised Emlyn I would never leave him." I worked another two weeks with Jack, then, Emlyn came back to work. Emlyn came straight up to the "stall" where I was working, he said to Jack, "I want my boy back tomorrow." Jack said, "He is staying with me as I have told him I will give him one more pound than you." I said, "Oh no! I told you that I promised I would never leave Emlyn." I went back the next day and I said to Emlyn, "Why are they all trying to get me to work with them?" This was the second time I was asked to leave Emlyn he said! "You are the best one for racing a tram; there is no boy like you. That way we end up with a bigger bonus and I always give you more then anyone, I appreciate what a good boy you are. You know when you are off I will never take on another boy."
When I started working in the mines with Glyn I was not told about putting more than two lumps on top of a tram. But I guess I got this from my Dad, I would save the biggest pieces to put on first then the next size and to top it. I would place small ones and filled the centre with small coal dust that cleared the top from touching the roof. Emlyn said, "The way you pile the tram puts more coal in a tram and hence more bonuses. I will give you six pounds extra and if we have a good week I will give you more." A lot of people will not believe I got so much, but read on you will find out later in the story how much I was offered later.
When I first started with Emlyn, we had one hour break for lunch. We had to take our own lunch and "flask" (drink container) with us. If we were waiting for the fireman to come and we were ready for him to fire the "shot" and he came while the men were having their lunch, he had to wait until they finished. He would not sit with them because he was a Christian. He would sit with us three boys. He asked us if we went to church. I was the only one to answer him. I said, "Yes, I went every Sunday afternoon when I was small. My Mam always sent us. Then as we were growing up we started going to the 11:00 a.m. service. Now I am working, I go with my village friends to the evening service." I never missed going at night and if Edith came home unexpected she knew I was in evening church on Sunday night and would wait for me at the top of the crescent where she knew in time I would come from church, then we would go for our usual walk.
Then another time he was sitting with us, he asked me, "Do you want to do this job all your life?"
"Oh no," I said, "But there is no other work in the village! I was working in a shop first, and then travelling around with a man selling fruit. However, the money was so small and with this work we get good money. What else can I do?" I found out that we could not go into a training centre unless one is disabled. That is the way it was in my time, otherwise I would have applied to get on a carpentry course.
The next time he came, he said, "Do you say your prayers?"
'Yes," I told him, "But I do forget some nights."
"Well," he said, "Ask God to help you to get out."
"Oh," I said, "I don't want to get out right now, the money is so good."
Then he said to me, "God may take a few years to answer your prayers but when you do say them, keep asking, and one day he will answer your prayers."
Right through the time I worked there he taught me a lot and I have never forgotten what he told me, he was a very nice Christian believe me. I always thank God in my prayers for bringing him into my life. He taught me how to be a real Christian and told me many other things to look out for as I was growing up. Every one that God brought into my life was always a Christian. There is a lot more times to come believe me, read on you will find that this is the way God guided me to better life right to this present day.
I did not keep anything from my mother. When I told her what Emlyn had told me, that he was going to give me six pounds every week, my Mam said that I could keep the extra pound for myself. I said, "Mam, leave it as it is, and any time I want more, or if I want to buy something, I will ask you." Don't forget the company wage had gone up. I had all I wanted. I even bought my own clothes, saving out of what I had. I did not know at that time, though, that my mother was saving the money I gave her. I must tell you once again how our Lord God was guiding me to do better things all my life. How did I get in the mines? That was the work of God! Just think, why was I in, when that man (Glyn) came down to pay my Dad? He got my Dad to change his mind. There is a lot more about the Lord's guidance throughout my life to come, as I go through my life story and it is all absolutely the truth, our Lord God Jesus Christ knows everything.
It was now 1937 and we were going down to our town on a Saturday night (we had stopped playing "pot black"), and going for better things as we were now going on to 17 years old. We went dancing in our little town (Neath) and looking for fun with the girls. During the first year we caught our train back at 10-p.m. we three boys enjoyed singing; all the way to our station in Crynant, the carriages could only seat eight people and we had three girls, they loved coming in our carriage and would sing with us. I was the leader as usual. We could sing in harmony, on my own I was quite good, I got told many a time what a good singing voice I had. Edith was still in my life. Our last train from town was 10 p.m. The dancing did not finish until 11 p.m. We decided after doing this for a few months that we would stay to the end even though buses stopped running at 10p.m. We still enjoyed singing all the way home in those days; we knew a lot of songs as I used to listen to dance music on the radio every Saturday night and it was a six miles from Neath to our village Crynant; we also had the girls with us walking home, they were lucky some times when a car came along and they had a lift to Crynant, of course there was no room for us boys.
Then, later on we had a couple of older boys in the village that started what we called a sixpenny hop on Saturday nights in our Church hall, (in the hall where we once had our soup kitchen's during the big strike). One of our boys, who lived at the top of our street, could play the piano, his name was David and the other boy was from the far end of our village, he could play the drums. They were four years older then we were, I guess they were the same age as my brother George. We soon enjoyed the boys playing for us and it was something so nice and it got bigger as kids came from other places close to us, and everyone enjoyed themselves. They were exceptionally good and played non-stop from 7p.m. to 11p.m. when the dance finished, they only had one break for ten minutes the whole night. It was much better then having to go down town to the dance hall in Neath; then the best thing of all was we did not have to walk the six miles back home.
We sure missed our singing lessons. We still started singing with the group while dancing and it turned out that we three had our own way of dancing. Then six months later we had another man with two boys when his family came to live in our village, he could play the Trumpet. We had a very nice time that went on for two years. Some of the mothers came to sit in to watch us, and to keep an eye on their daughters, but we all had a wonderful time believe me. This carried on until the war broke out in September 1939. This was one of the best things to happen in our little village.
We were really having a very good night, Edith's mother came long to watch us, I think, she came along to keep an eye on me, during the break she came to talk to me to let me know Edith was still asking about me. And that she wanted me to write to her. I said I would when I had the time, and in the end I did write a few lines to send to her and let her know I still missed her very much.
When the war started, that put an end to our dance nights, the boys that played for us were called up straight away. They were in the home Nursing so they were needed. Thankfully I had started my first year in home Nursing, so I missed being called up. Once again did not realize at that time this was the work of our Lord. I was so happy in the years I had worked in the pit, I had a very good Mam and I was happy I could give her some help.
In those days money was very tight, except in the mines, depending where in the mines you worked. My Dad only had seven pounds for working on top of the mines. He only gave my Mam five pounds that was all he could manage. He used to do some extra work in the village at night, building walls etc. He was a stonemason before he came to Wales, so he earned himself a bit of pocket money, and saved a little to give us a very good Christmas; he would always buy us toys when we were very small right up to the time we left school, we did not realize then how good he was to his children, in them days our mothers did not go to work, that only came into being during the 1939 war, and it is still very common to this day. Now through all these years it as never stopped, also before the war woman were not allowed in the pubs, that all change too, and believe me there were lots of changes in pubs and other things that never went on in the village before the war started, I think life improved after the war.
I worked down the mines from fifteen to nineteen years old, and did I ever feel rich indeed. I got a new bike, and lots of other things, I could have kept the extra money to buy what I always wanted, to learn to play the drums from my early days, but my mother came first with me, what my Mam and Dad could not gave me in those days, which previously they couldn't afford. That was a very good four years in my teens, and the four years I worked with Emlyn were the very best years of my young life.
You know the tale about the fireman, when I first started in the pit and how he said to ask God in my prayers to help me to get out of the mines. Of course I was not ready at the time, but I did what he told me, I prayed, but I never thought it would happen the way that it did. I hope that the young children will keep reading my life story and believe in Jesus Christ, and I still enjoyed my time like every other child has done; if I found out later that it was not nice what I did, then I would ask our Lord God to forgive me when I said my prayers at night and I would never do it again. You will see what a good life I had by staying with the way my mother brought me up as a Christian, not to hurt, but to help every one else when I possible could, and that is the way of my life to please God's dream he had for me and to share it with others, when the opportunity is facing me, and that is my purpose in my life. God has a purpose for each one of us when He brings us into his world. If you really believe in Jesus Christ like I have been brought up by my Mother to ask God for help, and you will have read how eventually, God got me in the coal mines. I did not know then the main purpose God had for me.
Unfortunately I started getting dermatitis on my hands after two years. It's a bad rash and it made my fingers split open. It was so bad I had to have some time off work, and attended the doctor. I was off work for twelve weeks altogether the first time. When that cleared up, I went back to work with Emlyn. He hadn't taken on another boy while I was off. I was very happy working with Emlyn, and so was he. The only thing was, I had to wear gloves all the time hoping that would help me but it turned out that it made it worse.
It was now 1938. In the spring of that year my hands started to get bad again. Wearing gloves did not help me in anyway, and I had to have another eight weeks off work. By the end of June, when I visited my doctor, to get my signing off paper, he told me I should not be working in the mines. I told my Mam what the doctor had old me. She said, "I wish you would give it up."
I said, "Don't tell my Dad, you know what would happen and I like having all this money."
She said, "I worry about you every day until you get home."
I told my Mam I would come out if I could find a job, I would have to leave the village to get out of working in the mines. At that time I did not want to leave my village.
I once again went back to work with Emlyn. He had not taken any one else on to work with him, and waited for me to return. The rest of that year was a very good one for us as we had very good production and Emlyn had increased my extra money to six pounds. And on December 23rd the last payday before Christmas 1938 he gave me ten pounds for my extra pay.
We had a week off that year in the mines. I enjoyed that week, previously we only had two days for our Christinas holidays. My Dad always had my Uncle Tom and his family over for the Christmas period, that is one thing my Dad made sure of when we were small, that he gave us a wonderful time. I really enjoyed those times, then it all ended as we grow up and went our own ways. But my Dad still had our home open to his friends. Later as we got older Edith always came home and I also had some good nights out with her. She only had a week for holidays; we enjoyed that Christmas week and again she returned to Halifax. I also had my good nights out but no one came between Edith and I.
I'm back working in the mines with Emlyn. It was January 1939. We did not know at that time it would be my last year working the coal-mines. After three months Emlyn increased my extra money to seven pounds, but only four weeks later my hands got very bad once again. Emlyn was very disappointed and he tried to keep me working with some strong gloves but it did not work, so I had time off again. In the end I could not bend my fingers and eventually had to visit my doctor. I was off to the end of June. My Mam still wanted me to stop working, but she still let me go back without telling my Dad.
When I went back this time to pick up my singing off paper my doctor refused to give me one. I said, "I would like to get back, as the money was so good." The Doctor said, "I will have to see your Dad and tell him."
I got up and walked out, as I knew if he had a word with my Dad that would definitely be the end of my life in the mines (in those days you had to be 21 before you could tell your Dad to get lost). When I got home I told my Mam, she cried for me, because she knew how I liked the job, and I also liked the fact that I was earning a good wage, and could help my Mam. Just think why I was like I was to my Mam, when the rest of the family all left home to get jobs, I believed that was the way our Lord God gave her a child of God. I was so pleased with the help that I gave to my Mother, I had no idea that I was so good to her, I realized much later on this was the work of our Lord guiding my life the way He wanted me to be.
Then she told me she was relieved because she used to worry about me being down working in the pit, simply because there were a lot of accidents and a few deaths in our village. Although the whole time I worked in Seven Sister pit we never had one accident. The accidents in our village were from the drift mines. She understood how upset I was and even now I have tears in my eyes just writing this. I can remember it like it was yesterday. I was one of the best to her while living at home, I now know that God give me that love to gave to my Mother. Some of the other things that happened during those years that I worked underground were basically nice things that took place in our village.
I would just like to go back a little bit, to the last days working under ground witht Emlyn. When the doctor told me that I couldn't go back under ground to work, I had to go to the next village, Seven Sisters, which was three miles away from where I lived, to tell Emlyn that I couldn't work down below any more. He tried all ways to get me to change my mind, he even promised to share his full bonus with me, but I couldn't go against the doctor's orders, It was very hard to say goodbye to such a good man. I had tears in my eyes and still have, while writing this. He was so very good to me. I eventually left my hometown later.
But every opportunity I had I went back to see him. Some years later, when I left home, after the war, I went up to see him and his wife, she gave me the sad news that he had passed away. Apparently, he suffered with the disease (Silicosis.) The same disease Glyn and other miners got working down below, from the coal and stone dust. I guess if I had stayed working in the coal-mines I might have ended in the same way as Glyn and Emlym. God knew I had to get out - believe me.
Now I have said how our good Lord God guided me all my life to better things. The first how did I get into the coal-mines - with the help of God! Through that miner that came to pay my Dad for the work he had done at his home in his spare time. Especially that day I did not have the money to go to play Pot Black with my friends, the second was when I asked God to get me out of the coal-mines although I was not ready at the time. Remember the Fireman telling me to keep asking God as it may take a while for God to answer my prayers. I did as he told me and just think how God worked on my hands to eventually get me out of the coal-mines, though I was not ready at the time, when God knew it was time to 'get out' he worked on my hands to get me out. This is just how God works to guide me where He wanted me to be, it's all in the preceding paragraphs, and he will guide you through your life for — better things if you believe in God. If it's going to be, then it's up to me to do what is right, when you finish reading this story you will see all the people God has brought into my life were all very good Christians.
I was without a job from June 1939, when my doctor stopped me working in the coal-mines. My only chance now was getting into a training centre with having a green card. Fortunately, my Dad's best drinking friend, was the manager of the labour Exchange at our town Neath. He told my Dad to send me down to see him personally. I did go, on the following Monday, he had me in his office, he asked me what kind of work I would like to go in for: my first preference was carpentry. He knew about my hands, he said "I don't have that at the moment, I will in the next few weeks, check and see what work courses are going. I will tell your Dad when I have something for you." After a month he sent for me again, the only thing going in Wales was for a bricklayer. He said, "Would you give it a try?" I never turn anything down I told him "Yes I'll try it," I said.
I had to travel to the Centre and started in school learning all about the different types of bricks. Then I learned how to build doorways and windows, and other things. We were also making drawings of walls. I still have my drawing book with me to this day and I can show you how good my work was. I have shown it to my friends in England and a few in Canada, to give them the proof, that what I have said is absolutely true.
The second month we went outside to practice building, and that was the start of my hands getting very bad once more with handling wet mortar. God obviously did not want me to be a Bricklayer. I was back in the labour exchange to see the manager. He said, would I be willing to leave Wales? Because that was the only chance he had to get me into a dry job. I said, "If I have to leave Wales to get in a Training Centre, so be it." What else could I do? I'm not one to stay without a job.
As I've said already, I was without a job from June 1939. I was still running around on my bike every day after helping my Mam when she had something for me to do, and we still went riding to the seaside with my friends some weekends. Then one Sunday morning there came the biggest announcement of the decade. I remember the announcement that came over the radio early morning that our Prime Minister had a very important message at 11 a.m. My Dad and I were working in the garden as my Dad had asked me to help him as it was a lovely day, while we were busy I told my Mother to call us in to listen to it. I told my Dad as he was already in the garden working. It was Sunday morning the 3rd of September 1939. My Mother called us in to listen to this important message from our Prime Minister. The message of course was:
We are Now at War with Germany.
CHAPTER 3
We did not do any more in our garden the rest of the day, as you can imagine. After that time, I was on with a First Aid course with the St. Johns Ambulance, which I had joined a year before. A lot on that training was called up to the service's straight away, as I had not finished my training, I was not called up. I did not get into the training centre until a lot later the next year. God was not ready for me to go into the service, remember He had a purpose already for me. I had no idea what our Lord God had for me but I just believed that what ever He had would be the right thing, I just carried on believing the words my Mother had told me, keep God and Jesus Christ in your heart and you will never regret it. I still did not know the purpose God had for me, I knew one day God would guide me to it.
I have lots of memories of growing up in Wales. I eventually left at twenty years old, I loved my growing up days in Crynant, the little village; it would take me too long to mention all the outstanding experiences I've had. When I now think back I was so glad my Dad and my uncle Tom came out of London city and settled in this lovely village. The memories I have of those young days are embedded in my mind are as clear today as they were then.
There were lots of naughty things we got up to but I keep them to myself. I must say though, we were in no way as bad as some of the young people of today. When you read this, you may not agree with me. When we were growing up, people could go out and leave their doors unlocked and nothing would happen, day or night. You certainly can't do that anywhere today and everyone was so friendly I never heard of anyone causing trouble, if there was trouble it was always from people from outside of our village.
Well I think I have gone on long enough about my younger years, I could go on and on, but this is only a short version of my life from being in the infant school. I realize that I had a very good upbringing, and I was blessed with a very good Mam and Dad. I also realized that I was very fortunate, and in those days I did not realize that I was in the hands of our good Lord God. As you read through my life story you will begin to realize how I was, guided for better things, and it will happen to you if you believe in Jesus Christ right from your young days, or even later.
Remember to ask God for help when you say your prayers, remember it may take a long time for God to answer your prayer, if you have read my story so far, look how long it had taken to get me out of the coal mines when at the time I was not ready to come out. God knew it was time for me to get out and I realized years later that God was absolutely right. I eventually did give my best to the job God had choose for me, you will see how well I got on and ended up being promoted each occasion, always giving my best to any job.
At last my Dad's friend, was able to get me into the training centre in Birmingham England. I started on the 4th of November 1940. The trade I went into was Bench fitting, and tool making. I learned to read the Blueprints and all the Precision Instruments. There were four of us boys on a bench, we had now been training for around three months. I would like to say first, three of us were from out of town, and another one lived in Birmingham. Three of us were in digs found by the centre. This lady was very bad to us. We worked on the afternoon shift. After breakfast each morning we had to go straight out and was not allowed to return until 1 p.m. and we had to be at the training centre for two p.m. It did not matter what the weather was like, rain or snow we still had to walk up to the Bullring to get a cup of tea, to pass the time away, if we had any money left to pay for the tea, otherwise it would be a case, of just walking around. We did find a nice cafe and always manage to call there every Sunday. I was very annoyed with being treated this way when we did not deserve her treatment.
This went on for the first two months and I said to the other two, "I'm not putting up with this,"
"What are you going to do?" they asked.
We were discussing this when the waitress came to take our order. I told her we could only afford a cup of tea and a biscuit. Then the other two said to me they were not going to stay with her either. Then the waitress came back I asked her if she knew of anyone who took in lodgers. I told her what we had to put up with everyday.
"I don't know at the moment" she answered.
Then when she came back again she said, "I don't know of any at this moment, will you be here next Sunday? I may have some news for you."
Boy we three were so happy with knowing some one was listening to us. I quietly said my prayers that night and asked God to help us.
We were there the next Sunday and she placed us on a table next to a man sitting, on his own. When the waitress came he heard me ask her if she had found a place for us. She just said, "I will be back in a while, are you having the same again?" I said, "Only a cup of tea, as we have not been paid." She came back holding our tea and also a biscuit for each of us boys. I reminded that we did not have enough money for a biscuit, but she replied, "I know, have it on me." We thanked her for giving us the biscuit, we were so very grateful to have met that lovely girl! What a very nice waitress. Then this man came over to me and asked if he could sit down with us. "Sure," I said. He then said to me, "I just heard you say to the waitress that you were looking for 'digs.'" I then went on to tell him the reason why we were seeking other "digs." He offered us boys to come with him, he had a home with four bedrooms, and he was willing to drive us to his home for us to see what a place he had. His wife was in the service so he lived on his own. I explained to him that I would have to see the manager and let him know next week. He drove us over for us to see his home, Then he drove us back to our digs for 1p.m.
I was the leader once more, I was the one to do the talking, and when we got to our "digs" I told the landlady. She started on to me and said you are the troublemaker, but I have a contract and you can't do a thing about it. It was a Sunday, so we again, had to go straight out after dinner and not return until 5 p.m. When I got out I again asked the other two, "What are you going to do?" They both said, "We are with you and will not stop with her." I was now ready to see the manager as soon as possible, when we went back tomorrow after we had our dinner.
We are now ready to go to work on the Monday afternoon. I was going to see the Manager during our first tea break, but when we had just started, we three got called up to the office. I was the first in and the manager said, "Hunt, the landlady as been to see me. She said you are making trouble for her."
"Sir,"….. I went on too tell him the story and…. "if you do not let us change then I will not be stopping! I will not put up with that kind of treatment!"
He asked the other two what they had to say, and they both said, "We are the same as him." I told him about the man that offered to have us if he was willing for us to change. He said, "I will look into that. Okay, go back to your bench and carry on your job, I will be in touch with you later."
It was now two days since we got called up to the office. It was two days later that we got the call to come to the office. I was once again the leader and spokesman, when we got to the office. There were two other men with the manager. I thought they would try and talk us out of moving; the manager spoke to me and asked me to repeat to them, what I had told him about that landlady. I went right through what I had told the manager. Then after having a little discussion with the other two the manger said, "Hunt, we have had a lot of trouble with that Landlady and you have been the first one to stand up to her." Then he asked the other two if they agreed with me, they both said, "Yes, we want to move with him." He then said to me, "Would you get that man to come and see us and then you can move at the end of the month."
I sure got in touch with him by phone the very next day!
That night when we got home at 10 p.m. the landlady would not give us the usual cup of tea and a biscuit. She was very mad with us and told us to get to bed! We did what we were told! Next morning she got on to me, saying it was my fault! I just said, "If you do that again I will report you to the manager." She soon kept quite, but all that week we had to stay with her, even though she only give jus bread and jam for every meal! I went to see the manager on the next Monday afternoon and told him what she was doing. He must have phoned her and told her what I had said, because after that she give us a dinner, but it was cold the rest of the last week. We did not say any more what she had done, we were happy to leave. During that weekend we did go up to see the waitress and then she told us a friend of hers told that man and he came that Sunday to talk to us. We thanked her and said sorry we could not give her a tip. "I did not expect you to do that she told us." She was a very lovely girl, and we appreciated what she did for us. I only wish I had taken her address so I could send her a tip that she deserved, when the war was over. Now do you believe how God was still looking over me, and how he brought the lovely waitress and Bob into my life, and once again got me away from that very bad lady we lodged with.
At the end of that last week we were off to live with that man who was living away from the centre. We had now to get the bus to get to work as the man was also working, we were still working afternoons, otherwise he would have taken us to work. We had to look after ourselves during the week. He got everything in that we wanted for our breakfast, and a little lunch before we went to work. We had a big meal at the centre, and at night when we came home we could have whatever we liked. At the weekend he cocked all the meals for us, and believe me he was a very good cock. He always had a sweet for us to finish each meal. Boy! Did we enjoy our stay with him! We had four months to finish our training. Unfortunately, we did not know then, what would happen to make our stay so short? He was so good to live with.
We had been with him six weeks and really enjoyed that stay immensely and so sorry we had to leave him. We were into our last sixth weeks at the centre. That first Monday afternoon when we started back to work, about two hours into our first job of making a movable spanner, we were reading the blueprints and our first time using the precision instruments. These two men with the manager were watching us working for over two hours. Then they went back to the office. We four boys on that bench were called up to the manager's office. I was the leader once again, they always let me go first in. These two men started asking us if we would like to come to work for the "Air Ministry." They then went on to explain what they wanted us for. They asked us what we thought about it. I came up with this, "We have another two months to finish our training Sir,"
"We have been watching you work and the main thing is we want you as inspectors. All that you need is that you are able to read a Blueprint and the Precision Instruments. The rest of your training does not matter,"
So, in essence, we were put in the "right place at the right time" in order to have God's will done in our lives. I said, "I would like to work for you." He asked each one what they wanted to do. The other two said, "If he goes we are with him." We were told that if we went with the "Air Ministry," we would not get "called up" for the services. I was pleased when I heard that, and so were the other two boys.
The fourth man, who lived in Birmingham, said, that he did not want to leaved They sent him back to his bench. They started to tell we three boys that we would be moving to Coventry, which was the next town away from Birmingham. We were only a few miles away from the border of Coventry when we moved to live with Bob and went to train at the firm H.M. Hobson Ltd., Coventry, England, the Aircraft firm that produced component parts for Aircraft. We were told that we would have to leave the following week, we would stay in Coventry for the next month and all we would be doing was just watching how the inspectors did their job. While there we found out that they were going to take over this unfinished school, in Knighton Radnorshire to start producing parts for the Aircraft.
Our biggest disappointed was having to tell Bob that night we got home, that we would be leaving the following weekend. He was very nice about it. He still looked after us like he had been doing, good meals and all! The last night we were with him he gave us a wonderful meal and we had a good talk. He had written a poem for me to send home to Edith (my wife) as I was the only one married, (I still have the poem to this day).
My darling I love you, you know it is me.
I dream of the day, when I shall have you,
to cherish and fondle, to call all my own,
so think of me sweetheart, when your all alone.
(End of the first verse.)
I could read the rest but will come back to this later as I can't remember it all now.
When we had been transferred to Coventry, they found us "digs" with a young woman for the month, and she had one child. Her husband was in the service. She also was very good to us, and fed us very good for all that month we were with her. Reg and I did not drink but David did go out drinking. We enjoyed that month we had with that young lady.
We were now getting ready to leave for Knighton, on Saturday morning at the end of that month - 1st of March 1941. We are now into the Friday afternoon and we were all "packed up" ready to leave in morning. Reg and I stayed in with the lady and her two children, we enjoyed playing with them until it was their bedtime. After having our tea and a biscuit we were ready to go to bed because we knew we had a long day in front of us - travelling as we had three changes to get to Knighton. Reg and I thanked the young lady and told her we were sorry we had to leave her. We went to bed at 10:30 p.m. and David had not come home. We got a call at 12:30 a.m. from the lady telling us David was in terrible pain could we come down, we asked her if she would phone the doctor for us. The doctor came and gave him a Morphine injection. Then we all got back to bed. In the morning he was still unfit to travel. So Reg and I went on our own to Knighton together. We did not have a very good night with our friend being so ill, and the doctor told us that he should not travel all that way to Knighton for a few days. We thought they would send him later but he did not arrive and we never found out why he never made it.
CHAPTER 4
We set off for Knighton on the Saturday 1st of March 1941. It took us from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. three changes to get there. When we eventually arrived there, it was raining very hard and a very small station. I asked the man taking tickets, where we could get a taxi. He said, "You must be kidding, we have no taxi here." Then he gave us instruction as to where the school was situated.
Off Reg and I went, we had a long way to walk up this lane to get to the main road to find the school. It was still raining and when we got to the watchman's hut, he said, "You are to see the boss Sunday Morning at 9:30 a.m. (March 2, 1941), you were booked in at the hotel on top of the hill by the clock tower." Which meant that we had to walk all the way back! We had almost a mile to walk back to the little town. When we arrived, the man in the hotel said, "Where have you come from?" We were like drowned rats and when I told him he said, "Why didn't he give me a ring. I could have sent my daughter to pick you up from the station. Get those cloths off and have a shower, then come down for supper." I will meat his daughter later when we had the school ready to start production. We stayed at the hotel for a few nights, and then they found us digs on top of that hill with Mr and Mrs Roberts.
We arrived at the school a little late, as yesterday had taken its toll on us. The Watchman took us to see our new boss. We had a long talk with him and he was very thorough in asking us about our knowledge of the Precision Instruments. We had to be tested on those by him and we passed with "flying colours." I must have given him a lot of confidence in me to come and ask me to do anything "special" he needed doing. I know I must have made a good impression on him. Six months later I was made up to become his assistant manager. I was born to be a leader, when you read on you will find how "God was guiding me all my life". I did not realize at that time. I did say that God has a purpose for each one of us. I believe that with God's help I can become the person that he wants me to be.
We had a very busy six weeks, we never went out anywhere at night; we never finished until 8 pm. Also he asked us if we would be willing to work seven days a week to get the place finished on time, our boss (Rob) stayed with us every day, all the time. Eventually we got everything ready for the machines to arrive. That weekend Rob had arranged with his girl friend to take us out to a show; he was very please with us. It had taken us just six weeks to get everything ready, the machines were in place and the girls were starting the following week.
Now our job was to make sure that the mechanic set up each machine for all the different component parts. Then we would check the parts against the Blueprints and then measure everything to make sure it was exactly right. Some of the parts were allowed to be plus or minus about to 1000th parts of an inch. This was very important! It was our job to check each part, if we were satisfied, I could put my stamp on the machines work-card.
We had a line of eight machines checking to see if the measurement on the parts were correct. If so, that was great! If, however, it didn't measure up we would have to stop the machine and get the mechanic to set it up again, then we inspect the part, checking the measurements making sure they are all correct before "stamping" the machine work-card. This was a very important job as the small parts went into the making of Aircraft Carburetors. I really enjoyed this job and I was hoping to stay there to the end of war.
The girls would then run the machines and turn out thousands of these little parts. If they had a breakdown the same procedure would have to be taken. We would be walking up and down the line of eight machines checking to see if the measurement on the parts were correct. If so, that was great! If however, it didn't measure up correctly, again I would stop the machine, whilst the mechanic put it right. After a few months of producing, we were now ready to start an Inspection Department.
Robert Boardman, the chief Inspector, who was our boss, also the manager, called me into his office to ask me to do a special job for him. "Would I like to take charge of the twenty or more girls that would be working in the Inspection Room?" This meant a lot more responsibility for me, believe me, as I was also expected to do my new regular job as well. I was promoted to Assistant Manger. I was always picked to be a "leader." This was my "position" in God's eyes. I said earlier that our good Lord God has guided me all my life to better things, and this was one more time believe me. This was my' "position" in God's eyes. I said earlier that our good Lord God has guided me throughout my life, and this is another time He did, believe me there is a lot more to come. Remember I did not have the education in my school days.
I can do all things through Jesus Christ Who strength me
On my first holiday (Whitsun) I went home to Crynant in Wales. Edith had decided to come back home to live with her Mom and she was there when I went home on holiday. It was during that summer that I decided to buy Edith an engagement ring. We also made arrangements to be married the next year and we decided we would have a September wedding. I went back to Knighton, and Edith started to make all the arrangements for a Register Office Wedding, as we could not afford a big one. Our parents did not have the money to spend on a big wedding either. When I got back to work I told my boss, he was very pleased for me.
While I was working, Reg and I used to go out together. The landlord of that hotel we stayed at, had a daughter, Betty, who was working with me in the Inspection Dept. I did not know who she was at the time she started. She soon let me know and we became very good friends. I told her that I had a girlfriend Edith, and that Edith and I were going to be married. Betty said she understood. She had a car and at the weekend she drove us to the next village to go dancing. Reg and his girl friend, Betty and I, all went together. Reg was not married and going with his girl friend, so we made a good foursome and that happened a few months, and Betty was a very nice girl, I liked being with her as she understood my life.
One day Rob asked me if I would accompany him with the woman he had met. He was not married, and his girl friend was divorced, but she had a daughter, Judy, 17 years old. They wanted to go dancing. She had to take her daughter with them, and he wanted me to keep her company. I did go and we had a nice night. When I met her, I knew she was working with me in the Inspection Department. I didn't know then that she was in love with me. After a few weeks of accompanying her with her mother she upset a lot of the girl as on the Monday after a few weeks going dancing. Judy was telling all the girls that I was going out with her and I had told her I love her - that was not true!
Then I had trouble with the other girls. Too many of them must have liked me. I kept her "company" for the next two weekends at the dance with Rob and her mother before I realized this. But then I had to tell Rob about all the commotion it was causing at work. He eventually found her a job in his office and I was happy to get rid of her. They were all told that I had a girl friend from my school days and a lot knew that, and when we had a little upset they all said it was their own fault.
I did tell Edith about the episodes I had with the girls. It didn't seem to bother her. By then there was nine months to go to our wedding, and I told everyone I was getting married on September 1st 1941. As you can imagine, it upset some of the girls. And several of them didn't talk to me again. Still there was some who did, as I had told them from the beginning I was engaged to Edith and was getting married. Some said it was their own fault, but they were still upset, and so was I. But I had nothing to hide, and that's the truth. I was still very popular with everyone else. And still friends with Betty. I would like to say that if I did not have Edith in my life it would have been Betty that I liked best, but Betty and I knew how I felt, she was a very nice girl, believe me and still we went out dancing with Reg and his girlfriend. Edith knew all about that episode I had with Judy, and all the others were very friendly with Edith all the time we worked there.
It was getting close to me getting married. And now in the last week, I did not know that they had a party organized for me. It was arranged for the last weekend in August. The three girls, who were ''sore losers" and not speaking to me, did not come to the party. Those who came had a grand time. When I got married in September that year, I asked Rob if he would give Edith a job. "It was no problem," he said. So we ended up all working together.
I went home to get married! It was a big day for us. Edith looked so beautiful in her new light blue suit and I had on my best pinstriped one. We had a lovely party with all our friends and relatives at my Mother's home. After all this waiting, we were in high spirits believe me. Actually, we were both nervous, but aren't we all? Certainly a week of memories that will last us a lifetime!
I came back to work the following weekend just as I had promised my boss. I went in to the office to work on the Monday morning and Edith was with me. It was so great to be able to keep Edith with me. Nobody, except Judy, knew she was coming to work there, and the boss had told Judy to be nice to Edith. That didn't come to anything, because the three girls ignored Edith (of course, she was now my wife) but she knew that they were talking about her. Still she soon made friends with other girls. And all the other girls in my department eventually got over the problem, and Edith made a good friend with Mary who worked with her in my department.
At that time, we were in the "digs" with Mrs. Roberts; she lived right at the top of the hill by the clock tower. It was a very steep hill, and there was no way any one with a car could get up there, we didn't have a car so we had to walk up and down. It was quite hard going. If anyone had a car the only way they could get straight to the top of the clock tower would have to drive around to the back way. Mr. and Mrs. Roberts put us up only until we could find other accommodation, as they didn't have a lot of room in their home. It wasn't long before we found another place with two more very nice people. We got very friendly with one young couple, Mary and Ted. Mary worked with Edith in my department, and Ted worked on the machines. The four of us used to go dancing, and on odd occasions Reg and his girl would join us. We had such a nice time with them. This went on for some time and eventually continued until I had to leave to join the services. I thought then this was the worse time of my life having to leave all our friends and all the nice weekends we were having. This was one of those times when God was still in my life and guiding me to better things, still, I did not realize at that time how our Lord in Heaven looked after me every day.
In those days there wasn't a bus service, as such, but a little private bus from the next village (Presteign) used to bring people that live there to work at the factory. The driver knew Mary and Ted, who lived in the next village, and Mary asked him if he knew of a place for us. He said he would ask his sister-in-law that night. He would let us know in the morning. In the morning, he said we could go over with him that night and get something fixed up, and he would help to move us in that weekend. We went over with him in the bus, and he brought us back by car. We soon found how the Lord was still guiding me to meet such nice wonderful people they turned out to be.
It was a very big house, actually, it was called the "White house." and Mr. and Mrs. Davis (Fred and Joan) were lovely people. They had been married for a few years. Apparently they had been trying to have a baby, but hadn't had any luck. We moved in on the weekend, and stayed with them until I was eventually called up for National Service. We really enjoyed the time we spent with them, and went out together quite often. We still went out with Ted and Mary dancing, we were having some happy times and altogether we had over twelve months living with Mr and Mrs Davis in Presteign. I want to come back to this subject later after the end of the 1939 war.
Knighton to Presteign was about 8 miles. We went back and forth to work, come rain, hail, snow, in the little bus. We never missed work for any reason. In the summer the driver took us on llittle trips on Sundays. Providing we were not working the following Monday. It was around Christmas time when we went to Aunty Edith's home in Halifax where Edith used to work. It must have been around that time our child was conceived. We didn't know how it happened, we didn't know much about sex in those days.
After two months, we told Joan (Mrs. Davis). She was delighted for us. She looked after Edith, and did lots of knitting for the baby. Our weekends then had to stop. Edith and I were really looking forward to this part of our lives. A baby. This would make a big difference in all our future decisions. Having a baby was an important step in our marriage, even when it wasn't planned. We had decided to have children in a couple of years anyway.
When March 1942 came round, I got some news that wasn't very pleasant. My boss had got a letter from the National Service to tell him that they were giving him six months to train a girl to take over my job. He immediately wrote back to say that it would take twelve months to train someone, because it was an important job. He implied that I couldn't be done without. However, they still said six month and that was that. We knew for sure now that I was going to be called up, so we had to make the best of it. My calling up date was the last week in November 1942. I was glad that I would be home when our child was due to be born. When we told Joan and Fred that I was going to be called up, they were very upset indeed. She kept saying how sorry she was, and wanted Edith to have the baby at her home while I was away. Edith wanted to be with her Mom.
They came to interview each of us that were being called up, (eight of us.) to see which service we wanted to join. They came in July, when my turn came, there were four men there. They said they noticed that I had worked in the coal-mines. I told them I had, and they said, "Would you like to go back in the mines, because it is an important job." They needed all the miners they could get. I certainly did not want to go back down in the mines. I told them I'm already in an important job, then they said that if they so chose, they could make me go back to the mines. They did not like my answer when I told them that I had a green card and a letter from my doctor saying that I could not work in the mines again. I got the doctor's letter out to show them. And they asked why I hadn't mentioned it before. My reply was that I didn't think it would be necessary. I had kept that "up my sleeve" in case I needed it. That finished the conversation. When I finished and went back to my job I told Rob that they tried to make me go back to the coal-mines. I told Rob, he should have seen the faces when I showed them my green card.
Because of my experience with precision instruments, they asked me if I would like to go into the Fleet Air Arm, and that is just what I did. I got the date of my posting in the mail shortly afterwards. I was given the six months to train a girl for my job. I started training a girt just after my manager received a letter from them, which would have taken me to the end of October. My boss was very please with the way I had trained Marlene and just said, "leave her for a few weeks, just keep an eye on her and see how she gets on, tell her if she is not sure of anything to come to you." I was in the office with the boss for the rest of my time.
Edith and I had a long talk about things as we were expecting the baby to be born around September so we decided to ask my boss that if I got the girl trained, and did well by the end of July, would he let me go. He was very good and said that wouldn't be a problem. And when he was so pleased with the training I did with that girl, he even paid me up to the end of October. And he told me I could leave at the end of July. That would give me three month at home with Edith, and our baby should be born before I left to go to the service. We were very pleased about that as I could see her settled in. Now just look and read how our Lord God was guiding all those nice people into my life, and I have lots more to come.
We had a big party the week before the holiday and had lots of fun that night. Even the three girls who had fallen out with me came to wish me all the best. They all knew that Edith was expecting a baby. Joan and Fred were very upset, they would not come to our party, they were too upset, but we promised we would visit them when the war was over. We had some very nice weekends with them and the last weekend was very sad for all of us. They drove us to the railway station, and saw us off. We were headed back to Crynant in Wales. Our eyes were full of tears when we said our goodbyes to Joan and Fred at the station.
Now, remember I told you I would tell you a little something about the Davis couple. After we left, Mrs. Davis had a baby girl. I told you they had been trying for a few years to have a baby, well they finally got one. When we finally got to visit them in 1947, after the war, their little girl was nearly five. Mrs. Davis said it was because she had been doing lots of things for Edith that something happened to her body, which made it easier for her to have a child. I couldn't believe it, but Edith said "yes" that it could happen. We were so pleased for Joan and Fred and their nice little girl.
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TO BE CONTINUED
