I

,
CHILDHOOD MEHORIES

rl For those of you here who do not know it,

I fancy ny chances of beconing a poet.
T h o ' P A M A Y R E S' t a L e n t I s a d l - y L a c ? ,
I There's just no way you'Jl hoLd me back!

I what chiLdhood menories have r f or Thursrlay cLub,

Without rattinq on people that,s the rub!
Soneone has threatened me if I kjss and teLL,
W i t h o u t a d o u b t s h e ' L L d r o p m e i n i t a s w e l _ l!_
)
S o f ' L L k e e p t o n y s e l f t h e c h i l d h o o d pranks
J And l-eave someone e-Zse to fill
My memories wil-l be pure and good,
in the blanks,

No tal-es of hanky panky in the Round Woodl,

J Do you remember your Friday' s penny?

t Miss Dodd's shop stocked sweets, so many,

Gob stoppers , paraf fin, lucky baqs too ,
Sherbet and hunbugs to name but a few.

t Our pLayqround rn those days; were f iel-ds and the street,

Under the lanp-post we alL used to m e e t .

t PLayed marbles , hopscotch, top and whip and tick,

Made plans to go primrose picking
To be chased by Fat Dick I

t Wtth cans we went down Barratts

To fetch the niJk,
HiLL,
warned do not s p i J L ,
t A sneaky sip, a swing over head,
Get home, short measure, you,re straiqht up to bed.

t Favourite pfaces I l_ove to recaLL

Are the Iittle stream, the batters and the haunted haLL,

t The waterfalJ, the graveL hole, Barratts

PaddLing in the AJyn whenever we couLd.
BLuebel,l, wood,

t Dear friends we have memories so happy, so free,

We had a great childhood, I ,m sure you,JJ agree.
And how do we know that olrr youth r.s alr. spent?

t WelL, our get up and go, has got up and went !

Now, we've reached second chiLdhood jt's been qreat to recall,

I our memories together at our cJub in the HaJr.,

Thougth our bottoms are crinkLey, we haven' t done badry,
|n so glad r grew up in a vilJaqe caLLed BRADLEY.
I
I r e n e P r a t t , n e e W y n n e.
I \
February 1996
 I am84yearsold. I cameto rivewith my parentsin old Bradleywhen
I was6 monthsold,
at thattimeI had2 brothersand2 sisters.we livedin oneof 2 cottages
on topof whatis now
calledtheRockyHilr. I don'tthink it is usednow. we only stayed
i'herefori y"u.,, moving
to Gwersyllt'of courseLhayen9 memoryof tiving there,but
my motherusedto teil meof
thehardships,thewaterhadto be fetchedfrom thi well on poni y
capel hill. Sheusedto
walk to Gresfordto do her.shopping at Meredith'sstores.My motherhadlargetubsoutside
the cottageto catchthe rain water.
EventuallyI marrieda man66 yearsagowho wasbom in Bradley,
hepassedawaylast
yearaged91. He neversroppedtarkingaboutBradley,often
durirrghiJ lud;*. hewourd
starttalkingandlaughingaboutsomeof his childhooddays,whicf,
t kneworuy rreart,I,d
heardthemso manytimes.He usedto sayeveryfield in Braotey
*"rt uy Jirr"rentname.
TheoneacrossfromAlyn HousewascaliedtheMaldwyn.The
onewhere"I live wascalled
thePenlanField:he knewthe nameof everyfield in Ttp
Bradley.
He usedto oftenlaughabouthischildhood,theyhadiomakeiheir
. ownfun andgames,
suchasa onegamecailedJackShowLight. Theyoitengot
into mischief,iike someof the
ladstoday,butwereallowedto begivenicuff onihe earfor
it. His motherusedto keeppigs
at thebackof theirhouse,theywerechasingoneanotherin ttr"
oart, oneuoyhada newsuit
on,it wasa Sunday,hewaschasedandjumlpedoverthe*"tt into
ttr" pig you.un
imaginethe laughterit broughteverytimeie talkedaboutit. ".'.rpoor,
He lovedBradley,I think if he hadbeena miilionairehe would
neverhavemoved,
everyonewasfriendly.He useto talk abouta family in Top
Bradreynamedrhomas,they
wentby thenameof NedandCharlie'Patch'.Theyiived
in a .ottug" ut trr" .id of th" lun"
leadingro Pantmawrfield, They alsohada sisterlnd herhusbandfi"id;il
rhem.They
I"l" Ytty big heftypeople.
He used to visit themwhen he went to seehis brotherwholived
in thelane'hesaidhewentthereonedinnertimeandtheyhad
a rabbiteachon ttrei,ptater.
They kepta donkeyandcartwith barrelson to bringwater
from thewell at ponty Capel.
Peopleusedto borrowit.
If.you_gversaidanythingaboutHoilybushrerracehe hadto think about
. it, because
it wasthenHardingGriffith houses.
Thesearesomeof the memoriesmy husbandtalkedabout
so often.
Pleasedon'treadit outof you th_ink
I havepoachedon someone
erse,smemories.
I onry
wishhewashereto tell you himself.

MARY JONES
 I remember GrannyDoddpullingthenetcurtainbackformeto seethefuneralprocession movingoff.
My5 yearoldsister,Maryhaddied.Thatis myearliestmemory. I was3 anda haltyearsold.
I wasbornin 1,MossCottages, Bradley in 1915.TheyearthattheLuisitania wassunkbya German
U BoatandFrankSinatrawasbom.I waschristened Marjorie CicelyVincentSimmons at HolyTrinity
Church, Gwersyllt. Anne andSusaniokethatI was 'launched', notchristened.
Bradley wasa smallvillage
ofabout37houses, sutrounded byfields.Manyotthevillagers hadnicknames like'NedtheDonkey" who
livednextdoorto Mrs.Watkins andMrs.Jonesthe'Butter Woman'who soldherbufterinWrexham market.
(Howshemadeit , I don'tknow!)'Albertthe Mill'wastheploughman at Barrat's farm.SamandHarry
Barnes didthemilkinganclJoeSpotlivedinthemttagesattheWre Mill,(originally thesiteofa WireMill).
'W.W.Wwason allthegates- SirWatkinsWilliamsWynn.
Mytatherworked at Rhoscldupitlikemostofthemeninthevillage. Hewastheioiner andundertaker
of thevillage.I wonderwhathisnickname was!He madethecoffinsdownthegardenwherehe hada
wolkshop. I remember meandFrankputtingKaUein oneofthecoffinsandstarting to sdewtheliddourn
betoremotherstoppedus.
I havelovelymemories of myyoungdays.Me,Katie,ElsieandMaryWatkins, Myfanwy Gritfiths,
BessieEvans,GladysandAliceDavies,DorisAllenandlotsof ladsincluding RussellDaviesenjoyed
playingmarbles, skipping andhopscotch in the Spring.
IntheSummer wewouldgoto the'Falls'downthehillattheRiverAlyn( andveryoftenfallin)or
godownto DickieEdwards's tarmcalledtheWilderness lor a picnicwithourmothers - jamsandwiches,
cakeanda bottleofwater!Wealsousedto gootfforthedayto Caergwrle Castle.Elsie'sbrother Johnnie
and 'our '
Frank usedto buyhotcrossbunsandlemonade powderandwalkto Llangollen tortheday!
Sometimes wewentto Llayac{ossPantMawrpastNedPatctr's houseandAlanJones. Welovedgoing
downJackBarrat's hillpastthetarmandintoBluebell Woodto picktheflowers. Wepickedprimroses in
TopBradley inAlderman's Meadow andFatDick'sFarm.Elsie'ssister,Maryalwayspickedmoreco\^/slips
thantherestof us.Weusedto takeourcansto JackBanatsFarmtorourmilkandoncea yearweused
to seethemenin theirredcoatshuntingottersin the RiverAlyn.IntheWinterweusedto playa game
called'Throwing theTin'.Oneofuswouldthrowthetinwhiletheotherhidtheireyesandthenwehadto
goandlookforit.Welikedgoingto HannahPhoenix's shopatthetopof JackBarrat's hillforoursrweets.
Shewasverydealandsodidn'thearthebellaswewalkedin sowe usedgraba freesweetbeforeshe
sawus.MeandElsieusedto pickon Barbara Woolridge whenshecameto theshop.Weusedto poke
our finger through the bagof sugarsheboughtandthenrunawaydownthehilt.Weusedto pray"God
forgiveusjustthisonce"butwealwaysdidit again.Mrs.Dodd(Elsie's granny)alsohada shopwhere
wecouldbuyparaffin andcigarettes - Woodbines! Weusedto tiea ropearoundthedoorhandleof the
shopandMr.Jones'doorhandlenextdoorandknockloudly.Welaughed andlaughed astheybothtried
to ooentheirdoors!
Myfatherbuilta wooden shopatthetopofthe'Backroad'whidrsoldgroceries. Stran Daviesowned
it . Wealsohada fishandchipshopinthefielclin thebackroad,runbytheJenkins. Eventually wehad
a newwoodenchipshopatGlanLlynwhichwasrunbyJoeSpot.lt wasalwaysgoingontire.Thechips
werea pennya bag.Margaret ( Gwen'scousin)toldJoeshewasn'tto eattoomanybec€ruse theyhad
spotsandhairsonthem!| remember thatwe alsohada bitliardhallin thetieldin thebackroad.
MymotherandAuntLizziewouldgoshopping to Wrexham inMrs.Dodd'S ponyandtrapwhichshe
keptintheyardinthebackroad.BondyfromCaergwrle usedto visitBradley to collectthedeadhorses.
Thevillagers wouldalsopay3dtogotoWrexham in'DirtyShirt'st€txi.Sometimes wewouldcatcha double
deckertramin Wrexham at BrookStreetandgo for a ridedownVicarage HillandRuthinRoadto Rhos
andback.
I remember havingcandles andoil lampsin thehouse, andtoiletsdownthegarden.lt wasvery
coldgoingfora weeintheWnter.ThatswhyI alwayshadwetknickers andneededthehottin bathon
thehearth.
Wehadfieldsat the backandfrontof the house.Thevillagerswereableto sow2 or 3 rowsof
ootatoes in thefrontfield.In theAutumn we hadbonfires there,andwe wouldbakepotatoes in the
bonfires. Atthefarendot thelieldwasthewallsunounding GwersylltHallwherethelrvintamilylived.We
usedto believe ihattheghostsofdogsranaroundtheParkwall,butweneversawthem.Wehadpigsties
atthebottomot ourgarden,andmeandElsie,KatieanclGladysDaviesusedto playinthem.Elsiewas
alwaysKatie'shusband, andGladyswasalwaysmine,sheusedto spitallthetime.I remember thetime
thegateswungintoKatie'smouthandshebithertongue sobadlythatsheneeded 7 stitches
atthehospital
in Wrexham. Ourdoctor'ssurgerywasin Rhosddu. Dr.WallacealwaysvisitedBradleyon hisbikeon
Mondays, Wednesdays andFridays, although he wouldvisitanytimeif therewasa need.
EverySundaywe usedto goto Gwersyllt Churchasa familyforthe11 o' dockservice. Wealways
stopped to talkto Dick'DeafandDumb'at thetopof theChurchHill.Hewasthegravedigger wholived
inSummerhill. Then me, Katieand Frank wouldwalkto SundaySchoolintheChurchSchoolfor2 o'clock.
AuntyBeattie wasa SundayScioolteadreraswellasbeingthevillagepostlady.Shealwayshada pocket
fullot sweets.I remember thedogsusedto followheraroundas shedelivered theletters.
On WhitSundayall the childrenwoulddressin whiteandwalkroundthe churchyard, but I likethe
Christmas c€lebrations bestol all.Motherwouldtakeus on thetrainto Liverpool to seethe Grotto.I
remember oncegoingto LondonwhenI was 14 yearsoldwithAuntyLenaandMother.lwas so
disappointed becauseI expected to seethepavementsreallypavedwithgold!
Thevica/switeranthe Brownies. lt wastungoingtor longwalksin Gwersyllt andSummerhill.
I wentto sctrool in Gwersyllt
iustlikealltheotherchildreninthevillage.Mostofuswenito Gwersylh
CouncilSchool.Mothermoved'OurFrank'andMaryfromthe ChurchSchoolto the CouncilSchool
because it wasnewandwellheated.lt wasa longwalkroundthefieldsandupthewoodto school.We
started walking at8.30a.m.tostartschoolat 9.00.Thenitwashomeforlunchofboiledonionsorthickened
mushrooms andthenbackfor 1.30 p.m. Schoolwouldfinishat 4.00.Onoufwayhometromschoolon
a Fridaywewouldcallattheshopnextto Dr.Ghandi's Surgeryin Gwersyllt( a tin shed)Wehad a treat
ol 2 oz.ol sweetsfor 1 penny. Sometimes we wouldcallat BillSuger'sPostOfficetoo.
I usedto callforElsieonmywayto s{fiool.Shehada beautiful garden.Weusedto collecttreasures
of buttons, beadsor shinystonesandwrapthemupin paperor hidethemin a holeinthebank.Weput
a dodofearthoverthem.Wewouldcheckthemonourwayhomefromschoolto seeit anyonehadtaken
them.
I didn\likescftoolverymuch.Westartedwhenwewere5 yearsold andleftat 15yearsold.I only
likedmokerywithNannyClark.Wewereallafraidof Mr.JonestheHeadmaster. Heusedto pokeusin
thebackandpulltheboysoutbytheirearsandgivethemthreestrokesot thecane.
Oncea monththeGreenNurse,NurseCornwall wouldvisitusin school.Wecalledherthe'Buggy
Nurse'The teachers wereO.K.I hadNellieColliein Standard1 andAda'BobNose'in Standard 3
and4 . 'Our Frank hada naughty habitot steppingonNellieColliestoesandflickinginkat herfromthe
inkwell.I wasa'talker'andusedto havethecanea lot.lt didn'tseemto stopme!
Wedidn'tcelebrate Christmas muchin schoolliketheydotoday,butI remember wearinga leekor
daffodilon St.Davicl's Dayandhavinga dayoffin MaytorOakBallDay.Weusedto sing:
'OakBailDay
The24thMay
ff youclonTgiveus a hdiday
We'llall runawaYt'

I rememberwalkingto theCenotaphin Gwersylltonedaywithschoolto seethe Princeot Wales

(theDukeofWndsoo.Hewaspassing through onhiswayto Caernarvon. I alsoremember
the1926Coal
Strikewhenmostofthevillagechildrenhadschooldinnersfree.
wasMrs.'Goody'or NainJonesasthechildrencalledher,Shelivedin the
TheschoolcErretaker
housenextto theschoolandshehad a littleladderup onesideof hergardenwallanddowntheother
sideontotheschoolyard.Theboyswerealwaysmovingit ! Shewasreallynaggy.LittledidI knowthat
onedayI wouldmarryhergrandson Owen.

MADGE ROBERTSNCESIMMONS
I was born on a Saturdaynight l6th February, 1929,to Seymourand FlorenceJones,at 22 Glanllyn Street
(Margarine Street)Bradley, nearWrexham. I was the youngestchild, my eldestsisterEleanorwas five
years older and Pauline four years older. Our mother, Florence died at the age of 32 when I was three years
old. My father marriedmy mother'ssisterand we moved to 200 Glanllyn , and this is when my memories
begin.
I often think how lucky we were being children of that era,thercwasa world to exploreand we could
do it with no fear for our safety.Explore it we did.
On the top of Barran'sHill, to the left was the wood leadingto Gwenyllt Park, wherewe would play
and sometimesproceedto the gatein the wall that used separatethe wood from Gwersyllt Park. We would
climb the wall, the gatewould be locked to keep us out of the Park. Once in the Park we would hurry across
just in caseJack Banatt would catchus. We would continuethroughthe Park, pastthe ruins of Gwersyllt
Hall and carry on to Llay Hall Colliery, or Brickyard, where we would pick blackberries.I was afraid I
would seea snake, becauseone of tle gang told me they had found a snakeskin. So I was not too keen on
blackberrypicking.
On the top of Barrau'sHill on the right was the gravel hole wherewe usedto play. At the side of the
gravel hole there was the path leading to the Wire Mill which was fenced off from the seweragebed where
Mr. Davies from 21 Glanllyn worked. There was a stile or fence we climbed over to get into the field which
took us down to the River Alyn, and before the main Llay New Road was built in 1937/8we could walk
to the Wire Mill houses.One of the houseswas occupiedby Mr. JoeWilliams who kept the fish and chip
shop(JoeSpot's)in BradleyWe usedto ask Mr. Williams for some scratchings(piecesof batterfrom the
fish) when we did not havea pennyfor chips,he nearly alwaysobliged or would tell us to comeback later.
When walking up the path to the Wire Mill we passedthe gravel hole, further up on the sameside
was Bem Chester'sfield wherewe would pick mushrooms,and catchbees in jam jars, illegally, of course.
Also in thatfield thereusedto be a big black shedwhere Mr. Chesterwas supposedto haveslept because
he worked nights at GresfordColliery. I rememberpeepinginto the shed,it was wall-papered, but never
saw Mr. Chestersthere.He was killed in the Gresford Colliery Disaster.Bern Chestet'sfield is now the
Old Mill Estate.
On the Back RoadMr. WalterTilston lived, he savedcigarettecardsfor me. Next door the Howells
family lived, further up Back Road was Benny Jones'Billiard hall, next was Jenkin'sfish and chip shop,
then Ashton House,thenTommy Griffiths', known asTommy Badrock, he usedto slaughterpigs for my
Taid in Rhosrobin.In the next houselived Mr. Emlyn and Gwen Miles, I usedlook after their baby son
Colin. At the end of Back Road was Stan'sShop , it was a long greenbuilding if I rememberconectly.
Back Road was also the back entrance to other houses.I was friendly with Hazel Penin, her father
worked for Mr. Simmonsbuilding caravans,we would sit for hours watching caravansbeing built. We
played in our gardens,gardensheds,in the woods, Park Gravel Hole, Wire Mill, also on the streetwhen
it was top andwhip time, marbles,hopscotch,we would be told off for drawing bedsfor hopscotchon the
road.We playedskippingin the rope,but noneof us ever wantedto tum the rope,but if you wantedto play
vou had to takeyour tum.
We usedto go down Barratt'sHill to get water from the well oppositeto the gateinto the grounds
of Mrs. Pritchard'swherewe would buy a pennyworth of apples.
As we walkedtowardsBarratt'sFarmwe cameto the bridgeoverthe river Alyn, this wasanotherplace
we played.We wouldclimboverthebridge,climb or slidedownthebankto theriverandunderthebridge
therewasa rock ledgeandthis is wherewe would play. I rememberabout6 o 'clockat night thewaterwould
rushdowntheriver andwe wouldsaytheflood gateshaveopened.Also I remembermenwalkingdown
the river with otterhounds,I wastold they werehuntingotters,I did not seethemcatchany.Also along
theriver bankMrs. Pritchard's
sideof theriver thercwasa woodwhichwasvery manhy,andwe usedto
walk,sinkingin all themudwhilstcollectingkingcupswhichgrewin themarsh,themwe wouldberinsing
our shoesin theriver to getthemud off beforegoinghome.
I attendedRhosrobinChurchSchool,thereforewe hada lot of religiouseducation.I waswalkingpast
Banatt'sfarm,with otherchildren,I peepedinto thefarmyard,andI wasjust in time to seeJackBarratt
slaughteringa sheep,I thoughtJackwasmakinga sacrificeto God,asAbrahamdid in the scriptures.
We would walk on to Top Bradleyandwould havethreechoicesof directionsto take.The oneto the
right would takeusalong thepath at the sideof the corn fields (beforeLlay New Roadwasbuilt) over to
Pont- y -Capel,passingthebig yew treein themiddleof Miss Blackler'sfield ( now Bryn Alyn Boys'Home.
We would havea roly poly down the bankat Pont-y Capelandthencontinueto Tom Tit's cottageon the
river Alyn bank.Dependingon how tiredwe were,we wouldcarryon walkingpasttheClayholeor past
WildemessFarm,acrossthefields to Dickie Edward'sfarm andfrom therebackto Bradley.At Top Bradley
we couldtakeleft tum which waspastFat Dick's farm to Cefn -y- Bedd,or we could go straighton to Pant
Mawr fields,feedthedonkeyandoverthefields to Uay. We did this sometimes andwerebraveenough
to go to the'Rec',if we managed to getin beforewe wererecognised asnot belongingto Llay, we would
beO.K.,but mosttimewe werespottedandtheLlay childrenwouldnot let usin. If we managed to getin
we hada goodtime on the slidesandswings.Miss Penlington,thepostlady,sheusedto call at the shop
on top of Barratt'sHill to buy a halfpennyGipsy biscuit to feed the donkeywhenshedeliveredthe letters
to Top Bradley.I would walk with her sometimes.
ChurchandChapelplayeda big partin our sociallives.I attendedBradleyandOlivet Chapels.In
Bradleywe usedto havethe 'Bandof Hope',I think the ladieswho usedto takeus wereMrs. tatham and
Mrs. Blythen,andMrs. williams from No. l, Glanllynusedto play theorgan,shewasvery strict,I was
afraidof her.Shewasthe motherof Megan, IreneandTommy. At Bandof Hopewe usedto recitean oath
thatwe would not partakeof intoxicatingliquors,I did not know what intoxicatingliquorswere,but I
recitedwith all the other children.I attendedOlivet Chapelmostly, as I can rememberbeing in the
anniversaries andalwayswentontheOlivetTrip, whichalwaysseemed to beRhyl.Whenwe congrcgated
outsideOlivet on theday,we would all be comparinghow mucheachotherhadto spend,mostlyit was
3/6d,but a few lucky oneswouldhave5/-d (25p)a fortunein thosedays,We all wantedto be on Frank
Harvey'sbus,helivedatRhosrobin. We wouldall bepositionedat theopenwindows, wavingourhankies
aswe drovealong.As we drovealongtowardsRuthin,we wouldhavegreatpleasurein countingall the
bendsin theroadon theNant-y-GarthPass.We wouldanive in Rhyl at theMarinel-ake,oneof my treats
wouldbeto havea doughnutmadewhile you waited,this stallwasat theentrance to theMarineLake.Our
motherswould thentakeus to the PaddlingPool, put on our bathingcostumes(probablyboughtfrom
Woolworthsfor 3d or 6d) We wouldthenbeditheringwith thecold,andthenventureinto thewater.No
matterhow coldit was,we paddledandour motherssatandwatchedus.We wouldalsogo to havea ridp
on thebikes.At teatimewe wouldproceedto pre-arranged
Chapelschoolroom
wherewe wouldbetreated
l
II to sandwiches,cake andjellies, providedby the ladies of that Chapel.I supposeour Chapel paid for it.
Also, I think, probablyan offshootfrom Chapelwould be to sing in MosesEdwards'Choir. Most of
the girls from Olivet were in the Choir. I went a couple of times, but not having a singer'svorce , was not
encouragedto stay.
On Sundayswe would be sentto Mr. Grady'sfor a bottle of pop to havewith Sundaydinner.Do you

I rememberSunday night fry-ups? That was the remains of Sundaydinner fried up for supper..The meat
from Sundaywas scouseon Mondays,Wash Day. I usedto go to schoolabout8.15 a.m. Mother would be

I sortingthewashing.I would racehomefrom schoolfor dinneq and the scousewould be boiling on thefire.
It would be scoopedonto a plate with a slice of bread,lovely. The washingwas still boiling in the boiler.

I
Back to school,home at four, if it had been raining the washing would be folded into wet piles ready for
drying in front of the fire at night. If it had not rained the clean washing would be folded or rolled ready

I
for ironing.Mother would still be washingafter tea.How I hatedWashdays.Thanksfor washingmachines.
I remembertaking the oven shelf wrapped in a piece of cloth to warm the bed. Dad always cleaned
the flues of the fire grate on a Friday mornings when he came from work. How the grates used to shine.

I Everyonewas very proud of their firegrateswhen they were polished.

The Co-op breadman usedto come twice or three times week , our breadwas kept in a big brown and yellow

Il Buckley mug, with cloth over it, in the pantry. The Co-op order usedto be delivered,and I rememberon
weekthethreeofus hada pair of wellingtonsdelivered.Divi Day wasalwaysgood,becausewe would have
orangesand other treats.Do you rememberadding up the gum sheets?
The family who lived acrossthe roadfrom us were Jonesthe Mill, they were calledthat becauseMr.

I
GeorgeJones'family hadlived andworkedGwersyllt Mill since 1851,possiblybeforethen.Gwersyllt Mill
was below Gwersyllt Hall Farm, (Dickie's) nearertlre river.
In the 1930's,the Depressionyears,people were relatively poor. When we were in the schoolyard

II at playtime at Rhosrobin school, we would seethe men walking to Wrexham on Mondays, and Wednesday
to sign on the dole, and on Fridaysthey would walk to collect the dole.
Mr. and Mrs. Stevel,ewis lived next door to us in No. 199,they had daughterBessieand Mary. In.
our front garden we had a privet hedgeseparatingour gardensand we children madea run through so that

I
we could get to eachother quickly. We usedto exchangecomics.
Mary had somecurling tongswhich were heatedon the fire and then testedon a pieceof newspaper

II
to seeif they were safeto put on your hair without singeingit. Mary was quite expertin thejob and I was
only too happyto be the model, this was on Saturdaynights when Mr. and Mrs. kwis would go out, and
we would go to their houseor they would cometo oursfor companyandthe hair styling. I wasa bridesmaid
when I was seven,and Mary performedon my hair for the great occasion,I was very proud of my wavy
hair. Mr. Stevelrwis was killed , alongwith other peopleat Gresfordduring the war in 194O.Bombs were

l
droppedon Gresfordthe previousnight, and the next morning a time bomb explodedkilling thesepeople.
They had gone to seethe bomb craters.
Our housewasnumber200,butthe housethe other sideofus was 167,andMr. and Mrs. Price Hughes

I lived there with family winne, olive, Bobby, Lilian and Gwen who was my age and anotherfriend and
playmate.They latermoved to 189Glanllyn, I think. Then Mr. and Mrs. Bellis cameto live next to us with

I trvo little boysDavid and Gwilym.

Across the road from our houseat the top of Barrat'sHill was the shopwhich was kept by Mr. and Mrs.
 Edwards,with daughtenMyra andConnieandsonBinny.At thebackof theshoptherewasa big garden
andbuildings,we playedthere,Binny hada hugerockinghorse,Binny let usall havea ride.He alsohad
a very big teddybear,he let me play with it andevenlet me carryit whenwe wentfor a walk.
Mr. NedGreenaway, a blackAfricanusedto cleanthewindowsin thevillage.He livedin a caravan
at Poolmouth,Moss.He broughthisladdersona trailerwhichwasattached to his bike.On Sundaysheused
to comeall dressed
up in his Sundaybestandpreachhis sermonsat the endof streets,we usedto go out
to givehim pennies.
Hewasalsoknownfor giving hisrecipesfor curingillnesses. My taidwasdyingfrom
cancer,andNedgavemy dada recipeandI canremembermy dadmakingit in the morningswhenhecame
homefrom workingnightsin uay Main Colliery.He usedto put yellow chickenfeedcom ontoa clean
shovel,puttheshovelontothecoalfire andeventuallythecom would producepopcom(whichwe children
wouldeat)anda brownliquidwhichdadwouldput in a bottlefor taidto drink.Taid did not getcurcd,but
thepopcornwasnice.
I rememberthe'Aunt Sally Man', hehada motorbikewith a kind of sidecarwhich wasthecontainer
for the'Aunt Sally'(a cleaningsolution)The containerhada tapon it andwe would takea bottleto befilled.
Anothercharacterwas'Charliethe Ragman',he frequentlycamearoundwith his horseandcart,
shouting"Ragsandbones",I don'tremembertakingbones,but I do remembertakingold clothes,andhe
reluctantlygaveus a pennyor a goldfish.
I remember tle'Hurdy GurdyMan'withhis barrelorgan,andtheperformingmonkeywhichdanced
on thebarrel organ,themonkey usedto be dressedin clothes.The manusedto wind theorgan with a
handle,andthemonkeydancedto the rnusic.I usedto love that,andwe would give the manpennies.
Two othercharacterswereJim andFred(Pop) Prydderch,I don't know why they werecalled'Pop'
doesanyonerecall? It wassaidthat Mrs. Prydderchwasfrom a wealthyfamily andshemarriedoneof her
family's staff, suchas gardeneror coachman.I canrememberasa very old lady sicing by the back door,
with a shawlaroundhershoulders andwearinga ha! they lived in the StoneCottageswhichfaced up to
theRoundWood, with gardens stretchingup to whereMisslrwis ( I think shewasa schoolteacher)
lived
oppositeMr. Ted Simmons,Glanllyn Farm.If I remembercorrectly,therewas small streamrunning
alongsidetheStonecottages.Mrs. BlackwellandMrs. Shawalsolived in the stonecottages.
PastorPomeroycameto the areaabout1935/6.He wassupposed to havethe powerto healpeople,
anda lot of peoplethoughthecould.My mothercontactedhim to seewhetherhecouldcuremy dad'sasthma
andmy asthma. Shewastoldto sendsomething thatcouldbepinnedontoour vestsagainstourchests.My
mothersenttwo handkerchiefs, andthey wereretumedduly 'blessed'andDadandI hadthe handkerchiefs
pinnedontoour vests.I neverhadasthmaagain,but poormy Dadanddiedfrom asthmaaged70.
Throughthevisitationof PastorPomeroyto theareaa lot of peoplebecamereligious,someweresaidto
have'Religious
Mania.'
We usedto walk downto Dickie'sfor milk, I ' /" d a pint (cheaperthandeliveredto thedoor)We
wouldwatchthecowsbeingmilked.The cowswould be standingup to their anklesin cow manure,the
flies wouldbe everywhere,
outsidethe shippontherewasa hugesquareof manure.Dickie'sdaughters
wouldhelpmilk thecowsandthencarrythemilk in to thecoolerwhichwasaboutfour feethighandthe
milk wouldrun downthecoolerwhichlookedlike anold fashionedwashingboard,runninginto a chum
underneath, thenshewouldscoopoutthemilk with a half pint ladle.Thenwe wouldgo home,twirlingthe
canto seeif we couldwirl withoutspillingthemilk, I neverdid, but I wouldhavea drink on theway , so
t0
I don't think there was any savingin going for the milk.
As we went to schoolwe would call for thosewho went to Rhosrobin School,and would haveloads
of fun aswe walkedfrom Bradley pastDiggory's farm down l-ea'sRoad.I assumeit was calledLeas'Farm
becauseMr. Job Lea was living and farming Gwersyllt Farm l87l to 1891.Richard and Henry Birch
farmedtherefrom 1851- 1861.I havelooked at old mapsbut the roadsarenot named.[ra's Roadwasfrom
Diggory'sFarm , it continuedundemeathwhereLindop's Garageis now and theNew Road,now theprivate
roadto Gwersyllt Hall Farm.Behindthe high stonewall thereusedto be a very big orchard,thenyou come
to the stream.[.ea'sroad continuedpast a well which usedto overflow and run back into the stream,then
therewas the sandhole where birds usedto nest in the bank and we usedto peep in to seethe the young
chicks.
Very often we would havethe canefor being late for school,all becausewe had played too long on
the way. Coming homefrom schoolcould be greatfun. There was alwayssomethinggoing on at Dickie's
farm We would sit on the wall and watch the sheepbeing dipped,or the little piglets being castrated,oh
how they squealed.
I rememberthe story of the Tithe Tax' trying to be collected from Dickie Edwards. Tithe was a tenth
part of the produce and stock allocated to the clergy. Dickie refused to pay it and I can rememberbeing told
put readingsfrom the Bible over the door of the shipponsand his property, the police were there.Dickie
and his family went to the Welsh Chapelon RhosdduNew Road.I think it was called 'Moriah'That might
havebeena reasonhe did not want to pay Tithe to the Church of England.I do not know the full story, but
it wasoften mentionedwhen I was young. I do not know whetherhe eventuallypaid up or wherethe Tithe
tax was scrapped.
On lra's Roadthe roadusedto havea fork which we calledthe 'Y', left was for Pandyand right was
up a steephill, when you reachedthe summit you went down a small hill and into Rhosrobin,the roadwas
only the width of the grassverge on front of the bungalows on IJay New Road, by Star Cleanen (Rhosrobin
School).From the 'Y' up the hill towardsPandy,where SpeedSix garageis , therewas a Whippet Stadium.
I havebeentold that the Stadiumbuilding wasfrom a Football Club, eitherAbermordduor Caergwrle.My
cousinPeterDavieswho lived at7 Glanllyn who was killed in the GresfordDisasterusedto racea whippet
there,its namewas Black and White Muzzle. His brotherJohnny Davies who died Christmas 1995said
the only time it won was at a Christmastime and they had a turkey and a bag of potatoes.Mr. Matt Knight
was the Bookie there,he later kept a shop in Bradley.
M y taid died in 1938 and my Nain came to live with us. Nain was bedridden so Mother and dad
neededa housewith a parlourto usefor Nain's bedroom.So on the loth January 1939,we moved to Pandy
when I was l0 yearsold and anotherera began,but I never last touch with Bradley.

SIBYL JONES

11
 hod no hot
I wos born in an old hDo up htso dousn house in Blo'ck Lane, Moss. The house
r,rrter, so 'lDrrter hoLdto be botledJor bathlng and- usashtng up. The house had' a cellar
uhere mg Mum dtd.the uashtng in an oldbrickbulltbollerJlredbg coal' Mg Mum and Dad
usent ou{one dag and mg sis te's usere leJtto do the uashing up' I fo;n tnto the kitctlenJust
as mg sirster llfted the so'ucepo;no;f botllng uater Jrom the stoue- Most oJ ttl€ luD(rtefu)a's
spilt6uer mg irm os I crashed' tnto het- I lulos uearTng a uallenJumper-ullc-h mg slsters
immedratety putled ofi takirg my skin lll/xh it I uas teJt utth a scar ushlch I hoJe to thls
dag.
we motsedto Bradleg ushenI usas about three g ears old Mg irst memory oJ the tause
tn Bradleg LDasa bo;ck gardenJull o;f poppies-
It ysis cotled. a'parlour house'. There uas no electr'rclty, ue hod gas llghts totth oery
grate utth an ouen and an openite, and
Jragite mantles tn them- we had a black leaded
sulng lron platesJor kettles and saucepans.
bur ,partour; utas empta. we couldn t $ford-Jurnibtre orJToor cooerlftg, lt .em..tf'"d
thb usagJot some ttme'
Foi pocket monel mg brother used. to collecthorse mo:nure tn a uheelbartouJor mg
mg
Tatd,s g6rden. One iqni mg Mum ard. Dad and me rehrned home Jrom a Dlslt to
Auntie's. As use usalked through the door mg Mum satd
'\Mhat's that au;ful smell?"
'
She u.rassoon tofindout. Mg brother hadput hts uheelbanrous oJ manure into tlle Int'louf
MgMumuentma.d.
'WeIl' sald mg brother, "lt l.;.llasro:intng and tt rttould spoll lf lt got ueL"
TheJamttg usho lfrsed nert door uere catled Rogets, I usedto plag wtth the goungest
daughtei. She roas catled Steilo.. Sodtg Shlela dted at a Dery earlg age'
The other slde oJus liued' aJamllg called Dtckens. Theg had one son called Franlde'
Wten the RogersJamilg moued out" aJamilgJrom G{fiiths Rou.rtn Guersgllt mooed tnJor
'MaSgY Bach' . Theg hod"
a couple oJ ieetcs . One oJ the wo .i tn tie Jamltg uas called
o noing goat tn the baik garden. We got up one mor'.lng and theg had disappeared,
uhere to I dan't lcnou.
I started schootat Gu:ersgltt church School uj hen I u:as oboutfwe years old. Mg uery
uere
bestJrtend. usas MarlonWtlllants. We userefierdsJor mang gears. Our other'rlends
Bettg Cheetham, NancA Platt, Gladgs Williams, Connte Jones, to name Just aJew'
We crll had greatJin pla1lng tn the Park and the ur,oods' We plaged m.o:rrAgo,mes tn
the streets, s,."h as hopscotch, skipplng, marbles, wttches Kitchen and stahrcs.
Tlme meant nothtrlg to us tur|en u)e u)ere engrossed ln plag ' Mg Mum used to slaut me
I thoughtl heard' her caIIIrg, so
Jrom the top oJ the road, to come homeJor meals. one dag
oJ I trotted,
uDid gou caII me?" I said . "No " sald' Mum' 'Oh I satd"' It musthot;e beenthe
GresJord hooter I heard.u I uon't tell gou ushat Mum sald to that'
Marlon had a lovetg doll's pram. It |tr/oLscoach butlt, black, ttstth ltttle rosebuds on
argue
black materTal ltntrg instde the hood. she uras the enDa oJ us all, and use used to
uhose tum tt lu.os to Push tt
we used to take newspapers to Joe Spot',sFlsh shop. I thtnk te usas called Joe spot
'scmtchings'( little blls oJ batter
beca use he hcrd alot oJ uais onhtsJace. Hb u:ould- glue us
ofrthejsh)Jorthe rerospapers' One dag tnthe Summerholidags, Manonandl tork some
tn blg
chalk ortd drelD ptctures oJ spotted,Jlsh oll ouer trte uoodenJTsh shop, and urote
letters "BW JOE SPOT'S SpOffeO ffSll' Somebodg s n ttched on us and txe uefe banned
'Jor useeks $terusards. gour
we had.etsacueesJrom Ltuefpool in the uillage during the uaf .IJ you hadroom in
who
house gouhad.to takein euacueis or lodgers. We h..d tf,ee menlodgtng atour house

t?
I
L uorked at the o,mmunttTonsJactory. one |UJ,as aMr. ousers Jrom Angleseg. He used. to go
home at weekends, and when he retrrned on a sundag ntght he brought back louelg pats
oJ butter Jor us. sometime s there :u,o,sa picture oJ a mtlkmaid tutth the goke on her

n shoulders d,nd.sometTmea ptc']./re oJ a cotts.

Mlss Dodd. usho liued ocross the road and had a smnll shop, had hto euacueesJrom
Ltuerpool. one uas called Joe and the other Jtm. Jim usas onlg about fuso and- a haf gears
tI old-and uas aluags snottg nosed and crytng. Theg soon settled tnand.had,ahappg llfe
rrith Mfss Dodd. Jlm and. Joe toere Romtn cotholtcs, and Miss Doddusas in tToubte :ulath

t
the priests one time ushen she olloused Jtm and Joe to go on the sundag school rrTp utth
the chlldrenJrom the 'Llttle chnpel'dounthe road. Jim neDer u)ent back to Liverpool. He
I manled a local glrl and" nous liues in Guersgttt.
we used to walk past the Park usall to school eoery dag. During the usar use ho,d the
l compang oJ the Yanks marchtrtg to the Mess tn Guersgltt ClubJor thetr breat{asts. There
uere qulte a lot oJ Yonks bllleted tn the Druage. Mg Jrlend had. one staytng at her house;

I hls nc:fiLe was Joe La Plante.

Mg Dad u)a.s a mlner, but he had to gtue tt up as he had. gangrene in hls;fingers
through the coal dust gettrrg into cuts. He had the top oJ hlsJlngers afiwutated- through

h gangfene.
Mg Jrrend. Marlon'sJather u;os a coo,l miner too, and" he also had to;irnish through tll
heolth.

l I
Bradleg uas and still E a louelg uillage. I utll aluags remember mg chj/d'hood and-
chlldhood Jriends u-rlth uarmth and happiness.

l I

hI
I
GWYNETH HOWELLS nee POVEY

II
II

hI
-
Asmostofyouwillknow,I wasanevacueefromLiverpoolintheyear1940.I remember thebombs
andmachine gunningaswe usedto runto thesheltersfromschool.Wealsospentmanynights
I-I intheAnderson shelteratthebottomof thegarden,thatis whenI learntcrochetandothercrafts.

lL Wecameto livein Gwersyllt

'Curlytheteacher.
andI havemanyhappymemories of theCouncilSchooland
Wewentto livewitha ladyweallknewas'AuntSally'inEwoodGrove.I canremember
to collectthemilktromthe'boy'withthehorseandtrap,thisboywasHilmer,
going
whoI eventually
married.I thinkthisis quitea coincidencereallyas I learntlateron thatAuntSallywaspresent
T- at thebirthof Hilmer,andFatedirectedmeto livewithherandthenmeetHilmer.
Doyouremember the'speedwells'and the'Girls'Guildry'?
l I
someSundaymornings
Bradley.Whowasleadingthem?Me,as I wasthetailest.
we usedto meetregularly,
we wouldmarcharoundthe villagesof Gwersyllt, Rhosrobin
anclon
and
Sundays werebusydaysattending Chapelthreetimes.Anniversary Sundaysweregreat
: events,havingpractised for manyweeks- myMumusedto teachusthesongsandpoemsetc.
TheChapelusedto betullto capacity, thesongsbeingenjoyedby all.

h PARRYneeBLOOM
URSUT-A

t l3
Having heard Mrs. Jones and Madge Simmons recall their
memories also Joe ChalLoner, ffiy orrn childhood thoughts
began to focus on one or two things I recall while living
in Bradley. Like t,he time War was declared in September
| 39 , At that time I Inras l iving in 4 Stone Cottages and
next door t,o the Ellis Family and I recalI talking to
Freda EIl is when the announcement can:e over the radio , at
that age we knew it was serious but not how it would affect
us. Then came the issue of gas masks, ident,ity card, the
blackout and Anderson shel ters r these came into the house
and were of a large steeL table-I ike construction with wire
mesh into which we crawl ed when there was an air raid.
Others r during air raids would spend the night under the
bridge on the Llay road. There were also air raid shelters
constructe'd i n the village, one was at the tgp of Barrats
hill where the bungarow next to the parks shop is now
situatedr dlso two or three more which were rnown as the
pool.

One particular event I recai.l regarding air raid shelters

was the time my brothe r lvor and Geoff Thomasr whose father
was in the fire brigade, w€r€ playing at cowboys and
Indians when Geoff who had his fathers fire axe/tomanawk
stuck it in the top of Ivor's head r needless to say the
blood spurted everywhere, it was only saved by Joyce
Robertsr mother who put her hand on top of lvor's head to
stop the flow of blocd and senL for the district outrs€r who
rewarded him later with a bar of chocolate for beinq such a
brave boy.

We used to go down to the se$rage works at Bradfey for

worms for fishing and tomato plants r dod cn one particular
day Ryland Dawson feIl in. Needless to say he wasn ,t very
sweet when he came out of it, hence the little rhyme

"Cows stink in the shippon

pigs stink in the sty
but nobody st,ank like Ryland
When he feIl in the sewage pie"

Another time which comes to mind is when the yanks came to

Bradley. They were stationed up at Gwersyll t CIub and
Tudor's BilLiard HaLl in Gwersyllt. Nearly every house
in Bradley had a Yank or two, but not in our case because
we hadn't $ot the room. Four particular ones t.hat, I
remember were Stewart , Braoford, Gonzales and O'Neil-, who
were stationed with Geoff Jones' parents at that time, and
needless t,o say with t.hem around we were never short of
chocolate or chewing gum and the adults weren't short of
American Cigaret.tes.

One of my favourite pastimes on a Saturday at that age was

to go to the cinerra in Wrexhamr In those days there was The
Glyn, The Empire, The Hippodrome, The odeon and The
l ' l aj e s t i c . I"lore of ten t,han not we would have to walk there

t4
f
T
T and back as our pocket money didn't stretch to getting the
bus and going to the cin"*. as werl. There was usualry

I several
it
of us who walked there
was quite
was favourable.
and enjoyable
and back to Bradfey
walk providing
and so
that the weather

il Lots of our spare time

Alyn I with a bottle
then was spent down by the Ri ver
of water and a couple of sandwiches
werd be down there r especially in the summer during
l school
playing
horidays-
and it
At \^/eekends we were always out somewhere
was a job to get us home at night,
the youth of today who get teiribly
our

not like
bored and [n"r, say they

I have nothing to do.

rn those days, Iike e v e r y o n - cr e m e m b e r s r m o n e y w a s t i g h t and

so the necessities

I that were bought-

long trousers -
as rsunday Best'
when
and not
r always
you
and ai that
h a
the

d a
luxuries
r e m e m b e r m y "f iLrrs"t
s u i t i t w a s a
the things

r
suit
w a y s
with
use,c

F
time mosL of us went down to
the I i ttr e chape 1 in Bradl ey. H o w € v € f ,r r r e m e m b e r c o m i n g
from chapel on this part icular sunday and there was a game
of Footbal-l going on on the L ray Road. r joined

F
in this
game as Keeper, only to go irving
F.I across the road and
take the knees out of uotrr trouser legs, r was so upset at
doing this., knowing how my parents had saved to get me this

F
suit ' which was a Brown Garberdene, that r rdouldn 't go home
unti I my father had gone to work at g or clock , However
r r ds
was later to find out r this was of no consequ€nc€ r
because when my father found out what had happened r was up

Ii
and out playing
because r hadn't
on the road
gone home before
we had to be home by 9 o,clock
at 6 .30 the next morning ,
he went to work r ds then
or we were in troubl-e.

h Everyone
couple of
seemed to
b o b , l -i k e
have a rittle
herping
job to try and get a

h
' a t D i ; g o r y s F a r m and Di cky
Edwards Farm ' r remember on one occas ion , when numerous
types of buses ran down to the R. o.F at l"larchwiel r r was
crossing the f ield to colr-ect Dougie, the old horse
that used to take the mi lk

h
f loat out ild got the halter
over his head and as r was coming up the road r when the
bus that was passing back fired ind in"
1 . horse started to
c11mD tne tree. r hung on for grim death and

Ifi
we took off
to where now is the Lindop Bros Toyota Garage and t,he poor
horse got t'rapped on top of the weLl.
It wasn,t long after
that they had to have him put down which \^/as
very sad, but
the horse was getting on a bi t. r went wi th Eddie Diggory
to the auct io-n_to get anot,her horse f or
the mi lk round. He
chose one called Nancy r a mare that was frisky and very
I lively, and when the aucLioneer was asked if she was a good

F
natured animal as she would be around a 1ot of children
on
the mi lk round, he said she kras a v€rlr very docile animal ,
marvelous wi th chi ldren and as r walked around the back of

F
the horse, he whispered to me ' watch out lad
or she , 11 ki ck
your head of f '- soon af ter t.hat we founo out t,hat as soon
as she was in the shafts, her ears went back and she shot
off li-ke a rocket.

F l5
 Later oo r at the age of r 5 , rike a rot of other peopre r
was to leave schooL - t"ly f irst job was with a Firm calred
Ridgeway Engineering, who were based then on the l,larford
Hill ' r wourd get to and fro from work by bike and most
morn ings r wourd ride wi th t"lr Bob Jones who worked in
Gresford, to get to my job in Marford. IvIywage then was 16
shillings for a 52 Hour week.

Going back a little in time, the peopre who lived opposite

me then were Mrs Boon and her
two aaugnters Betty and Mary.
sadly Mrs Boon and Mary are no longei
with us. They had a
leather stall in the market in wrexham and sold
to the porish a Lot of it
in the camp at penley. r remember they had a
big red standard vangard saloon, and at that time there lras
onry them r oll€ other and Ivlac Knig ht at the shop who had
cars in the village. rt sticks out in nv mind as Mary and
Betty used to 9et all the comics that were going wizard r
Dandy I Beano r Hotspur and Rover r which we always
swdpI this u sed to
is one of the smaller things that happened in
the days gone by.

The house where r used to live had onry one cold water tap
in the kit'chen r orl€ gas l ight downstairs and candres
upstairs ' For cooking ih"re was a black iron oven and an
open firer the mears h/e wouLd have from that
were out of this simpre kitchen
world and we lived very well Lonsidering
the times we were living in.
These are just a few of the memories r have of
Bradley living in
up to r953/4 when u/e left, they a r e v ery good
memories ' L i f e w a s v e - r-yt i ms e
imsp
. le and uncomplicated and yet
we were living in hard The type of life which we
had th en stayed wi th us al l the
w hi 1 e a n a i t g i v e s u s i d e a s
on what is varuabre in rife, and for myserf stilr apply
today ' The simple things , in" freedom to walk around the
countryside, friends that you've always had and stay with
you, the things that y?,, nring with you from your chitdhood
and r hope wi 1r stay wi th me ior
the rest of my rife.

GORDONWRIGI{|

t6
I
When I startedto think on thesethings, the first things I realisedwas how closeknit and insular we were.
T I could only think of a couple of things about Bradley.
Fintly I rememberedthe real gypsieswho cameevery yearto the small croft wherethe PostOffice
and housesarenow built, the horsedrawn caravansand the women going aroundthe housesselling pegs
I and flowers made from wood.
Secondly,I canstill seeTed Simon'ssmall pony andfloat from which he measuredand sold themilk.

T The float was all dressedup with ribbonsand rosetteswith big cardboardplacardsaskingeveryonero vore
for Dickie Edwards in the local election.
Living by the Congregational Chapel, and attending the Church school, I well remember the

I impressivesight of a Hearse,all glass,drawn by trvo beautiful horses,followed by the hone drawn cabs
which were in immaculatecondition, and also the large number of peoplewalking behind the cortegeto
the churchyard.

l I recall the first soldier'sfuneral, with the firing of the gunsand the soundingof the [-ast PosL
I remembergoingto schooland everyonelooking at boneswhich had beendug up when a gravewas
being opened.
I The whole school went to church on Ash Wednesday and Ascension Day. It struck me how
segregatedwe were between Church and Chapel, not a lot of difference to the Catholics aud Protestants
in Northern lreland. The first occasionI went to church on one of tlose days, I was in the Infants at the time,
l I went home at dinnertime and told my Mother that there were 24 vicars in church - these turned out to
be choirboys.

I The school,belongingto the church,made the Vicar the boss,and in the early daysif the Vicar and
his son walked in, we all had to standup and say,
"Good Moming, Vicar" and "Good Moming, Master Tom."

l An early recollection was being taken by my two brothers to Gresford Colliery yard on the Sunday
morning following the explosion.There were hundredsof peoplethere,and many had startedcollecting
for the DisasterFund.

F
i
I can remember groups of villagers talking, and how the conversation stopped when a child
approached.

I As a young lad of about 9 or 10 I went to Ellis's Farm during the holidays, where I witnessed,as a
matter of course, the slaughterof about 30 sheep,a couple of pigs and a beastevery Monday.

t I well rememberthe formation of the L.D.V. (I-ocal Defence Volunteers), the forerunnerof the
Home Guard. I rememberTom Harris and Harry Edwards, wearing forage caps and arm bandsand armed
with brushstalessettingoff through the woods. There are many talesthat could and should be told about

t the Home Guard, and it would be nice if someonecould compile thesetales of our local men, if it is not
too late.
On Summer Saturdaynights when it was still light, my brother and I would be awake when they

In turned out of the Horseshoeand Wheatsheafpubs, and invariably a couple or a group of men would be
arguingand eventuallyfighting on Badrock'scorner before they went their different ways. If we laughed

n
out loud or made a noise,Mam or Dad would come upstairswith the strap, and that would be that.
Do you rememberwoodwork and Mr. Manson?His bike had a long rear spindlewhich he stepped
on to get onto the seat.One of his sayingswas "Any lad who has not got a mallet, a chisel or a plane,I'll
smackhis arsewith them" - then on a Sundayhe would come along the CongregationalChapelto preach!

f I rememberthelovely long camival paradesat Wrexham,andvisiting the Royalty Theatreat Chester,

sitting in 'the gods' to seethe Pantomime.
I rememberthejazz bandswhich were around,going out for the day to CaergwrleCastle,Dan l-eno

E the Magician, baby and ankle shows, sheepdogtrials and the Rose Queens,run by the church and the
Cricket Club.
Can you recall the nicknamesfrom those days?Its greatfun to sit down and write a list.
I HILMER PARRY

h t7
I util1 .'r*,el"u with the trthinroztStadiun at. pandu. The Stadiun rcated
aopnoxinatelu one alundnedneople and the whiope taould be aaced on Satuzdau
altennconA. Uhen the whinoet taeina e1.a.sed it tcvZ latet u5?d dA d notot-
cqcle tnd.chand the wll Qnou;n tthexhamnotott cucli,st lta Jaek Llilhinaon naeea
theiL. I believe tln. tdilhinton alao aodein the IaIe 0;..l.tanT,T. aacet. Nn
Ir)ilhinton had a motot-eqclz Shop 6 Gand.ozin trl\zxhan (on nanu uedit. Thz
Stadiun ttenained unuzed (on a (ew qzant and finallq wat novzd to behind
c'utea,sult
t uonbino MznsCrub, now the ccuncit oepot. Speedsix Gaaaae/slto,dr'.oona
afte nou)on the StadiumSitz.
The lintt time I aaw an azttoplane^u.a at Bot.t"oa. Thenewzae(ouz aeaoplane,t
on the gnound,each painted in a di((eaent coloun, theq uune ournedbq the John
CobhanFlqing Cineu,s.'l( tlou had 5/-d qou eould have a tide in the aenoplane.
Nean to Eaad,leqwaa 9ichie Edunada, Fanm, llt- Edmtd,s u)aahnun a.s a hatd wn,
anqone lound on hia land wene quite Azvenelq deaLt with. 1ne qean he had
paoblzn,swith the Chuach, he ne(uaed to paq the Tithe Tax. He athed a (ew o{
thz lad's to go to the (anm on tlte datl the police wenz due to go theie to
cotlect the Tithe Tax. rlhenun aftlived, thete wenetablet, on which wet.elotA
o( eggA, and lttt Edunndatold uz to thttow the egga at the poIi.ce. tile thought
it wad aneat to Aze arr the eag qolb- nunnind downthe nolice ttni(onn, a( tenunndt,
oe had a ted. odntu.
Ae had to pdAAth,Louahl"l4 Edtrw.t.dl,dannttd.ad
to get to the nivet Alun, and oven
the- Atone hnidqe to -q?t ovei the ven to the RlacLlz4'a Aide ol the aivea.
In the pae-uw qedrta, the\e unl venq IittLe noneq, ao .sehootholidallA wefte
apznt havino pienica on thz niven banh. Thea.ewould be na.nuchildnen with
thzitt nothent, we would have loada o( dun,uoinnina in the tiven and plaqina
oaneAon thz iiven banrzlield. l'!ot nanu Oad,,t cane to tit on th.z ttivza banh.
Neat the !)ildeane,s,sFann, u,:adthe Clauhole, it wa.,sabout 1'90(t Ceep u:ith a
Iah-e in the botton. Vouy;omen in thein teent wou!.ddive (zon thz top o( the
Clatthote, a hain-taiaing aioht. The Cla"uholeunA (illed in a(tea the unn with
uv.Ate(non G4ea(ondCollienu .
Anothea plaee o( inte^zAt tM.^ ttne. tliinl.mill,, l,ta Jcz UiXlian,t the Fi,sh/Chio
nan (ivzd. He u,sedto pezl aII hia potatoet at hone, then whzel thzn in taclzt
o.caoaahia bilze to hit thop in B4adleq. Thz LIo-u Ne.us Roadutvl not built until
1937/8, ao he woutd puth hi^ bitze (,ton hit houte bu lhe aiven, thiouoh thz
nuddu lieldt until hz canz to the noad into Bnadl.eu. He netet lailed to open
tLia .shop, in aII Linda ol urp.ath.en.tt)euaed to tahe a ba.sin lon the chipt,
thintzino we had none than il lheq upte out intc a ba-a. 'l rtznenbzdu:hoh-o.d the
bioazat ba,sin,but I utill not mention namel. Pona Cant.olltA ldthen t?zpt the
Chip/ShopbeloneJoe lspotl trJillianA.
r8
 I
Thenz unrLe (oun ,supplizna o( miIh
I Banaatt's, Simmona. Theu all
in
Bnadf.z;t
, Dieh.ie Edwand,s,DigaoiUA,
had nilh. (Loata exeept Ted Sinmcna, clho madz a
'sidzeat on uthich to at and tlrc u,Ln anci thia ltz attacl'ted to hid bihe
I Thz 0Id t.lill E'state wa6 a huge ! ield , ulhiel"t I uta.st old LLpAgiven to ?x
dol-dizu nztudninq {nom the 1914/18 LNan,to atant allotmenta. In mU doA, it

f uJaA nQ-vei uaed (oa anqthing, exeent some eattlz, whieh Tommq l&addnoehl
Gni({itlza {oohed a(tzn. l.ltt Gni(ditha u;onhzd aL a butchen at Baddnoehain

I Gwen.sqll-t. Theee (tal a gupAtl ca,ravanon the (izld,

but theq neveft bothened anot
one-
.
it LaaAthene (on LJea4a,

Stanta Shtop,the Manha6 Speneen'so( Bnadleq. Aa aoon aa qou put tloutL{oot in

il hia thop, id qoutt mothen did not t,hop thene, Ulu Lxe,Le
not weleome. Neanlq
eve,Lqoneahoppedat tlte Co-op at Gwundullt, whu, the tDivi' o(eou,Lae. l,4am, .s
I no. 5631, ou,L 291t.. I wonb_ed
lon thz Co-on whiltt .stiLl at aehool and hnewu;ho
Llenememben'5, ttte couneil HouaeauJenednomNo.l to 200.

t I
Elaiz Dodd h.zpt a 'shop on Top Road. I nenembenhen (athen, he utaaa (,at man
and had di((ieultq in bendina and aettina thina,s {nom the hiah E lou; ahelttea.

f I
Tltett Qeot ttte baead in bio woodenbina and h? could nct qet thz bnead out.
A.Lao, he did not tihe to aeive thz Da^a((in, beeauaehe had to oo out,sidz (on

I it.
tle o(ten l'teandthz taIe.s o( the poot {,anmzn,s,the-ne L+'eieonlu (out eanl i.n
Baadlzq untiL about 1136. The ou)ne^aLlene, GeonoeBannatt, Dichie Edutanda ,
F Tom Ameniea , and l'latt Kniaht.
moneLtbq bootlzgging in
Tom Ameniea, wat auppoaedto lnave made hia
()Je h.new him aa the
b
I
' Millionaine'
A.menieaduninq pnohibition.

I The linat pzople to own l,tatt Kniqhta Shop uraa a (amilq catled Powzll (,nom
I
I
Summeqltill, theq onlq ,staued a ahont while. lihen ll4. lviatt Knight eameto the
a h o r s ,h ? w o u l d p i c h u 4 u r r o n o u r Lw a u ( n o m a e h o o l i ( i t w a a , r . a i n i n g ,a w o n d z n 1 u !

I tel{.ow, but the.ne waa method in hia madnett, up tcou[d tpend cu4 moneq on
\L}eetA {ttom hi's altop, not that ute lted mueh to tpend in thoae daqa.

I I
GzoqaeRobznta uaed to lLuna bua {nom Enadleq to Wdexl,r.am
,sonetimeahe would pieQ ua urJon the NaU (,nomtelrooL.
and tne waa ventl eood,

Evenqonehad coaL l,ine's n:henI waa uoune. l"It Jaeh ltlatQind, lmr,t,adad, uaed to

I |eII 'stich.a in bund(z.s, leettted hu tttbben band u,sl'ticlt

tube.s.
he eut (,ton oLd ean tqne

I l.!,a.Gaaduu,sedto mahz 'Poo' .

oop 2d. and have it
0n Sundaq'a Lcetuould ao thene (o,t a bottte oA
w'ith Sundaqdinnet, no Lili.nein t!;oaz Cattl.
f.leaBoote heat t!rc Pcat ct{{,ice, l,intttq, in the double {'ncnted houae on top ol
I llollq Buah.Teanaee , and th"zn in tlp new .shoytnext to J oe (*tilliam, t Chip Shop,
r.ohieh ia noLut'nz 'Chineue'. A's a matte-t o{ intenzat, the Poat Cd{iee in
I Enadleu ha'srnoved{,ivz timea.
Diaaonq'd Fattmi,s now Joeh Fettnani't SeeondHand Sl"iop.

T t9
 The BaelzR'oadtnadBq-nnuJonz,s"s EiILand HaLl, next doon uJaaa Fiah 6 Chip Shop
owned bq htanul.latthiaa , but it did not Laat .
lltt Simmona,dathen o{ l,langeE Katie una the und,entaLz.ea
and, the-qe Laa6a aian in
thzin {nont qanden.
T[te Shop at thz top o{ gannatt's HiLt, Luaalzept bq Mtt 6 Mna Edwand,,s,notrJan
'0{,1\Lieenez' . Benn
che'stenah"ept the {,anmneatbq.
T trtzne uazd to be big aatzd into GweusqlLt Panfz, j uat inaide tlienz waa 1rc
Lodae, the gate.s wzrLa.alwaqa eloaed and i(, qou ,aent in the people
{ nom thz
Lodge would cone out and a,sh_Ltoun buaineaa to be tltenz. The people I nememben
I'ivina thenz w8.48-,l.latiltiaa, Panna, and.DooLeqa. The enictzet (izld, uted.to be
mueh (uathen up the PatQ than whene it ia nou). Tltz Chuachalwaqd hetd thein
Fe.te'a on the eniclzet {ieI d .
Anothzn noted eLtanaet.zno( the vilf.aqz waa Geonqe t'ne miLl, a ni!.itant1 looh1na
nan with' a waxed mouataehe. He alcoaqd uJone. a (awn eolounzd.u,w.:rehoudeoveaaLl ,
uthich tu^eeaLX.eda 'a.(op' I nzven aawhim weai.antlthina elae..
,
The onlu Lada cohohad bibea in nu dau we4Q.the Enand,.s. Thein daC dttot,e
{oa
the {)nexhamTnanaycontCo., and u-,hen he tooh tnirtd to Rht1l, he wou[.C,baino baeh
c(d bih-ed to nepaia u:hieh lrc bouatnt ( nom thz eqcLinct tnaeb-
. I thine t4e aI I
LLtenton the euelina tnaek tultenuJeu:ent on thz Sundau Sehool Tnip to Rhtal. ,,t)e
had to maLze oun ou)nbih.ea, {,nom.
otd {namzawitlt p,Iamwhzela
T he 'Poolt aa it ouaaealled, uaed to havz a amal-l pond, tuhenit (noze u)e would.
alzate on it. It waa lilled in with ne(uae brl a chap eaLled. Tedd.t4 Jenhin,s.
(tJhenL'JewenQ-in aehool 4omeonethnew thz gatea into
, the pond. Tlte policz
eane to achool , at L the Iadd tDe^q-ealled into the Head.nadteusSt.ud,tl
, I d.on,t
thinh thzq evelL 6ound out who did it .
The'Rina' !'-adtaif.inad anound it be(orre the LNarL,
theu Lt;zrLe
nemoved
d.uninatlp
war. {on thz wai e({ont.
Br-ottie Pznt inaton the
poat ladq , / ive {eet nothi na . She muat lqave u-alhed
thoutand's o( mite-t in hzn time. She alwaqa Laoftzlaeed, boota up to hen hneea.
T he ('untheat d-elivetu *^ould be tlp houaea nQ.aaPant f,lawn Fielda et Top
SnadIeu.
llow to mention, mll eoutin, SamChal{onet, thz amanteat clne-aaec! man i.n B,tad/zq.
He uJcut'.rQaiina
Red 6 Gn.eentuita in the 1930,a u,henevQ.nuone elae had blaelzo\
navLtb(ue, !',Qal'so had nleatt in hit ja.ehet, dltene ale ,:till Aone men tazaftina
jaekzt,t tcit[i ttnote ytlenta in todau.

20
I
I A.Lzc, at thia time, aamemen in BnadLettLaone'P(ua Founa', th.eu thouoht ttneu
u t e 4 qt h e ' B z e a K n e e a .'
t I nzmemben
aoinq to Gqe.,s(ottd
Colliztu thz dau o( thz zxnlo'sion. l.tq (niznd'a
aiaten' 's ludband loat hia ti(e ttnene. L)n the pit banlzthene uxenehundnedac (
t peoplz waiting (on nuu)ao( tlein neLatived.
A (zlLow bq tlqz namz Fn"edLatLtarnatantzd a Jazz Band in Enadlett. tNz C,id not
I have anq inattumentd , a0 he got ua aI"l tc qztherL, wz ;ae,Legiven a comb witlt
tiaaue papa-,1ovQ-rLit, and manehedto Gandzn ViLLaae and Acton, Flr-zd told u4

T that id whene ttte 'to((a' lived and wz would colteet moneq{nom thzm. WQ- did
not q?t mueh, ao that waa thz end o(, the Jazz 1and. Tltz Jazz Eanda anound the
a,rLeawene call-ed t'Colenao" Bnopbo, "B{.uQ.bindd"- Moaa, 'tr;lltite Haftt"
I Bnouahton.
Pzntne

Ttte aignatunz tune's u)e-fte- "Colznao" Lt'aaBI-ue BeLla L'JeGathen.

I ,,The Bluebinda,, waa Thz }Ld !,liLI_Stneam
- ttSunmenhil.I."
waa Whenthe mooneomq.A ove-ftthe
t Mountain .

I
JOE CHALLONER
il

il
t
I
t
I
I
I
I
I ?r
 Some recoi.lections of ny Ii-f e as a boy growlng up in the
,Ors.
IrE sure tineslrere harrl. for nost people,
rhere were a Lot of unenlr cyed
netl, and. even the rni-ners who were
working, i.rel:e on sh ort ii.ee .
As children, we wele not oanmereri with
lots of toys etc., so the ganes we
played were vsry basic. We were very haDDy playing -cal1 ganes,
top and.
whip, skipping, an. nany streets
vere narked out in chatk in valious
shapes for hopscotch. Sone boys also hail bowlers, vhich was just
the
bare netal rim. of a bicycle wheel,
we ran around vith this, guid.ing it
with a stlck sliding in the groove.
Although it was just a piece of
sclaF I valuerl nine greatly, so that whenever
it was not in use, I
vould park it against a wa'l with
the stick placed carefully td lest in
the groove. I woulil not dreaE of letting it fal1 flat on the road. or
even in the garden for fear of danage.

f knew of no-one in those d.ays who had

a real. childrs bicycle. We
had to improvise with a scrap frame
and two pran vheels. rf we r-ifteai
up the frane the wheels fell off, and rre c oul.d. onLy ricle doyn hill-!
Our only chance of a real bike rirle lras
on our father.s if he had one./
Iecause we were too sna1I to reach
the sadclle, we had to rid.e with ou!
riglt leg through the frane and often
ended up wj.th very oily socksl
-4.slearner rid.ers this was o.uj.te a
tricky task but with great skiJ.1 and
deterrnination we succeed.erl anil .noved.
on to a nuch raore d.a:rgerous
manoeuvre. As we trew, we reached. the pedals by
stradciling the cross_
bar and wobbling our body frorn sid.e
to sirie. r shud.der to think of the
danage we nay have d.one to our manhood!
i.io_one warne<i us of the
potential. danger, ,re need.edrnore
than a cycling helmet for protection
in those d.aysl tr-he
n we need.eda rest fron pedalling or we were
free_
lrheeling downhiIl, we sourehowresteci
one cheek of our buns on the
crossbar' sti1lr r and others have rived and functioned to te11 the
tale!
During this perioil, I nust mention .the terribl,e disaster at
Gresfold Colfiery. Even as a child this was a particularly sad tj.ne,

22
 s o many pe ople in Eradley and the surround.ing districts were affected. in
some way or another. For oays it was common to see women openly cryine
in the street.

l':any of the unenployed roen used to consregale at the toD of the road
(aS we called j.t) probably discussing the issues of the <iay. . A . sn a n y a s
20 or nore would. be there each d.ay, it vas the centra] point of the vij-Lage.
I tlontt know where they gathered on wet d.ays. The nurobers varied, a.s I
have already rnentioned, nj.ners were on short tine. lach colliery had a
d.istinctive hooter and often one o! other would blow for tlro minutes
d.urati on. The roen would recognise the sound, it uasto inforn then not to
turn up f or work on the f oll owing shi.f t ,

As child.en we knew nothing of poritics, but as f ears grew of a s ec ond

world. warr r recalr vividly how the group of men jus t d.isappeared. overnight.
the change was oramati.c. There was a Dig f or Coal camlaign, and munition
f ac t ories opened at l{arehwiel . The c orliery hooters were blown to warn
of inpend ing air-raid.s , they were als o b I own together with the church
be lls t o ring in the lJew year .

Miners cane hone fron the pits, their faces still black with coal
dust' sone wore clogs and as shifts startetr you c ou*l hear then clatteling
in the street. Soue were transported to work in coaL d.elivery lorries
which r,rere adapted with forms to si.t on and a canopy overhead. for bad
weathe!. Tonny Eel1is vas one of nany who nrovi.d.eci this servi.ce. iii.ners
were alLocated a ton of coal which,when d.elivereri, was dronped in a heap
outsid.e their house. Often you would see women folk assisting if not
sorely on their own having to bucket this ton of coal fron the road. into

their c oal-house.

I renember funeraLs - the coffin was carried. j.n a hearse rrrawn by

two horses. A11 the rnourners, i.nclud.ing the inoeriiate fanily wouJ.d

fol1ow in a procession walking up the park WatI to Gwers;rllt Church for

internent. In the winter months when the roads ,ere slippy the horses had.

3reai dlfficult qetting up the hill to the Ohurcn.

At veekends it vas connon to see youns men and wonen, the latter

being more conspicuous in their lons dresses, uarking d .o l r n l a r l e t t s Hilr

and. then across the Fant i'iawr fields to a d.ance at the l.-iners Uelfare in

Llay. irrhether tney cane the sa:ne tvay back, I d . o n rt knowr 3S it wouId.

have been well :Dasr ny bed.tiine.

One of the highlights of the year for us was the annual Sund.ay

School trip to the seaside. I shouro inagine on this day Erarlley was

J-ike a ghost villate, because as many as seven coaches woukl leave for

Rhyl, taking the scenic route through the Nant-y-G.arth pass and Euthin

and returning via i4o1d. George Roberts could only spare f our of his

coaches because he ran the bus service fron Bradley to }Jrexhan, the

rest vere other proprietors. one yea!, soneone decid.erl for a change that
we should. go to Southport, not being able to find the sea there, we.

children gave it the thunbs d.own and reverted back to sunny Rhyll

As boys in those clays, we were more or less allowed to ranble at wil1.

Alon6 with othere I ualked, to :or1:as Airf i.e1d to see Alan Cobhan's

Flying Circus. I was very inpressed vith one stunt, a roan got out

of the cockpit and waLkerl on the wings of the bi-plane whilst stiIl in

flight. 0n thisoccasion Nurse Olrenis (the district Nurse) husband.was

given a free flight for correctly €uessing the height to which the

snoke rose fron Gresforii Colliery chinney.

Later on we becane more adventurous and rode cn our bikes to

Sealand Aerodrome when all RAJ'Stations held an nir Display to

c o m m e m o r a t eE m p i r e D a y . After seeing 3 shows there,we rode to Tern

HilI, the other side of Whitchurch, this was a nuch larger aerod.rome.

This was in liay I9)9 when the RAF only had three Spitf ires and. they f lew

over c ertain aerod.romes around the c ountry. Inagine our thriIl at

seeing them f l-ash past, very 1ow, along tire runway.

One nore nenory that sticks in ny mind was the dispute at Dickie

Edwards farm cver paying his Tythe to the Church. It was some forn of SaIe

to raise the money and there were cars rarked all the vay down the old

road from the tulning for Pandy <iown to the farn. fn the yard was a

stage or platforn on r.rhich Dickie Ed,wards was prepared to seLl his

youngest d.aughter, naured Alwena. This was as sone forn of gesture of

d.efiance, I su?pose. No-one obviously made a bitl, as she becarne ny school

24
I
slreetheart and she was ind.eed' a b l a c k - h a i r e d beauty. Perhaps 1t is not
I just a coincioence ihat i have a iaughter named Alwena.

I
I TEGWYN LEWIS

t
T
T
T Amy Watkinsand I werebornon this villagemanyyearsago,me in 1921,and
Amy in
worse'
1924.We have seen many changes,sornefor the betterand some for the
Bradleyhad no Councilhousesthen,just old housesand plentyof fields.
t Whenit was timeto go to school,we bothattendedthe CouncilSchool.
to walk aroundpast Diggory's farm and throughthe wood. We would
We had
haveto come
the gypsies would
homeat dinnertime and witx backagaintor tlgo p.m. Sometimes
T be therein the openingwhereyou co--uld go to the Wauns.We usedto be terrified
w9ek,and
of
them.Joe Spot,sChiilShop we remembir well. 1d fish and chips in the Not
2d fish on a Saturday.lt you took newspapersyou wouldhavea bag of chips11""'black
I far awaywas the Chapelwherelvy wiight us6o to preach.Mr. Greenaway,
on a
the
Sunday, My
man used to clean our windowsand ilso preachbdin the road
them to
GrandadWatkins,Amy'sDad usedto sell sticks. Me And Amy had to deliver would
f the shopsin Rhosrobinand Gwersyllt.lf we met any of our school mates we
pretendit wasn'tour truck.Timeswerevery hardand not muchmoneyabout'
lf the Gresfordhooterblew,that meantno work. My dad usedto come home
f from work all black,so we usedto have a tin bath on two chairsby the
if he
fire with the
had left any
waterfrom the boiler.We usedto fight over the snappingtin to see
f buttiesfor us.
For manyyearswe only had candlesand paraffinlamps,earthtoilets,and
the
marbles
RadioTimesto wipeyour bum on. Eveningswere spentplayinghopscotch,
f and skippingunderthe lamPs.
We used to go for walks aroundthe Wildernessand aroundthe woods.
Our
spent
picnicwouldbe a nbttrcof water and jam buttieswhich we would enjoy.we
was at the
tf manyhappyhourspaddlingin the riverwith otd shoeson . DickyEdwards
from the
farm as we went aroundine witderness,so we used to pinch his apples
it'
orchard.Theyalwayssaidhe put the bullin there,but we neversaw
f
F iLLiAIVISNCECHESTERS
EDNA,'AI

F
tl .)<

F
 Myfatherwasbornin Gwersyllt, buthadlivedin Bradleyall hislife.MyMotherwasfroma large
familyandtheylivedat HollyBushFarm,whereJock'ssecondhandshopis now.MyMothers'
parentswerefarmers,andbelorecomingto BradleytheylivedbetweenRhosandPenycae. My
Fatherwasa blacksmith by trade,andworkedat variouscollierieslocally.Myparentsdecided
to leaveBradleyto keepa publichousein MineracalledTheVictoriaVaults,andthisis where
mybrother GeraldandI wereborn.NotlongafterI hadstartedat Mineralnfantsschoolwemoved
backto Bradley, asitwastheDepression andbusiness inthepubhadgonedownbadly. Welived
in4 WillowCottages, nextdoorwasa MissAliceLewis,a teacheratthechurchschoolwholived
withherelderlymother.MyGrandmother andmyUnclelivedin Number1,theendcottage.Next
at GlanLlyr FarmwasMr.andMrs.TedEdwards., Acrossthe roadfromus livedtwobachelor
brothers, TedandHerbertSimmons,I thinktheywereunclesof MadgeandKate.Theyhada
hugeorchard withappleandpeartrees.Theorchardrantromtheirfrontdoorto wherethehouses
arenow,andasfaraswherethePostOfficeis nowsituated. Totheleftof ourhousestoodthree
oldhouses, theBlackwell's theShawsandthePrytherch's, thelatterwerecalled'Pops',I don't
knowthereasontorthis.Ourhousewasa twoup ,twodown,withanoldblackpolishgrate,coal
fire,anovenanda boilertheothersideforourhotwater.Wehadnobathroom, sowehadto use
a tin bath in frontof thefire.
I attendedGwersylltCouncilSchool.The teachersweregreat.Mr. Joneswas the
Headmaster, theteachersI remember beingMissFfoukes, MissTaylor,MarthaRoberts, Jenny
MaudThomas,DickHughesandCurlyRoberts.I alsoremember NurseBosworth, we usedto
callherNittyNora,becauseshewouldlookin ourhair,earsandneck.We usedto likegoingto
woodwork lessons,astherewasalwaysa nicebigfireinthegrate.Mr.Manson wasthewoodwork
teacher. Helivedin Rhosddu andusedto bikeitto school.Hewasa nicemananda bitreligious.
Onedayoneladsmearedglueoverhisbicycleseat,andanotherpeedin theglue.Heusedto
chaseusaroundwitha malletor chisel!.
Aboutthistimemybestfriends wereGlynEdwards, DonaldPlattandEmrysLewis.None
ol us hadbikesin thoseda)rs,we usedto playmarbles,ballandtopandwhip.
Weseemedto have hotsummers andwe wouldgoforwalksdownpastDickyEdwards's
andplaybytheriver.
As I gotolderI wouldhelpoutat myuncleandaunt'sfarm,HollyBushfarm.OnSaturday
andSundaymorningslwouldtakelotsof cansof milkto deliverbyhand,butinthecoldweather
thecanusedto cutintoyourfingers.I likedit betterwhenmyuncleandI delivered the milkby
horseandtrap.Sometimes itwasawfulasthehorsewouldbreakwindsomuchitwouldblowyour
hatoff !
At thattimetherewasa wellat thebottomof thefield.I do notknowif it is stillthere.
I remember mybrotherGeraldbreakinghisthighbyjumpingovera ropeby Mr.Knight'sshop.
Hewasin hospitalwithhislegin tractionfor quitea longtime.
Soonafterthis timethewarstartedandso didthe rationing, butwe neverwentshortat
home,as mymotherwasa goodcookandkepta goodtable.
OnSundaysourfamilyattendedGwersyllt Church.
I alsoremember gasmasktrainingat school,theUayNewRoadbeingbuiltandCrosville
busesrunningon gasbecauseof petrolshortages.
Myparents boughtme a pianoandI wentto Mrs.EdithPridding for lessons,shestilllivesin the
samehousein Rhosrobin. Lateron I continuedthe pianowithMr.TrevorEvanswhotaughtat
theoldchurchhousein RegentStreet,Wrexham.
I leftschoolat 14 andundertooka7 yearapprenticeship withMr. Kaltonthe Dentistin
RegentStreet.Mypaystartedat 5 shillingsa week.At the endof myapprenticeship I did my
National ServicewiththeRoyalArmyDentalCorps.at Aldershott. I remainedmoreor lessinthe
-sameprofession untilmyretirement someyearsago

E R I CN I G E LR O G E R S
26
I
The first memories I have as a child living in Bradley are lying in bed in the early hours of the
I morning and listening to the colliers walking past our house' the clogs on their feet making an
echo on the road. They were going to wait for Tommy Bellis's lorry to take them to the pit. At ten
I to five in the morning a hooter would sound, and again at five o'clock. Most of the men and boys
worked in the mines then. A common sight was coal dropped by the gates of the colliers and very

I often the wives would barrow it into the coal house.

My sister Kitty used to want to go out to play around the gas lamp by Granny Chester's
house,this is where all the young ones seemedto gather.There would be Tecwyn Lewis, Jack
I Roberts, from by the bus ring, Mary Lewis and one other girl, I think her name was Elenor, but
poor Kitty would have to tag me along. She would sit me on granny Chester'swall, or they would
I go down to Joe Spot's chip shop and leave me with Jack's young brother sitting on the fat boxes
in the chip shop.
I we had a very happy time at home, my brothers owen and Geof along with my dad would
play darts or snooker, we had a small table and I recall all the furniture being pushed to one side

I for them to play. My mum frequently played the piano and we would gather round her to sing.
The War startedand things changed.The first year of the war my Dad insistedwe sleepunder the
stairs at the Council school in Gwersyllt. My grandmother was caretakerthere at the time, and they thought
I we would be saferthere if bombs were dropped. Some other people usedto take their farnilies to sleepunder
the bridge on the Llay New Road,especiallyif there were warningsof air raids. Shordy after my dad got
I killed, not by bombs, but bY a bus.
I rememberthe railings that went around the village circle by the bus stop being removed for the war
I effort, alongwith any iron that could be collectedfrom gates,etc.We usedto haveblue stripsof masking
tap€ criss crossedover the windows to saveglass splintering in any blasts, and of coursewe all had to have

I blackoutson the windows.

The double deckerbusesusedto have a trailer with gasat the back, becauseof the petrol shortage.
This usedto smell dreadful. They also had what looked like a venetianblind over the headlightsto stop
T the light rays shining upwardsto attractenemy aircraft.
During the war everyonehelpedeachother.My mum would exchangeour sugarrationfor soapwit}
T Mrs. Harry Davies. Most people had their own chickens, so you would exchangeeggsfor some other
commodity.
f Then therewere the regularconcertsin the old billiard hall. Mr. Knight would come to our housewith a
trailer to take the piano to the hall. My mum would play it, and Mr. Knight would do monologues,a
favouritewas'BurlingtonBertie'.Mary Taylor would play herviolin, and Violet Meacockwould sing. She
f had a voice like Judy Garland.
Rationingbroughtlots of problems,and in particular if your feet grew quickly and you needednew
f shoes.About every six monthsa personfrom one of the Departmentswould come to school to measure
ourfeet.Ifthey hadgrownfastyou would getextracoupons.Mum usedto sayto me "Pushyour feetforw ard

F so as to qualify, but I was never lucky enough,I'm only a size 3 now. Muriel Wynne' my friend, always
got them. Most days I played with Muriel, and something that sticks in my mind is sitting watching

F Muriels' Dad in the gardenshedcutting men'shair .

We would go for picnics down by the little streamon the New Road.One day we had
just started

F
paddlingandmakinglots of noisewhen Dickie Edwardsappeared from underthe bridge,he shouted
"Wheredo you think you are,in bloodyBlackpool?"We wereso afraidof him we ranfor our lives.
Otherfamiliar sightswerethe navy blue fever ambulancearoundthe village. Scarletfever and
diptheriawerevery commonthen.Also a Mr. Edwardsfrom Rhosrobinusedto comeroundtwice a week
to collectanddeliverwetbatteries
for thewireless.Thiswasbeforepeoplechangedfrom gasto electricity.
Then therewastlte window cleanerMr. Greenaway.I wasa bit dubiousof him becausehe was
colouredandcolouredpeoplewerevery uncommonthen.TherewasMr. RooneyandMr.Povey theroad
men.You wouldalwaysseethemwhenyou werewalkingto school.Theyalwayshada wordwith youas
you passed.
Miss BeattiePenlingtonwasthe Postl,ady all throughmy childhood.Shewould walk up to Top
Bradleyanddownto thewiremill andit was a long way carryinga heavypostbag.
AnotherhighlightwastheBradleyChapelAnniversary.This wouldtakeplacethelasttwo Sundays
in June.All thechildrenfrom theSundaySchoolwouldtakepartrecitingverseandsinging,andwould
be dressedin theirbestclothes.Thentheywould be rewardedwith a SundaySchooltrip to Rhyl.
NurseBoswellwastheNune, I think shedid all of theareaasclinic nurseandschoolnurse.Nitty
Norashewascalled,poorwoman,shewasn'tin thefront line whenlookswerehandedout.

ThentherewastheSchoolBoardman.If you wereawayfrom schoolfor morethanfour daysyou

wouldgeta bluenote.Failureto respondto this would resultin theBoardmanbeingaround. He would
put thefearof Godinto you.
Therewerelots of girlsin our road,Mary andConnieEllis thetwins,Mary andBetty Boon,Beryl
andMargaretChallinor.We all usedto play in the road.It wassafe,nobodyhadcarsin thosedays.We
would play hopscotchandgetinto troublefor chalking on the pavement,andtop andwhip. We would see
whocouldmakethebestpatternontheheadof thetop whenit wasspinning.It wouldgavea kaleidoscope
effect.Skippingwasanotherfavourite,chantingrhymesaswe skipped.We playedball on thewallsuntil
we drovemy mumcrazywith thecontinualthumpingyou couldhearin thehouse.
Wehadhve shopsin Bradley.TherewasDodd'sshopaswe calledit. Mr. Doddwasa naggyold devil.
I remember Ceof my brothersendingmy otherbrotherGeraldin for a pennyworthof creamedturnips.I
cantell you he cameoutfasterthanhe went in! 'Ned Fart'ashe calledhim chasedhim with a stick.
StanDavieswasanothercharacter. If you hadn'tgot theright money, he wouldn'tserveyou.
Mrs. JonestheTop Shopsoldeverythingyou could think of, from knicker elasticto paraffin oil. She
wassonosyandwouldgrill you aboutall your family beforeyou left theshop.
I wasa memberof theGreenwoods. I think it musthavebeensimilarto theGuides.It wasthejunior part
of theGuildry.Mrs.Edwardsfrom theMansein Gwersylltusedto takeus,alongwith Mrs.Griffithsfrom
the Mold Road,Gwersyllt.This wasattachedto the Congregational
chapel.

JOYCEHANMER neeROBERTS

28
I
T I attended the Infants' School in Gwersyllt known as the Council School. The only
teachers I remember there were Mtss Maloney and Mlss Belton. If it was ratnlng hea\5/,
T and I must adrrit it rained a lot Ie Wales, my mother would keep me at home , then on
going back to school, Miss Maloney would call me up and say "He must be a sugar baby
- afraid of the rain!". Certatnly I must have been well looked after, because I had to wear
t leather legglngs whlch were fastened wlth a row of small buttons up the slde, and a
rubber ralncoat complete with sou'wester.
Occasionally I must have got illto trouble at school, because I remember getting
t caned wtth a ruler across my hand by Miss Belton, the Headmlstress. It certainly hurt.
In this school we had a brass band - at least we had the lnstruments. They did not teach
us muslc, but as a member of the band I played the qrmbals and really enJoyed lt. They
t also had a ma54role whtch would be set up inside the school. We would then have to
dance around it makfng patterns with the tapes until they were plalted around the pole.
After chapel on Sundays the whole village seemed to go for a walk - normally
t throug;h the Round Wood . Ifyou as chtldren were on your own and got a llttle boisterous,
as we sometlmes dld, someone would always call in at home and report you. You were

t always asked at home what the text was for that service and you were expected to
remember it. At the chapel Anniversar5r we would normally have to reclte ftom memory
long passag;es of scrtpture, or stng a hymn or song. At a rehearsal for one of these
T Anniversary Servtces there was a glrl called Dtlys Vaughan Hughes who had a lovely
contralto voice .She was shglng when three of us boys Jolned in with her to stng a klnd
of descant. It obvlously sounded good as tlley all wanted us to do it at the Servlce, but
f we must have been really awkward because we said nol

A special day was Whlt Sunday, when we always had somethtng new to wear, and
I Heaven help you tf you got your clothes dlrty. I was wearing a new pair of boots one day,
and that same day I went down to Dlckte Edward's farm, and helped them get the cattle
fur for mtlklng. I was standtng Just outside the shippon when some cows came rushtng
I out, and I stepped back, havtng forgotten there was a drop there of a couple of feet tnto
the area where the cow muck was thrown from the shtppon. I went into lt and was stuck.
The manure came up to my knees, everyone was laughlng and I was hauled out, stlll
f covered in manure. I scraped ofi as much as I could, but lt was qulte obvlous where I
had been as you could smell lt as well as see it - I was ln trouble again!

t As a boy I had no partlcular hobbies. I llked readtng and also enjoyed maklng
games with wood, that is bagatelle and draughts. During the day I would pl,ay wrth
friends, they would be immedtrate neig;hbours at first, then as I got older the clrcle spread
f to further parts of Bradley, then to the next vtllages. In school, howwer you played wtth
dlfferent ones. Boys dld not normally play wlth the glrls, certainly not at school where
you were strictly segre$ated for plaJrtrme, There were tlme however when boys and glrls
f dtd play together, wtth sptnning tops in thelr season or with hoops, these could be just
hoops of iron or bicycle wheels whlch were wlth or without spokes. You would propel
them along with a stlck and run wlth them. The sklll was trytuxgto hrrn corners at speed
: without slowrng down. Normally the girls would play thelr own games; skippfng, tag,
ball, house or even hospital. The boys would be playtng football, cricket, cltrnbin€ trees,
and then the tag would go on all svgl the vtlage. You had other games whlch came ln
F their season, like conkers and marbles. One game we played and pa.rttcul,arly sulted to
the blackout during World War TWo was called 'Sound Your Echo' One boy would run
offand then shout' Sound your echo'. Ttre one who was 'tf would then try to track them
: down by shouting out and then answerleg. It was a game that could go on for hours.
il A lot of memortes go through the war. The day it started, I was walking along the

F
 road towards Gwersyllt, e4pectlng to see the Gerrrans come over in an aeropliane, whlle
our men stood on the ground with rifles fuing at the planes - eight year old boys had
very funny ideas! They built an alr rald shelter across the road from my home, now the
chip shop. It was a blast shelter really. Then everyone was issued wlth gas masks which
we were oq)ected to carry at all ttrnes. There were identt$r cards , and I have noUced that
the number you were given on that card is now our Naflonal Health number.
My father was a member of the Home Guard. He had been in the T.A. until l93g
as a corporal, because of thts they made htrn a corporal in the Home Guard, mainty ,
I think because he was the only one familrar vrith the Lewis Gun. He brought home wtth
hirn all his training pamphlets , and having read them that often I knew them off b5r
heart. There was a tale of one man who was shot and lctlled b5rone of the Home Guard
patrols. My father refused to talk about ttrls and we heard nothing more. All the men
who were not ln the services were expected to jotux some part of the cMl defence. I
remember seetng some of the A.R.P., especially at night when they came around
checking that no ligf,rts were showing, but the group I remember most were re Home
Guards . They had one of their flrst parades opposite our house, and tt rea$ dtd look
llke Dad's Army! They were in denlms which always looked awful, they had armbands
which satd L.D.v. - Local Defence Volunteers, but no weapons. They came later as did
the unlforrns, they also changed their name to Home Guard. Regular arrry instructors
came to tratn them, but ttrese old boys in the Home Guard were elther too old or were
unfit and they did not Ilke being chased over flelds and assault courses. I heard qulte
a few grumbles about these instructors chasing old men over the fields.
some people in the vlllage appeared to b€ more important then others. These were
the local shopkeepers, Mr. Matt lfuight, Mr. Fisher, Mr. Jones and Mrs. Boot, the local
policemen, Mr. Jones, farmers Dickie Edwards, Mr. Diggory and Stan Chesters. Then
there were the teachers, the Minister and the Headmaster, Frank Jones. The Headmas-
ter was the only one you called 'sir', because he lnslsted on it. He was also the officer
tn charge of the Home Guard, and when lt came to p.T. tlme at school he would take
all the boys and give them drlll. At one tirne he also pointed out that not on\r were we
to call hirn sir, but lf we passed hirn in the street we were to salute him (shades of Dad's
Arml) My father found out about this and went mad, I was gtven strlct instrucuons not
to salute the Headmaster, and I think the whole thing died a death.
On the day they announced that the war in Europe was over there were great
celebrauons in the village. They all seemed to gather on the juncflon opposite Knight,s
shop. Someone brou$ht a radiogram onto the street, and everyone started danclng aJrd
singrng. The whole village seemed to be having a great ttme. Food was broug$t put and
sometine it wasjust cake or some cheese rolls, others brought out drinks and lemonade
for the youngsters. Then a little later the Blackout restrlctions were llfted and shops
were allowed to have neon lighting to advertise thelr businesses. I remember going into
town one evening and thought lt most unusual to see some of the shops lit up. The neon
lights at the time were very simple, but to me they seemed wonderful.

LT. COLONEL J. ROBINSON - COLCHESTER

30
)

)
I wasbornonMay30th1933,theonlydaughter of JaneandRobertHughesandchristened Dilys
Vaughan Hughes. Vaughan wasmymother's maidenname.Mymotherwasaged38whenI was
I born,andmyfather5 yearsolder.We livedat 22 GlanLlyn,Bradleyat thattime.
Mymotherwantedto namemeGwynneth, butpriorto mebeingbornshewasworkingin service
inBolton. Whiletheresheattended chapelandmacte friendswithUlyJones,whoseparents came
I fromCefnMawr.OntheactualdaythatI wasborn,Lilycameto visitandsaidto mymother. ,'lf
youcallherDilys,I willbuythepram."Needless to say,mymothertookherup ontheoffer!
I wasfourwhenwe movedhouseto 181,Glanllyn, nowno.9 Heol- y - Wal.I canjust
I remember thiseventandbeingveryexcitedat theprospect
-
withfruittrees blackcurrants andraspberries. Looking
of havinga largegarden,complete
back,I can'tforthelifeof meunderstand
whywe hada largegarden,becausemyfatherwasa veryreluctant
J gardener,
it !The loveof hislifewasfishing,usuallyin theRiverAlyn.ln facthewasknownin thevillage
as'BobtheFisherman'.
infacthe hated
As soonas he gothomeafterworkinga shiftat UayMaincolliery,he
t wouldbeofffishing,notretuming
listening
days.
forhisfootsteps
tillit wasdark.Asa childI canremember lyingawakeat night,
- I waswoniedincasehefellin.Wealwayshadplentyof troutinthose

I I attended Gwersyllt Councilschool.Myfriends wereBettyFisher( wholived2 doorsaway)

BerylLloydandAliceMayWilliams.Onmyfirstdaylwastakenthereby BerylLloyd'smum,I don't
knowwhymyownmumdidn'ttakeme! Atterthefirstdaywewereonourown,noschoolshuttle
t serviceinthosedays.MissMaloney
dayoneI
wasourteacherinthe'Babies' classandt dislikedherfrom
I waswalkinghomef romschoolonedaywithmyf riends,andwegotasfarasthecottages
T whereNigel
spikedrailings,
andGeraldRogersoncelMed.Therewasawall
weusually
infrontof thecottageswhichhad
climbedupandwalkedalongthem.Onthisparticular day,BettyFisher
slippedandtellontooneofthespikes,it wentintoherarmpit.I ranastastas I couldtofetchher
t Mum,sheinturncalledforMr.BobJones,theambulance
it stitchedandshesufferedbadlyfor fewweeksafterthat
man.Shewastakento hospital to have
I attended BradleyCongregational chapel,SundaySchoolat2 p.m.andEvensong at6 p.m.
T TheSuperintendent wasMr.FredJones.All hisfamilywereinvolved. SonCyrilanddaughter
Fredaplayedtheorganandthe piano.Approximately onehundredchildrenattendedin those
days,because for regularattendance at SundaySchool,youqualified for a freebustripevery
t year,usuallyto Rhylor Llandudno.
We hadan Anniversary Serviceeveryyearwhenwe entertained the congregation with
songs,poemsscripture readings etc.Wehada makeshift stageforthisevent.The'baby'chairs
T wereat thefrontof thisstage, largernext,thenformsat thebackfor thetallestof us.Allvery
unstable! Theboyswhostoodon theformsbehindus, in particularGordonandlvorWright,
JimmyRobinson andRonRoberts usedto pushusto makeourformwobble,hopingit would
f collapse
Wrexham
duringtheservicel
areachapels.
We hadan annualScripture
Forthesewehadscripture lessons
examination too,it included allthe
twicea weekto slartwith,thenevery
nightastheexamdrewcloser.Wewerereallykeento passbecausewe didn'twantto letMr.
f FredJonesdown.HeandMr.GlynTrevorgaveupmuchof theirsparetimefortheChapeland
thechildren of Bradley. I stillhavea bibledated19€ forpassing thisexam.lt is inscribed'The
Denbighshire Sunday SchoolScripture Examination.'
f Therewasa manlivingnearus calledWilliams
whilstplaying inthestreetwithJohnnieLewis,SylviaEdwards
buthisnickname wasFarmer.Oneday
andBetty Fisher, theballwentinto
hisgarden. I wenttothedoorandasked,
f "PleasecanI havetheballback,Mr.Farmer?"
-B---- Otf." Mymumanddadthoughtit washilarious,
Hewasnonetoo Dleased andtoldmeto
butas a kid,I surewasscared!

F Minnie
Myfather'sbrother,Frankmarrieda ladycalledMin.Theyhadthreedaughters;
andMona.Theyalsohada littleboy,Frankie
Minwasdevastated
whotragically
Betty,
diedattheageofthree.Auntie
andneverreallygotoverthistragedy.Shewasa wonderful Aunttome,sadly

F
 shediedelevenyearsage.Wehadlovelypartiesat herhouse- oneof herfavouritegames
involvedbobbingfor applesin a bowlof water.Wecameintothe roomoneat a timebut prior
tothisAuntieMinhadblackened herhandswithsootfrom upthechimney. Thenshewouldcover
oureyeswhilewetriedto gettheapplewithourmouths.Wewerethensentto a darkroom.This
happeneduntileveryone hadhada go.Wewerethenbroughtintothelightedroomscreaming
withlaughterat otherpeople's' blackeyes, too innocentto realisethatourswerethesame!
I thinkthechildrenin Bradleyhada goodlife;somebetterthanothers.As an onlychild,
I thinkI didverywell,neverseemedto go shortof anything.
Oh happy,happydays!

DILYSBITHELLneeVAUGHANHUGHES

I was born in Railway Terrace, Gwersyllt ln 1926, and moved to Bradley when I was
about four.
My dad wasFrank Hughes and my Mum was also called Minnie. There were three
of us glrls, Bett5r, Mona and myself.
Dad worked in Llay Matn Colllery. He used to travel to work ln a lorr}r, as did the
other mlners, lt was owned b5rTommy Bellls who was a coal merchant and llved on the
Bottom road next to the stone brldge in Gwersyllt. The miners used to be allocated a ton
of coal, I thtrk it was one every month. The coalman used to Up tt by the gate, then the
men, after a hard day's work would have to carry it to tJre coal house.
My Dad had two brothers and four slsters who all lived ln the vilage. I used to play
'with my cousln Lucy Davles and Margaret Davles , slsters Winnle and Eva Bromham
and Evellm Crump who lived across the road. Evelyn's dad was ldlled tn the Gresford
Disaster in 1934. She was the eldest of four chlldren he left. I was eigfrt at the ttme, but
can remember tt was an awful day , so many local men were kllled.
We used to have good times playmg dressing up, hopscotch , marbles and skipptrxg.
We'd play tn the wood by the Waens. In the Bluebell wood we'd ptck bluebells, cowslips
and violets, you don't seem to see those ln the woods these days, and to ttre Round wood
where we'd roly poly down the Batters.
My mum was from Bradley and so was her friend Hetty Jones, she had a son Lee
and a daughter Glenys. We would walk to Caergwrle Castle and have a pic-nic,
sometlmes we would go on the train, that was a real treat.
We'd go for walks through the Wilderness and down to the Clayhole, you'd see all the
famtlies there on a Sunday.
We moved to No. lOO, to a blgger house, as my dad's si,ster was living wtth us. Nerrt
door llved Mr. and Mr. Hestly, he worked at the R.O.P. garage ( I thXrk that stood for
Russian Oll Products) It was later bought by Tommy (Transport) Roberts.
32
I
TWo doors away lived the man we knew as ttre Aunt Sally rnan. He used to sell tfiis
t liquid soap. He had a bike with a trailer on which he had a tank wrth a tap. You'd take
a bottle and he'd ffll it. It was very popularstuff.
I we used to go to Bradley chapel in the week to the Band of Hope. we had to put
up our hand and promise not to touch any into5cating liquor, I'm afratd to say I've

I broken my promtse. we would go to church on sunday, as we as we went to sunday

School up by the Park Wall we would sometimes meet the men comlng home from the
Club. We would say "Hello Uncle- whatever their name was" (they weren't all relations)
I and they would give us a few coppers, then we'd call at Barker's shop just over the stone
bridgle on the Mold Road, or to Ted Swap who had a shop on the Bottom Road, and buy
I sweets.
The vicar was Aurellus Jones . He and his wife used to have fetes in the Vicarage
I in Summerhlll. They had a lovely garden, and used to grow a lot of grapes'
Mlss Dodd was Supefintendent of the Sunday School and later Sally Blackwell who

I had a shop in ChaPel street.

Mr. Herbert Powell was with the boys. He was later secretar5r of the Welsh Football Club.
Mi,SsAda Penlington was our teacher, as was her sister Beatue who was also Post lady.
I They had a brother Tom who lived on the Mold Road. I was in the G.F.S. ( Gtrls Filendly
Society) It was held in the church hall. Mi,ss Club and Miss Myra Williams used to have
I trips out, usually to Llangollen. Mtss MSna later married Curly Roberts who was one of
our teachers at the Council school. There used to be a fete at the park, and there would
t be a cricket Queen. we were all pleased to go itr that. Mrs. Emlyn Jones and Mrs.
Blackwell used to run lt, it was a big day for us getting dressed up.

r we had whlst drives and dances, my friend Audrey Edwards used to play whist,
so we were allowed to go wtth her, she would play whlst and we would go to the dance.
Joe Hoknes used to have a band, also Hector Allen, so lt was great, especlally if my dad
f came for us, as he could dance, and he would show us some of the dances'
We were preparing for the war and we had to have practlce what to do in an air raid. If
T we were in school we were not allowed to came home to Bradley, we were given houses
we had to go to. I was to go to Rhosrobln, but when the supposed siren went I ran home
f so of course I was ln trouble. We had to carry gas masks everwhere and pmctise puttfng
them on, they had an awful rubber smell.
We had a lot of evacuees here from Liverpool, it must have been awful having to
:
leave their families. We made ftlends vdth quite a few of them, some didn't stay long'
but one of them, Jirn Chester who lived with Miss Dodd never went back, he married
F here and Uves in GwersYllt.
we had a happy chtldhood, everyone seemed to have the same, we knew everybody
F in the vtllage, tt was like one big family'
IJ I uson the Lottery I u:ould still rrant to l1,oein Bradleg, that's mg home'

F
I
MINNIE HUGHES

F 33
tJhen I s tarted at Gwersyllt Church School I was taken by Enily Parry

wiro was a ieacher there. She had. two sisters, one was Eunice Parry

can I t remember the nane of tire other, and a brother call-e d ?,en,

The Parry famil1' lived between Jack fisherts and Auntie Alice and Joe

H u g h e s. Alic e and i oe had three d . a u : : h t e r s Do r o t h y , ; e r y l and ie:rnif er .

leryl marrj-ed Davud.Grif f iths wno is now Vicar of Gresf ord Church,

he was e Llay boy. Eunice Parry and f amily n o v e d , f r o i n H eo l - y - w a i

to wirere Elwyn and Kytha Rcberts now live, next to the Gueens HeaC.

Do you remember Clif f ord. Jones (Ci:ippy) who lived next door to

I'-r. .re lvirs. Bob Jones? O : e ed a y I had on a kniited beret whicir my

Auntie Glad.ys had mad.e f or De r he was throwing st ones and. one cut my

head, the beret was covered, in blood. ano that was the first and Last

time I wore it!

I was an attend.ant in the Cricket Sueen fete. !/e used to practlse

each week in the stables at the back of the Wheatsheaf Pub in

Gwersyllt. OLwenJones, Rosemary Jones and Gwyneth Shone were also

in t h e C l u e e nI s r e t i n u e . Jean Elwyn from Summerhill was the Cricket

Queen that year. She had, long dark ringlets. Alma Orens was lady-in-

waiting. ALna had a sister called. Sylvia and their parents kept a shop

at the bottom of the Iiirdir, (iwersyIlt.

Irene Wynne, Connie and. rnyself went to Jackie Earrettrs farm for

mi Ik, when iack s erved. us r we were t old by our Iiothers t o ask f or

* pints , but if his i'iother served. us we asked. f or 1 pint and beins the

€ienerous lady that she was ,she f illed our milk cans to the top ! I

If Irene d.id.'nt c one with us and Jack served. us r he always asked. f or her,

I think he fancied her!

tlhen I was seven I was at ny Auntie Gladys anduncle Ern's house

when they vere d.ecorating. uncle Ern was vhitewashing the ceiling, starrdinS:

on a tabIe, and I was sitting on the floor und.erneatb, singin€' frcm a

liynn Book I'Thete is a Green Hill Far ;wayrrras f crawled' out on all

fours Uncle Ern jumoed down cn to ny arn and broke it:

 ili,!lt:,r!,

I
t 0lwen iones (who iived. next d.oor to us ) Alma Dawson and. I'lurie1 Wynne

hao. a Sale in my I'iumrs back yard I suppose they would cal-l it a car boot

t saie now (without

cakes through the back window.

iire car) ano mi' l:um and Auntie Gladys sold

C a n r t r e m e r n b e rw n i c h c h a r i t y
tea, pop ano

thiswas for.

t I hao s ome bright red nai 1 varnish a n o A l n a D a w so n a s k e d t - f s h e

coulo snell- it atid so d.id iluriel llynne, think I nust have nushed too

t harc, i', oried. cn their nosesf l,-rs. h'ynne came to our house to conplain

t to ny l{urn, and. she in her

1oo.
'vlewere
the only house in
temper took
-'rad.Iey
the bottle

that
and enptied

had a reC lool

it dcwn the

il The Wynne f ani 1y had a buo.gie which d.ied.. .['.r. Wynne wrapped. i t

in cotton woo1 Fut it in an oxo tin buried in in a Srave which was marked

I with ,, cross and l-ittle stones a1i round. it. One day, weeks af ter,

i,.uriel Wynne and I d.ecided.to dig it up to see if it haC turneo to

I ashes! It was still whole, it looked. so lovely until i picked it uf)

r and all its feather stuck to my hands.l

A n o t h e r t i m e C o n n i e \ , l y n n e, C h r i s s y Challoner (Joe's sister) and.

t I went on our bikes to Llay Rec. As I went down the slide I ripped.

ny c oat and they nad.e me go uD anC d.own the s tree ts in Llay with ny c oat
I hanging d own. I d.are not go h orne on my own. I had. been warned. not

r to get into an./ trouble

i^arion Wil1ians,
ano this

Gwyneti: Fovey and I

was a decent 6 g a b e r d . i n ec o a t .

used. to to to the 01d.iiaIl,

I Gwersyllt Park to play. We boiled potatoes in old tins and ate then

itrs a wond.er we d.id.rnt have f ood poisoni.ng. The liall had a love1y

I c oat cf arns under the ivy over the i'lain Door, there was a1s o an o1d.

t c oach, I wo n d . e r w h e r e t h e y w e n t .

I remember sleeping at Gwyneth Poveyts house. Ve went to Grove i'ark

I SchooL t oge'uher, a1on5: with

Prank F.oberts (t:lclcey).

Alice i ' i a i r l ' ; i l l j - a m s, i ' i a r i o n W i l l i a n s , and

a Af ter attend.ing Gwersyllt Church on a Sund.ay night, I r e n e r Co n n i e

r Wynne and I used to go to neet C..'ril who lived

boyfrlend.), we took fright halfway

in Llay

and when we gct halfway

(fr" was Conniefs

between the

r J)
 banks up the t oP of the hill on the Llay New Roadr we would sing at the

top of our vcices I A 1 1 o f a s u d . d . e n) C i r t y black pudding went plop

against the walLl I I tn i nk if zr11.r6t" hao heard us r they w oul -a have

run e nile.

lie used to make snow nouses on our f ront Lawn ano Bobby Davies,

Fiyland lavies and a few others vroula come and. throw snowbails to knocl:

t t 0.own. In our s tree t we had. ;;rea*, f un. Ue p layed around the

lanp oost, there was a wid.e oavement and. it was our usual meeting

p1ace. Some of the f arnilies around. there were the lJatkins ' Tommy

ilollis, r-ravid Griffiths arid broti:ers, Connie, Raynond.and. Robert jones,

(tne ehil-oren of I.1r. ;i i'lrs. Bob Jones), G1yn, Enid. and Clifford. Jones,

Ahna, R y l a n d a n d N o r m a n D a w so n . Norman Dawson is now the f rad.Ley

P os tman ,

When ny Grand.ma, wiro lived in Cef n-y-bed.d Srnithy , was ill r we

stayed there to look after her. I travelled to school in Gwersyllt

f ron there. A teacher caIled Itiiss Ell-is Picked. me up in her car r I

th nk she travelled fron Cueensferry, she used to let me comb her hair

f or her, it was in a bun. Other teachers I remember were l"iiss Rogers

and I'iiss Jones, the latter m a d . em e d . r i n k h o t milk whieh had been put

tc warm in f ront of the huEe e oal f ire (tto central- heating in those

days) I hated it and have never liked hot milk since.

Please exeuse my writing and spelling they were never my good.

points. lly Mun always said. I only passed. the scholarship f or

for Grove Park because there was a spare seat that yeal!

GLADYS JONES nee WILLIAI{S

36
t
t I rememberstartingschoolaged5. we left at 15 in thosedays. We would alwayswalk
to andfrom school- no bus or car ndesfor us. Eachday we wouldbe grven2d

il (remember peruries?)
Chapel. It was so
tius was oursto spendrn Miss Jones'sshopon the hill oppositethe
small vou couldonly have four customersin thereat any onetime.
For our 2d we would be abieto buy 6 sweets.When we camehomefrom schoolwe were
I allowedto play outsidefor aboutan hour but we alwayshad to be in bedby seveno clock.
I usedto take a torch to bed with me eachnig:irtwithout my Mum knowrng(l think).

t From an early ageI lived ir my presenthouse- 40 l{eoi-y-Wal, at the back of the houseis a
wood andwe look out over the River Nlan towardsJack Ba:rattsfarm. Gladyslived next
door to me andwe would oftenslidedown the nearbygrassybankon piecesof cardboard,
I manya time we were sentto bed earlydue to the holeswhich had somehowappearedin
our pants. We alsousedto enjoymakingmud pies,howeversincewe werenot allowed

t any water we did the next bestthing andusedwhat Nature had givenus - I'm sureyou can
guesswhat that was. When we were about 12 we would all walk to CaergwrleCastlefor a
picnic,it was safeto go without adultsin thosedays. We would alsolove to go to
il WildernessFarm down by Dickie Edwards.

A gul who was in schoolwith us was very popuiarindeed- her motherkept a shopur
I Rhosrobrnso therewere lots of sweetsfor her friends. Anothershopin Rhosrobrnwas
calledAgnty Ethels.It rvason the top of Little Hell and if rve helpedher gettingthe

t potatoesandvegetablesin sherewardedus wrth OXOs which was greatin thosedays.

We were a happyfamily, my Mum, Dad and my two older sisters. My dad worked down
il the pit at Llay Main and my mum was always at home for us when we arrivedback from
school, sheusedto makeher own breadand pies and when shemadeher weeklytrip to
the CO-OPshewore Pondscream.
I Therearea lot morememoriesthat I hold dear,startingmy fust job at Rogers& Jacksons

t in Wrexham,SundaySchooltrips to Rhyl on the first Saturdayin Juneeachyear - those

werethe dayswhen Chapelwas threetimeseachSrurday.This was a tin Chapelin Bradley
wheretwo housesarenow built next to the old Fire Station. I rememberso well my Dad
rf cominghomefrom hrs shift at the pit andhaving a bath in front of the fire - he was covered
in marksfrom wherethe coal had fallen on him. He used to take his Snappintin to work
eachday and mum would put exta sandwichesin {br us girls - they alwaystastednicer
rl afterthen trip down the pit.

rl My mumdied when I was only 2l and I still miss her, shegaveme andmy sisterssuch
a happychildhood. A few weeksagoMinme and I lost a dearfriendwho had lived by us
all ou livesandwho we saw everyday, and althoughwe missher we still rememberher.
II
il OLWEN HALLAMBY neeJONES

No one can take our nxemoriesaway

tf
I
5 l