PART TWO: Here is Grangetown history covering the Second World War and a little beyond, as well as a look at sport, transport and entertainment. We hope to add more features and would welcome any stories, articles, memories or photographs. Please email us. Return to Part One
Thanks to Jack Payne, Bob Jones, Zena Mabbs, Ken Harris, Tony Hicks, Peter Ransom, Dennis Courtney, Dai's son and the Grangetown Local History Society for their help.
| JANUARY 2 1941 - A DARK DAY OF WAR
Let's start with perhaps the blackest
day in Grangetown history. Itcame in the Second World War on 2 January 1941,
when an air-raid during the full moon caused widespread casualties in the
city. It started at teatime and Grangetown was the first area to be hit.
Hollyman's Bakery, on the corner of Corporation Road and Stockland Street,
saw its large cellar used as a bunker for local people. But the three-storey
premises took a direct hit by a landmine and 32 people in the shelter were
killed. The bomb, which ended up in the cellar floor, left an 8ft pile of
rubble.
The dead included baker Alfred John Hollyman, 74, son William, daughter-in-law
Margaret, 12-year-old granddaughter Joan and daughter Ethel, 43. Brother
William survived, as he was sheltering at another premises nearby.
It was thought the remains of those who perished were buried on the site,
but descendants later discovered two Hollymans were buried in a city cemetery.
Another eight people in nearby Clydach Street also died. There were also
a number of homes destroyed in Jubilee Street - three blocks of maisonettes
were built in their place. The Grangetown National School in Bromsgrove
Street was forced to close, because of an unexploded bomb 20 yards away.
The death toll across the city saw 165 dead, 427 hurt and nearly 350 homes
destroyed or had to be demolished. Chapels and Llandaff Cathderal were
also damaged. Due to censorship and reporting restrictions, there were
scant details in the Western Mail of the day beyond the headlines.
The families were not even able to place notices to the dead.
But life also went on and in the week that followed both Rex Harrison and a
young Lawrence Olivier were appearing in plays at the Prince Of Wales
and Park Hall theatres in town.
There is a plaque to those who died at the bakery site, erected by Grangetown
Local History Society on the wall of Clarence Hardware shop, which now
stands now on the spot.
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Dad's Army - the Home Guard at the Grange
gas works. The works, off Ferry Road, opened in 1865 and was a big employer
George VI's coronation in 1937 - Grangetown
didn't need an excuse for a knees up, with one of the many parties being held
in Warwick Street.
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Bombing of the San Felipe
It was a sunny afternoon in 1940 or 1941, I cannot remember which. There were many people about in their gardens and in the street when our attention was drawn to the drone of an aeroplane getting louder and louder. I then saw a twin engine aeroplane flying along South Clive Street. It was so low that it was almost touching the chimney pots of the houses. I cannot recall seeing any markings on the aircraft but the engine sound was similar to that of German aircraft, a rhumba rhumba beat. Mrs O’Connor who lived opposite said she did see German markings on the plane.
The plane continued to the end of South Clive Street and then turned left and flew towards Cardiff Docks. It didn’t seem to be flying very fast. When the plane came over the Docks it banked and I could see little black dots falling from it. The black dots seemed as if they floated down rather than drop quickly. There followed a muffled sound of explosions and someone shouted its dropping bombs and everyone ran for their shelters.
That evening my father who worked at Cardiff Docks came home and told us that a ship called the San Felipe had been bombed in the docks and a number of men had been killed.
MISERY AND EXCITEMENT - THE WAR AS A GRANGETOWN BOY Misery I will start off with the
misery because it is always better to finish a story on a happy note.
I was six when the war started a pupil at The Nash in Clive Street, Grangetown.
Not that that was particularly miserable. When the war started we were
all issued with a rubber gas mask contained in a light brown cardboard
box. There was a length of string going from one side of the box to the
other so that the gas mask could be carried over your shoulder. We had
to take the gas mask to school. If we had enough bread in the house, which
wasn't often, there was enough room in the top of the box to put a fish
paste sandwich. Each day in school we had gas mask practice. This meant
at a command from the teacher who would then start counting we would take
the gas mask from the box and pull it over our face. I can still remember
the strong smell of that rubber. We were supposed to have the gas masks
on before the teacher reached ten, with the teacher calling out don't
hold your breath make sure you breath. If you hadn't fitted the gas mask
properly as soon as you took a deep breath the sides of the gas mask contracted
and you couldn't breath at all this meant that many children would tear
the mask off much to the frustration of the teacher. Eventually when all
gas masks were properly fitted we had a session of walking around the
classroom in file. The viewing panel of the gas masks easily steamed up
with children unable to see where they were going. Bumping in to each
other and tripping over desks. The problem was eventually overcome by
rubbing soap on the inside of the panel. We were all issued with a small
piece of coloured ribbon, red green or blue and a safety pin. This piece
of ribbon had to be worn on the chest every day as it depicted where you
would have to go in the event of an air raid. Some children being allowed
to go home, some being collected by parents and others shepherded to a
meeting point and taken to a communal air raid shelter. I cannot remember
what colour I had but I legged it for home as soon as the siren went.
My mother couldn't collect me because she was working in White Wilson's
Factory situated on the corner of South Clive Street with Ferry Road.
Prior to the war this was a furniture factory now changed to making ammunition
boxes and the like. During the air raids some of the children in my class
were killed and we had periods of silence to remember them. I remember
the teachers were upset but I cannot remember how I felt about it at the
time.
I was taken by my mother to see the devastation at Tresillian Terrace
where a whole rank of houses were destroyed, I also went to Corporation
Road and saw where some people had been killed at Hollymans Bakery, and
of course the Mansion House opposite the Plymouth pub where the Noble
family and some men sheltering from the blitz were killed. One of the
things I remember most about these blitz sites was that in nearly every
house that was destroyed the stairs were still intact. It was probably
for this reason that in the early days of the war before we were issued
with an Anderson shelter we always took refuge in the pantry under the
stairs when an air raid began. When the Mansion House on the corner of
Ferry Road and Holmesdale Street had a direct hit and was completely destroyed
I had to pass this site the following morning on my way to school. The
road was covered with debris, people were digging amongst the ruins looking
for survivors or bodies. The road was also covered with hosepipes like
a lot of spaghetti. On arriving at school I was sent back home again.
The early winters of the war were very cold with much snow and sleet.
Most of the people of Grangetown had started the war with very little
having just come out of the depression. Now they had even less. Food rationing
was a problem for parents, "Dig for Victory" was a slogan well-publicised.
This meant we started to grow our own vegetables. This also meant every
time a horse came along our street I was sent out with a bucket and shovel
to try and beat other boys in a race to collecting the manure. We made
up for the lack of sweets by purchasing Nippits, zubes and liquorice root
from the chemist. I can only suppose that as a result of the food rationing
and shortage of fruit we were not getting enough vitamins so I and many
other children suffered from boils and abscesses. We would have these
on our necks, arms, legs and bottoms. The boils and abscesses were sore
enough but the treatment was even worse. A poultice either of the purchased
type, like sticky putty or one made from bread was smeared on a bandage
or piece of rag immersed in boiling water and then whilst it was still
red hot slapped onto the boil. This was meant to bring the boil to a head
so that it could be squeezed and burst. It was absolute agony!
The schools and our houses had only one form of heating - a coal fire.
Fuel for fires became almost impossible to get. Coal merchants stopped
street deliveries. I remember bitter cold days being sent out with holes
in my shoes just covered with a piece of paper or cardboard, with a pram
or a sled when snow was on the ground to different coal merchants to try
to buy coal or coke. I wasn't very successful. Every book in our house
was eventually used as fuel. Besides heating the house the coal fire was
also the only means of heating the hot water system. Consequently there
was very little hot water. This meant we didn't wash very thoroughly or
often and tide marks around a child's face was commonplace. Needless to
say our hair wasn't washed very often either and flea-infested hair was
almost the norm. The "Nit" nurse visited the school every week and all
children had their hair combed with a steel nit comb which besides collecting
the fleas and nits left deep furrows across ones scalp. We were sent home
with a note advising or parents on methods of delousing our hair. There
was at least one occasion as well when a mobile shower unit arrived at
the school with the children ordered to take a shower.
About the end of 1940 our family was issued with an Anderson shelter
which we erected half submerged in our back garden. When the air raids
were at their height we didn't go to bed in our house but went straight
to the air raid shelter. The shelter was about six feet long and four
feet wide with two bunk beds either side. Lighting inside was from candles
and the walls of the shelter ran with condensation, so much so that in
the morning the floor of the shelter had 1/4 to 1/2 an inch of water on
it. The shelter was cold, wet, with no form of heating and I think if
the air raids had continued for much longer we would have stood more chance
of dying from pneumonia than from a bomb. The authorities later issued
us with bags of broken cork and told Dad to paint the walls of the shelter
and throw the cork onto the wet paint. This was meant to absorb the water
but it didn't work. Those first few years of the war were miserable as
regards to food and warmth but all was not bad.
Excitement. For a boy of about my age at the time there certainly
was excitement. Despite the fact that there had been deaths and serious
casualties amongst people we knew I do not think any of us believed that
we would be killed or injured. At night after we had retired to the air
raid shelter if the air raid siren went my father had to report for "fire
watch" duty. He would leave carrying a metal ash-bin lid over his head
as a helmet. Only the head fire warden Mr Norris had a steel helmet.
I along with other boys had learned to distinguish the sound of a German
aircraft from a British one. My mother allowed me to stand between the
blast wall and the entrance to the shelter to report on the progress of
the raid. Searchlights probing the night sky like giant illuminated fingers
could be seen almost as far away as Newport, Swansea and Bristol. Because
of the blackout there was no ambient light so the illumination was more
intense. It became exciting as the planes drew nearer if a searchlight
picked one out. From the resulting fires from bombs and incendiaries I
could keep the family informed of the area being attacked. When the raid
came nearer to home I had to get into the shelter because of the danger
from shrapnel. The following morning despite warnings from parents not
to pick up strange articles the boys would race from their homes to search
for remnants of the air raid. All the boys and some girls collected shrapnel
and swapsies would take place in school! The larger the piece of shrapnel
the more prized it became. Other objects were also sought after. An incendiary
bomb burned leaving a small pile of white powder and the metal fin intact.
Occasionally one, which had fallen in the street, didn't burn out entirely
so part of the bomb would still be attached to the fin. These were collectable.
Shell-nose caps still showing the height calibration settings and pieces
of the parachute from a parachute bomb were all sought after. Occasionally
used aircraft cannon shells could be found after a dogfight.
Ron Ayres who lived in Channel View found a live round and tried to
remove the shell from the casing, The shell exploded and he was almost
killed. He missed a year's schooling.
Ron's brother Graham writes in 2008: "Ron's injuries were to his
chest, I was also injured - we survived. Ron will be 77 and me 72 this
year."
The Rover, Hotspur
and Wizard boys paperbacks all carried stories of German troops landing
from submarines or being shot down, giving up and being captured by civilians
and groups of boys. I suppose it was a type of propaganda. Nevertheless
our gang set about digging trenches near the tide fields where we could
keep watch and storing there home made bows and arrows and wooden spears
in preparation for any would be invaders. The most exciting and dangerous
escapade was yet to come. One must know that prior to the war starting
except for the No7 or 12 bus and the coke fired lorries of the Gas Works
there was virtually no motorised traffic in Grangetown. This being so,
hardly any children had travelled on a motor vehicle other than a bus.
Once the war started lorries began to appear travelling to and from the
barrage balloon site and the ordnance depot and most of all the slow moving
convoy of Smoke lorries, which travelled daily from the Docks to Llandough,
and Leckwith woods. One day one of the boys, most probably Dobbin Seward,
came to school and said he had had a ride on a lorry from Ferry Road to
Penarth Road. He said he had been standing at the corner of Ferry Road
with Clive Street, when a lorry stopped. He jumped up and grabbed hold of the
tail board and hung on until the lorry stopped at the junction with Penarth
Road. This was an opportunity to good to miss. The boys gathered at the
Ferry Road, Clive Street junction. About 4.45pm along came the convoy
travelling at about 15mph. As the lorries reached the junction one or
two boys jumped on the back of each lorry and hung onto the tailboard.
All the drivers were sounding their horns to warn the one in front of
the boys hanging onto their lorries it was bedlam. The success of this
made us look for more and faster vehicles with the practice spreading
throughout Grangetown and possible further a field. Occasionally lorry
drivers would stop and get out and chase the boys but we were too fleet
of foot to get caught. It was a practice, which continued for about a
year but faded out as the volume of traffic increased making it too dangerous.
The final excitement was yet to come. After the Americans entered the
war they put up a compound on the Marl where they stored the wooden crates
that had been used to contain Jeeps and other vehicles that had been brought
across the Atlantic on ships.
Hundreds of these crates were stored there but as the end of the war
approached the guards allowed people into the compound. The crates were
taken and a huge bonfire was erected on the Marl. Effigies of Hitler and
Goering were placed on top.
On V.E. Day hundreds of people went onto the Marl when the bonfire was
set alight. I then went to Grangetown Square where again there were hundreds
of people singing and dancing in the street. Everyone was hugging and
kissing each other. The excitement was intense it must have been the biggest
party ever held in Grangetown.
SCHOOLDAYS IN THE LATE 1940s
Dennis Courtney, now living in south
Australia, sends this photo (left): "It would be in the late 1940s
- Mr Whickham's class at the Grangetown Council School. Most of the boys
would be in their late 60s or early 70s now. The building in the background
is the two classrooms they built in the school yard. They used to be Mr
Stuckey's and Mr Thomas's.
Not long after, Graham Ayres sent us this photo of the school's baseball
team (right), with trophies, in Grange Gardens in 1949. Click on the photos for larger versions -
let us know if you're in the photos and have any memories!
|
 JULY
6th 1944 - PILOT'S ACTIONS SPARED VILLAGE
The final actions of a pilot, from
Grangetown in Cardiff are not forgotten by a Nottinghamshire village.
Pilot Officer Reg Parfitt, 22, and six fellow crewmen were killed when
their damaged Halifax bomber crashed returning from a mission over northern
France on 6th July 1944. But P/O Parfitt managed to prevent the plane
from coming down in the village of Farnsfield, sparing a further loss
of life.
In 1994 - 50 years after the tragedy - the village erected a memorial
to the men, all in their early 20s, which was marked with a fly-past.
They have also named a road Parfitt Drive.
Reg was the son of Arthur Ernest Parfitt and wife Sarah, who for many
years ran a chip shop at the top of Clive Street and the family were prominent
members of Clive Street baptist church. He is pictured left while on leave
back in Clive Street.
The Halifax MZ519 was built as a night bomber at high altitude and had
been on a raid on V1 flying bomb sites. P/O Parfitt had earlier flown
a day-time mission, as part of Number 578 Squadron, but set out again at 7pm. On its return from a successful
raid it was thought to have been hit by anti-aircraft fire somewhere near
Dieppe. The damaged and burning plane headed back towards its Yorkshire
base at RAF Burn and reached as far as Farnsfield near Mansfield, where
the wing fell off and it crashed in trees at 10.25pm.
He was said to be a "serious and determined young man" who had been promoted
from Sergeant-Pilot to Pilot Officer only the day before he was killed.
This was his 24th bombing mission.
Thanks to Ken Harris in Canada for the details and permission to use
the photos
There are more details on the excellent Halifax
Bomber Memorial webpage, which aims to keep up a virtual memorial, while local people maintain the memorial at the site of the crash.
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Wartime details needed for novel
If you have wartime memories of Grangetown,
you could help a writer who is working on a novel set in the Second World War.
David Lloyd is currently working on the book, drawing on his mother's wartime
experiences. He was brought up in Cardiff in the 1950s but now lives in London.
"I am trying to make sure I get the period detail right and talking to older
residents would help me with this," said David. He is also looking for people
who remember Butetown and experience of the black community in wartime in the
docks area. Email David if you
can help .
| "GOING OVER THE BORDER" - THE GRANGETOWN TO PENARTH SUBWAY
I believe it was in the 1920s that the subway was built underneath the river Ely connecting Grangetown with Penarth Docks. I think it was made to enable dockworkers from Cardiff to access the newly formed Penarth Docks. Prior to the war our family often frequented the area beyond South Clive Street leading to the subway because for some time my mother Peggy was the pianist who played in the Red House pub. Whilst my mother and father, (who played drums) were in the pub I with my brother and sister played on the slipway behind the pub. During the war access to this area was denied to all who but those working in the area and Special Constable Sid Radford, who had a shop in Paget Street, was posted there along with one other to police the access. When the war finished this area along with the subway was opened for public access. The subway was used as a quick route around the rocky coastline to Penarth beach and pier. Initially there was some person on guard at each end of the tunnel, which sloped very steeply from the Grangetown end to an "S" bend at the bottom and a more gradual rise to the Penarth side. There was a naked 60-watt light bulb in the roof about every twenty yards. The ceiling and walls were always dripping with water and when it was first opened after the war there were plenty of stalactites and stalagmites. The guards were there ostensibly to stop persons riding their bicycles through the tunnel. After a few months the guards at the entrances were removed and youths using the subway took out the light bulbs and threw them to the bottom causing a loud explosion. For a while the authorities replaced the light bulbs but as they were continually getting smashed they eventually gave up. This plunged to tunnel into complete darkness and at the bottom one could not see their hand in front of their face. As there was nobody to stop them persons began riding their bicycles through the subway and as they had entered in daylight they had no lights. Consequently anyone walking in the subway had to keep a sharp ear for the sound of swishing tyres as the bicycles would be travelling at a fast speed. Running along the side and full length of the subway was a large pipe about a foot in diameter. If one heard a bicycle coming, jumping onto this pipe was the only safe refuge. Sundays in Cardiff in the late 1940s were dead as the proverbial Dodo. Shops, cinemas and pubs were all closed. The only places open were churches and other places of worship. Then the Marina concert hall on Penarth Pier opened with live talent contests for singers, comedians and musicians. When the tide was right, you could walk around Penarth headland from the subway to the pier. This meant there was a steady flow of teenagers using this route on a Sunday evening. the term used by the teenagers was "Going over the border". When the tide was up the train from Grangetown Halt was used. JACK PAYNE |
| OF MARL AND MUD - BY THE SEA IN GRANGETOWN
By Jack Payne In order to put this in perspective I
need to describe the location as it was then, because in the post war years
the area has changed dramatically. Bordering on Ferry Road and Channel view
was a large open space of reddish earth called The Marl. As one crossed
the Marl and became nearer to the sea, the Marl changed from a flat area
where baseball matches were played to a series of small hillocks. Just past
Bowles Sand and Gravel Dock the ground dropped away about 10-12ft to
a narrow beach of shells gravel and pebbles about three feet wide. Behind
the beach now was an earth sea wall and towards the sea was a large area
of tide fields, sea grass with numerous gullies one or two feet deep crisscrossing
the whole area. Nearer the river the sea grass changed to an area of mud
with banks dropping down 15-20ft to the bottom of the river at low tide.
Just to the seaward side of Bowles stuck in the mud was the skeleton of
an old schooner, known as “The Old Louisa”. I do not know if this was the
true name of the ship. This was a favoured place to play digging in the
mud around the wreck searching for treasure. At low tide these mud banks
became a place of enjoyment for children. We had many long hot summer days
and the sun baked and cracked the mud so that it resembled a large area
of crazy paving. At the lowest tide a boy of 10 years could stand in the
river with the water just reaching his knees so there was no danger of drowning.
The caked mud would be lifted off exposing the slimy wet mud beneath. This
enabled a slide to be made down to the water with the cracks in the mud
beside the slide giving toe holes to climb back to the top. On a fine day
there may be as many as five or six slides on the go. As the tide became
higher the children retreated to the tide fields. The gullies in the tide
fields filled first with seawater and great attempts were made by children
to build dams in an attempt to stop the flow. Nearer to the beach there
were no gullies and at high tide this was a safe area for small children
to play in the water just covering the sea grass. The beach area was a
place where families lit fires and had picnic. At high tide older boys
crossed the tide fields to the Windsor Slipway Pier. This pier which projected
out over the river had been disused for many years and many of the planks
were missing or rotten. By walking close to the side-rail, you could reach
the end safely. The boys would then jump or dive into the sea and swim the
30-40 yards back to the shore. Once the war started families stopped going
to the tide fields, but older boys continued to frequent the area. Boys'
paperbacks of the day, like Rover or Hotspur always had stories of Germans coming
ashore from submarines or dropping by parachute on the shoreline, so we
thought we had better keep a look out. We went across the tide fields to
the Ordnance Depot, helped ourselves to small spades, water bottles and
water bottle carriers stored just inside the wire fence, went back to the
sea wall and dug a number of small caves from which to keep a look out,
and used the bottles for storing water. Needless to say we didn’t spot any
Germans or submarines. Whilst we were digging the caves we dug up a small
silver cup. There was argument in our gang about nine in all as to who should
have the cup. Billy Andrews the eldest of our gang took the cup home, chopped
it up with an axe and gave us a piece each.
Some 20 years later my youngest brother found a Roman coin not far from
where we dug up the cup.
Between the sea wall and Channel View was a large depression. It extended
from Beecher Avenue to the end of Channel View about 100 yards, it was
about 20 yards wide and 10-15ft deep. It was oval in shape had a pond
at each end. The floor seemed to consist of cinders.
Both ponds, which were not very deep, had newts and as it was a suntrap
the weeds grew to about 5ft high. This was another place where children
came to play and fish for newts. The weeds, which grew here, were of the
very thick stem kind and could be used for making a shelter.
At the end of the war this
depression was used as an infill site for household rubbish. It was then
covered and used as a football pitch. It now has flats built over it. On
the night of the big air raid when the Mansion House opposite the Plymouth
pub was destroyed with a heavy loss of life, a land mine was dropped near
the barrage balloon site at the end of South Clive Street. It severely damaged
the last five or six houses in the street. Stick of bombs also landed on
the tide field near the Pier. The stick of bombs which I believe were intended
for the oil depot, left three large craters in the tide field and filled
with sea water when the first tide came in, making three small lakes. There
was an amusing incident regarding these lakes. My friend Calvin made a canoe
and I went with him to launch it. He decided to try it out first in one
of the craters instead of the river and asked me to get in. I declined,
so he got in and the canoe immediately snapped in the middle and sank. A
railway line ran along the far side of South Clive Street terminating at
the Oil Storage Depot just short of the Penarth subway.
During the war an anti-aircraft gun was towed along this line by a train
and used to fire at enemy aircraft during raids. Although the windows
of the houses were criss-crossed with sticky paper and lead this gun caused
more windows to crack than any bomb or shrapnel!
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| Shop-keepers, street vendors, bookies
runners and living next door to the fish and chip shop
Thanks to JACK PAYNE for letting us
publish this extract from his unpublished autobiography on growing up in
Grangetown during the Great Depression.
I was born in Pentrebane Street, Grangetown in 1933 during the Depression.
Our family also lived in rooms in Amherst Street, Oakley Street and Clive
Street, before moving to South Clive Street in 1938. Thousands of men
were unemployed, families living in Grangetown were poor and shops in
the area were of a type that catered for people without much money.
There were many shops in lower Grange but I will only mention those
I feel were a bit different or had something special about them. Opposite
the Plymouth pub in Holmesdale Street, was Warren's. A dark little shop
with bare wooden floors, and bare wooden counter that sold mainly vinegar
and bread. I think Mrs Warren kept her bread covered in damp cloths to
extend its life. The bread was always damp and had a slight mouldy smell.
The next nearest shop to sell bread was Brutons, three quarters of the
way along Holmesdale Street. Olive Bruton wore her hair in the style of
flapper girls of the 20s. Queues formed outside this shop at 6.45am in
the morning and by the time the shop opened at 8am the queue would be
about 50 yards long. The shop had sold out by 10am.
Going back along Holmesdale Street was Udry’s the first "open all
hours" shop, the only shop to open on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
Thomas’s on the corner of Amherst Street was a newsagent who sold sheet
music of the popular songs of the day. My mother Peggy was a pianist and
played in pubs and clubs all over Cardiff. I was sent to this shop to
buy sheet music. Between Amherst Street and Kent Street was a shop that
sold beef and pork dripping and faggots and peas. You had to take your
own basin. If you were buying faggots and peas you had to have a cloth
to hold the hot basin. This shop also sold large marrow bones, which were
purchased for stew. These bones were the leg bones of oxen, cows or horses
and were served up with the stew. The marrow was extracted by using the
handle of a spoon or a piece of stick.
Opposite Brutons was Tarvers, the only true grocery shop in this area,
and run by a brother and sister. I think they liked their own produce,
as they were the only obese people in Grangetown during the war! There
was also a house in Knole Street, which unlawfully sold herb beer. This
was very alcoholic and cheaper than the beer sold in the pubs. One had
to be careful carrying it home because the pressure inside made the bottles
burst easily or the cork to blow off.
Just beyond the Iron Rooms in Paget Street was Joyce’s Pie shop - this
was the predecessor to Clarke's Pies. I think the pie shop at the beginning
of Clare Road was also Joyce’s, which was eventually taken over by Clarke’s.
In those days if you went into a fish and chip shop and wanted pie and
chips, customers always asked for a "Joyce’s pie."
Next door to The Forge pub was Johnny Wright’s Fish and Chip shop. Johnny
had a nose that looked as if a steam roller had run over it! Opposite
Johnny’s was a stable and we lived in one room next to the stable owned
by Mrs Smithyman. The horses would kick the walls and plaster would fall
off in our room. Next to us was Whitings Fish and Chip shop. As children
we could not afford chips but we could go in and ask for a bag of scrumps.
This was the pieces of batter that fell off the fish. We would be given
this free in a triangular paper bag.
There were many vendors plying their wares around the streets of Grangetown
during this time, and there were some very colourful characters. Most
colourful of all was the flypaper seller who was dressed in top hat and
tails and had sticky flypapers pinned all over his clothes. He carried
a cloth bag with his wares and sang at the top of his voice “those dirty
old flies, I’ll catch them alive those dirty old flies. Come and buy my
flypapers we’ll catch them alive those dirty old flies!"
The rag and bone man had a handcart with jars containing a goldfish hanging
from the handles..He tried to waylay children to go into their house and
bring out some rags for a goldfish. The parents always wanted money for
their rags. Salto Taylor had a horse and flat bottom cart ,carrying large
blocks of salt, four of five foot square, and he used a saw to cut off
salt for his customers. At the back of the cart were barrels of vinegar
sold by the half-pint. He had a dirty old tarpaulin sheet that he used
to cover the salt if it rained.
Miss Cazenave, the milk lady, had a horse and cart with large aluminium
milk churns. Milk was purchased in your own container and a long handled
measure of a half a pint was ladled out of the churns. The milk lady later
progressed to an electric handcart with milk sold in bottles. The Irish
dancers came once or twice a year playing music from bagpipes and dancing
gigs. The men and women wore kilts and the daggers in the men’s socks
fascinated me. There was a man who sold hot bread rolls from a tricycle
with a large insulated box at the front. The rolls were usually sold in
blocks of six, but you could buy two for a halfpenny. There was Pugsley
the newspaperman who walked the street morning and evening shouting "Echo!"
The man who sold shoelaces and polish carried three suitcases, one in
each hand and one tucked under his arm. His wares cost no more than a
penny or two pence each but he must have made a living from it. The Johnny
Onion man who came from Brittany he had a bicycle laden down with strings
of onions. The fresh fish man who had a handcart with fish covered with
piles of ice.
Sid Lewis was the local bookie at that time - unlawfully taking bets
on horse and dog racing. He had bookies runners standing outside the Plymouth,
The Forge and the Bird in Hand Pubs taking bets. I was often sent with
a piece of paper naming a couple of horses and a bet of 3d x 6d or 6d
x 1/-d - never any more. If Dad had won on every horse he backed I don’t
suppose he would have won more than 10/-d but this would have been a fair
sum in those days. I was not the only child doing this, as we were less
likely to be spotted approaching a runner by plain- clothes police who
were always trying to arrest them.
There was also the one-man band that came along the streets. He played
a flute, had cymbals attached to the inside of both elbows and knees,
and had strings attached from the heels of his shoes to a base drum on
his back.
There was an old lady whom children thought was a witch who walked around
the gutters picking up odds and ends and putting them in her bag. She
wore a black Welsh hat, had long grey hair, a black flowing coat long
black skirt, long laced up boots and had a large alarm clock hanging from
her belt.
Finally there were the local men who having travelled about the city
seeking work in the morning congregated on the Marl in the afternoon to
play Pitch and Toss. This was a game where bets were placed on a number
of coins tossed into the air as to what number came down heads or tails.
As many as 20 to 30 men would take part in these games trying to win a
few shillings. Lookouts were posted along the edge of the marl because
the police often raided the games.
|
| OLD CORNER SHOPS
ZENA MABBS, formerly of Kent Street,
writes about her grandfather's time at Thomas and Evans grocer's at 189
Penarth Road.
My grandfather David Thomas Davies worked in this shop for most of his
life, eventually becoming the manager before he retired. This was the
sort of shop with sawdust on the floor and huge slabs of butter waiting
to be cut into the weight you wanted. Muslin covered the large bacon joints
resting on the counter until they were sliced up on the hand-driven bacon
slicer. Unfortunately, for my grandfather, at one stage in his life he
inadvertently sliced off the little finger of his left hand while operating
this machine. No health and safety rules in those days!
On Saturdays, my mother, my sister and myself would walk up to the shop
from our home in Kent Street to place the weekly grocery order with Grandpa.
There he would be behind the counter, with his long white apron on, his
hands always red with the cold. Everything that was ordered was placed
before us on the counter and then neatly packed in a large, brown paper
bag for the delivery boy to bring to our house later in the day.
At the end of this transaction, my grandfather always gave my sister and I a small bar of Fry's Chocolate Cream. How we looked forward to this treat each week.
Sometimes if the delivery boy did not turn up, Grandpa despite being
the manager, and even when he was over 60, would pack up the cycle with
as many orders as the carrier would hold and take to the road. How the
bicycle remained upright was a miracle.
After serving in the shop every day, Grandpa had to write up the books and this was done in a little sort of cubby-hole at the back of the shop. But Grandpa had many talents, woodwork being one of them. One Christmas, he made a miniature shop for us to play with. It had tiny bottles on the shelves containing small quantities of all the sorts of things he sold in the shop. Needless to say, we ate the contents of all the bottles that contained sweets but left the ones with split noodles.
The shop was J R Roach's post office and ironmonger's from 1899,
then E D Evans', who added a stationer's to the business between 1910
and 1920. Then in 1929 it was P L Doddington Grocers before being known
as Thomas and Evans from 1949 to 1952. They had numerous stores. The shop
is now Yang's Chinese restaurant.
GRANGETOWN LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY are compiling a book of photos and
memories of shops in Grangetown - anyone with anything they'd like included,
please join one of the society's meetings. We'll also be happy to pass
details on.
|
TRANSPORT
The Rev BOB JONES, now of Newport Pemb, writes of his childhood memories
of Grangetown and particularly the trams.
"My grandparents lived in Warwick Place and traded as Wm Aplin and Sons Coal
Merchants. There were two sons Bill, who looked after the coal side, and Fred,
who was a furniture remover. His pride and joy was his van whivh he bought new
in 1938, it was a Ford - was it BUH 318 ? I really do forget.The body was fitted
by William Lewis of Tudor Lane. My cousin Stan was also the grandson of Squires
the Bakers in Clare Rd. He was older than me but we shared the same interest
in transport. Often we would watch the Foden and Sentinal Steam lorries which
brought the flour to the bakery in Clare Rd and watch as Stan's father lifted
the bags, using a block and tackle into the loft, over the bakehouse. At this
time the building on the other side of the lane was a flourishing synagogue.
Another favourite place was the corner of North Clive Street where we would
stand and watch the new single deck trams as they glided down Clive Street to
their terminus.Occasionally we would see a double decker on service 12, the
single deckers were on service 7. Both ran to Roath Docka and Splott, the No
7's via Penarth Rd with its low bridges and then through Adam St to Splott;
the No 12's via Clare Road and town to Adamsdown Square and Splott. Sadly both
of these services ceased in October 1936 being replaced by motor buses. The
12's offered a new service via Paget St to Ferry Rd. My interest lies in the
history of this tram service. The electric cars began running iin 1904,replacing
the Cardiff District and Penarth Harbour Co.'s horse tramcars.The depot for
these horse cars was at the bottom of Clive Street and I think still exists
today as a garage.
TRAM SERVICES IN GRANGETOWN IN THE 1930's
6. Cathedral Rd and Clarence Rd via St Mary St
and Wood St; double-decker (D/D) On 11th January 1932, service 12 was curtailed to run from Carlisle St Spott
to Clive St, because of low receipts. There was a further curtailment to Clive
St Library. As stated above, in 1934 it was diverted to Clarence Rd and at the
same time service 16 became a Saturdays only service. to Clive St. On 11th October
1936, the services 7 and 12 were withdrawn,and the track between Clive St and
Splott abandoned. The 31 new single-decker cars were put into store at Newport
Rd Depot, where they remained until their sale, in 1940 to Para Electric Tramways,
at Belem in Brazil. After modification, they served for several more years.
The Clarence Rd services soldiered on. In April 1940, the services were: Track relaying at the Wood St /St Mary St junction early in 1941,removed
the left hand turn from Wood St to St Mary St, so service 6 was split:- 6. Cathedral
Rd to St Mary St 6A Clarence Rd to Wood St.
St Davids Day 1942, marked the end of the Grangetown trams, since the new
AEC trolleybuses began operating from Clarence Rd to the GWR Station, Wood St.
All of the tram track from the Clare Rd Depot to Clarence Rd was abandoned,
but strange to say a new service was introduced, it was 14 Clare Rd Depot to
Victoria Park. (Weekdays only,until 8.00.am.) This service operated via Clare
St and Neville St as did the original 14's. By November 1942, the trolleybus
wiring was completed. The new trolleys then commenced operating between Clarence
Rd and Cathedral Rd via St Mary St. The end came for Grangetown on 25th August
1946, when the service 14 was withdrawn and the tracks in Neville St and Lower
Cathedral Rd abandoned. At the same time Clare Rd depot was closed for tramcars.
A sad time for me aas I now had to start a new term at Canton High School by
bus or my bicycle.The Grangetown trams were no more.
Bob asks:- 1. Did the electric cars ever use that depot and are thee any
pictures of the building being used as tram depot? 2. Are there any pictures
of the No 12 double decker cars at Clive St terminus?
This is the Clare Road and Ninian Park Road
(Eldon Road) junction, with tram, in 1939. Electric trams ran from 1902, with
the No 1 route between Clarence Road, along Corporation Road, Clare Road and across
the junction here into Lower Cathedral Road and Berthwern Street. From 1904, a
service also ran between Clive Street and Splott via Penarth Road and Custom House
Street. There was also a tram depot just under the bridge from here in Pendyris
Street which in the 1920s housed 23 cars. It was a trolley bus depot from 1942
and stopped being a depot altogether in 1953. It still stands as a listed building
and is a council vehicle maintenance garage - there was a short-lived plan to
convert it into a modern gallery and arts space, but Cardiff failed in a bid to
become European City of Culture in 2008. 
Hard to believe, when we're lucky to have a ticket machine or one that works on the platform these days. In the 1920s, Grangetown station was run by Great Western Railways - the days of the pocket watch and 10 staff.
The Cridland and Sons coach company in Paget
Street ran trips for local groups. HJ Cridland started with a horse and cart,
delivering goods to and from the docks. This vehicle was in grey, cream and
black and dates from about 1930. The family firm later became undertakers.
6A Clarence Rd and Wood St D/D Peak periods only.
7. Clive St Grangetown and Roath Dock Splott via Adam St and Moira Place. Single-decker (S/D)
7A Clive St Grangetown and Monument via Penarth Rd S/D Peak periods only.
12 Clive St Grangetown and Roath Dock Splott via Wood St, Duke St, Queen St
and Glossop Terrace. D/D. Diverted to Clarence Road instead of Clive St, late in 1934.
13 Cathedral Rd and Clarence Rd via Clare S.t D/D. Peak Periods only.
14 Victoria Park and Clarence Rd via Clare St. D/D. Peak periods only.
16 Whitchurch Rd and Clarence Rd. D/D. Diverted to Clive St late in 1934.
6.
Clarence Rd to Cathedral Rd via St Mary St.
16 Clarence Rd to Newport Rd (Saturdays
only)
THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT
Local councillor Philip Dunleavy at the time, recalled "The Bughouse," as many flea-pits were called, as a haven of escape. "When I was a boy we used to love the shows with cowboy heroes like Buck Jones and Tom Mix," he told the Echo after its closure.
"During the depression is was something of a Grangetown institution; somewhere
people could go to keep warm." The Nin's demise left eight cinemas remaining
across the city. It was also the latest in a line of cinema closures, starting
with The Gaiety in City Road (1961) to the Central in The Hayes (1969). After
its time as a bingo hall, the building became a store. Today it's still standing
and is currently a shop selling silks.
The Ninian cinema, known as "The Nin" in Penarth
Road was Grangetown's picture palace for nearly 60 years from 1914 - starting
in the silent movie era before becoming a popular fixture for generations of Hollywood
film fans. It seated 600 but went the way of so many provincial cinemas when it
closed on January 20th 1972. The last film it showed was Puppet On A Chain.
The then-owners Jackson Withers Circuit Ltd, who also owned the Monico and Plaza
(North Road) cinemas in the city, turned it into one of their bingo halls.
STRICTLY JAZZ AND JIVE, UNTIL 10PM
Entertainment from a dance band at the
Regent Ballroom in Maerdy Street. It later became the Irish Club in the 1980s
before being taken over by the Hindu temple and its eye-catching domes.
BY JACK PAYNE
For some years ballroom dancing has been on the decline until the introduction
of Strictly Come Dancing programme on BBC1, since when there has been
a resurge in interest. It was not so in Grangetown in the 1940s and 1950s when
regular dances for 14 to 18 years olds took place every evening of the week
except Sundays. I wonder how many of your older readers will remember this?
I am referring to dances at “The Dyke” St Dyfrigs Church hall, which took
place Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, and those at “The Stute” Grangetown Institute
Hall, Amhurst Street. Lane which took place Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Mr and Mrs Jackson with the assistance of their two teenage daughters Mavis
and June and their son John ran both dances. One of the daughters subsequently
married Joe Erskine, the well known Cardiff boxer. I was introduced to the dance
at The Dyke by my school friend Calvin “Otto” Pratt, when I was 14. The dances
opened at 6.30pm and closed at 10pm sharp. No admittance was allowed after 9pm.
A gramophone operated by a man named Len provided the music. The dances were
very well attended with boys and girls travelling from all over Cardiff to attend.
I personally remember some coming from Ely, Fairwater and Penylan with the closure
at 10pm allowing them to catch a bus back home. I do not know of any other area
of Cardiff operating similar dances for this age group, except for the Pavlova
at Canton which only opened Saturday afternoon.
The boys and girls attending The Stute were more likely to have come from
the Docks and Adamstown areas. The windows of the halls were blacked out and
the only light source were coloured fairy lights around the walls, giving the
room a very warm and cosy atmosphere. Not many boys and girls had gramophones
in their homes and this was a way of keeping up with the latest records of the
day both in popular music and jazz. The Jacksons purchased new records weekly
and you could be sure that if a new record was heard on the radio it would soon
be played at the dances.
The latest jazz records were a popular talking point amongst the boys, moreso
than the other records. Entry to the dance cost sixpence and there was an adjoining
room where lemonade and crisps could be purchased. Although the dance hall opened
at 6.30pm the majority of youngsters didn’t arrive until 7-30-8pm. Those who
wished to learn to dance properly arrived early and would be taught by Mrs Jackson.
She was a very friendly lady and a very good dancer, as were her daughters.
The eldest of her daughters with a partner named Bruford took part in ballroom
dancing competitions. In the early part of the evening Mrs Jackson would not
allow you to sit out any dance but would take you to the floor herself or instruct
her daughters to dance with you. Each taking the male or female part depending
on whether they were teaching a boy or girl. For the first hour the dance music
followed a strict pattern. Quick step, followed by a slow foxtrot followed by
a waltz.. Once the hall started to fill up other dances were introduced and
every third dance would be a jive.
Many immigrants had arrived in Cardiff from the West Indies some youngsters
having jumped ship at Cardiff docks. They brought with them a type of jiving
not seen before but now being copied by our lads. When a particularly good jiver
was performing other dancers would gradually make room, forming a ring around
the floor leaving just one or two to continue whilst they clapped. Len on the
records would notice this and put the needle back on the record to make it play
longer. It wasn’t long before Cardiff Jazz Club was formed with jiving contests
taking place. As the evening progressed one could see pairs cuddling together
in the dark corners of the room. Over the several years the dances were operating
many long term relationships were formed between boys and girls with some resulting
in engagements. I wonder though how many lasted after the enforced separation
which eventually took place when the lads were called for their National Service?
THE SPORTING LIFE
The turn of the 20th century saw more leisure time and a huge spurt in playing and watching sport. Here are just two of the many sporting teams in Grangetown at the time. From 1920-21 - the Court Road School rugby team and the Court Road School Old Boys football team. Cardiff City are.
Another sporting team, this one the Grangetown YMCA Wrestling Club, who were winners of the Welsh championships in 1930 and this photo dates from the year later. The YMCA building still stands in Clydach Street. It became a day and community centre and is now an Islamic centre.
Boxing in the shadow of War - and the gasworks
BY JACK PAYNE
Cardiff Gas Boxing Club was located pre war and during the 1940s in the
cricket pavilion of the sports field of Grangetown Gas Works in Ferry Road,
Grangetown Cardiff.
Prior to going to Howard Gardens High School, I attended Grangetown National
School, Clive Street, Grangetown, and our family then living at 81 South Clive
Street.
When I was nine years
of age, 1942, Tommy Bewley who was in the same school and lived at the lower
end of South Clive Street, told me that he and his younger brother Leon had
joined Cardiff Gas Boxing Club. He told me that Mr Fearnley who lived a few
doors away from him ran the club. He suggested that I join the club with him.
Since the outbreak of the war the Gas Works and the sports field had been
closed to members of the public and I think the prospect of being able to go
through the Gas Works to the sports field held as much interest to me as joining
the boxing club so I agreed to go with Tommy and Leon to the club.
Although the black-out was in being I think it was late Spring or early Summer
and we then had double summer time which meant it didn’t get dark until about
11.30pm, so initially I was going and coming home whilst it was still light.
When I first arrived at the Boxing Club I saw that it was in a wooden pavilion
on the far side of the sports field from the Gas Works.
The club had two trainers Mr Fearnley and Mr Bannister who had a son Roger
who was a member. Roger was then about 16 years of age. There was about six
other lads members of the club whose ages ranged from about 14 to 17 years of
age. They were all from the upper Grangetown area. Only Tommy, Leon and I were
from lower Grangetown.
There were no lads over the age of 17 because at 18 years they were recruited
into the armed services. Leon was about the same age as me. We were the two
youngest in the club and I think Tommy had asked me to join so that I could
be a companion for his younger brother. The club night then was once a week
on a Wednesday. I had nothing special to do in the evenings so I joined the
club. Two former members of the club Cyril Galley and Jackie Pottinger, now
in the forces and former A.B.A. champions, were heroes of the club and persons
whom we could look up to as good examples.
The equipment in the club was very sparse. The boxing ring took up nearly all
the centre part of the pavilion. There were two punch bags consisting of two
canvas kit bags filled tightly with old rags and sand. They were suspended on
ropes from the rafters. There was a punch ball fixed in one corner but its height
was such that the bottom of the ball was about level with the top of my head.
There were a number of skipping ropes, two sets of tapered juggling sticks
and sets of boxing gloves in sizes 8oz, 12oz and 16 oz. When I arrived on the
first evening I was told that before I was taught to box I had to get fit and
to do this I had to run around the perimeter of the sports field a few times
followed by a period of skipping and then juggling with the juggling sticks.
These sticks were intended to improve dexterity and quickness of your arms and
hands. I think I spent more time picking them up from the floor having dropped
them.
I was already a very fit young boy when I joined the club but I think Leon
and I were told to do this so that more concentration could be given to the
older lads who were spending more time sparring in the ring. This process of
running around the sports field, skipping and juggling continued for some weeks,
but I was allowed to have a go on the punch bags. The older lads had punch bag
gloves but I used bare fists. I soon found that the hard canvas took the skin
off my knuckles.
There was no way I was going to be able to afford proper gloves so I used
my socks on my hands this helped a bit. Later I got an old pair of ordinary
leather gloves and used them until I was 18 years of age. Eventually the time
came when I started to get instruction on how to box.
I had been told to watch the older boys when they were sparring so that I
could see the way they used their feet, body and hands. There was then a discussion
whether I was to be an orthodox boxer or a southpaw. It was decided I should
be orthodox and there followed a period where I was instructed in shadow boxing
outside of the ring learning to lead with my left hand and to move around with
my left foot in front of my right. I had been at the club some months now and
had still not gone into the boxing ring to spar.
I remember when I first put on a pair of the boxing gloves. They smelled
strongly of stale sweat, and when you put your hand inside the lining most of
the gloves was broken and the horsehair padding would be all around your fingers.
The state of the gloves wasn’t unique to our club. I found later when visiting
other clubs for tournaments their gloves were in a similar state. Sometimes
you could push away the padding from around your knuckles so that a thin layer
of worn leather only covered your fist.
The time came when I was allowed in the ring. I didn’t have any boxing boots
or daps (they are now called plimsolls) so I went in stocking feet. I didn’t
spar with any of the other lads only a trainer who either invited me to punch
at his hands or at a punchboard which was something like a padded stool. This
very gradual introduction was fine as far as I was concerned I was learning
the art without suffering the pain of being punched on the nose. It also allowed
the trainers to concentrate more on the older boys who were entering contests
and relieve them of the concern as to who they should allow me to spar with.
The months had passed it was now autumn the nights had drawn in the black-out
was in force and it was pitch dark walking through the streets and through the
Gas Works. The club nights continued I think Leon had given up but as I was
now getting more training I decided to continue. On my way home I always ran
along the centre of the road just in case there was anyone there out to get
me.
It was either late 1942 or early 1943 that I made my first public appearance
as a boxer! Two of the hospitals in Cardiff, Rookwood and Whitchurch had large
numbers of servicemen wounded in the war receiving treatment and convalescence.
A decision was made by the organisers of our club and the Melingrifith Club
in Splott Cardiff to put on a boxing show for these servicemen, using boxers
from both clubs. The evening arrived and off I went with the other members of
our club to Rookwood Hospital. When we arrived they set about making a ring
in the centre of one of the wards by using chairs with their seats facing outwards.
The wounded soldiers were all around some in beds and some sat on chairs.
There were a few contests between the older lads of our club with those of
the Melingrifith Club and then came the finale of the evening with the younger
lads. I was still the only young boy in our club but the Melingrifith Club had
three young boys of my age. All four of us boys went into the ring together
one in each corner.
We were then fitted with 16oz gloves, which in my case came right up to my
elbow. We were then blindfolded by having a scarf tied around our heads. At
the sound of the bell the trainer for each boy twisted the boy around as fast
as he could for three or four times until he came giddy then pushed him out
towards the centre of the ring with the instructions punch as much as you can.
There was ructions, boys very giddy were falling down, tripping over chairs,
punching wildly into space occasionally connecting with someone in front or
someone from behind and all the time the soldiers and nursing staff shouting
out watch out he’s behind you or he’s in front of you! It was pandemonium, we
had three two minute rounds of this but nobody got hurt, and it was obvious
that everyone enjoyed the evening. We put on a similar event at Whitchurch Hospital
later in the year and that was also a success.
Although the club was having the occasional contest with other clubs in and
around Cardiff at that time I was not being entered in any contests. There was
a rule, whether it was an official one established by the WABA or by some other
body I don’t know, but it required boys entering contests to weigh at least
5 stones. I was under five stones, and the events at Rookwood and Whitchurch
were not regarded as contests.
During this period there was another Boxing Club in Grangetown called Cardiff
Amateurs. I don’t know why but it may have been something to do with one club
enticing boxers away from the other, but there seemed to be some bad feeling
between the persons who ran the clubs. It was noticeable that whereas we had
frequent contests with other boxing xlubs in the Cardiff area we never had one
with Cardiff Amateurs. At this time Cardiff Amateurs were more successful than
our club having a number of Welsh and ABA champions. Most of the boxers of Cardiff
Amateurs came from the dock area with a number of Afro-Caribbean and Asian boys.
For the rest of the war years the club continued to operate from the Gas Works
Field.
Then about 1946 or 1947 the club moved to the old air raid wardens' post and
incident centre building on the edge of The Marl near Channel View. This was
a more substantial building made of brick but the rooms were not very large.
The boxing ring took up nearly all the floor space in the room it was in,
just leaving about two feet of space around each side. There was one room there
which was long and narrow and a man named Cyril Guy whom I think was also a
trainer at Cardiff City Football Club came to the club and started a gymnastics
class. A vaulting horse was installed in the long room and both boys and girls
joined the club some interested in the boxing and some just in the gymnastics.
The gymnastics class became quite successful and at least one girl was chosen
to represent Wales in the Commonwealth Games. I think her surname was Lewis.
However numbers in the boxing club began to dwindle with no new members joining
from Grangetown. We had by that time had a few contests with clubs in the Welsh
valleys and from this we recruited some boys from Nelson and nearby towns. One
of the boys Albert Davies became very successful as did Dai Dower who also joined
the club. By 1949 I had won some Welsh schoolboy titles and Welsh Youth Club
title and runner up on other occasions.
Billy Manning had joined the club by this time as a trainer, his method of
training slightly more aggressive that the other trainers. Billy could see that
he had two very promising fighters in Albert Davies and Dai Dower . There was
also another from Nelson but I have forgotten his name. I think that Billy could
see that he had good prospects here for professional boxers.
My own interest in boxing was waning somewhat because I had discovered girls
were quite interesting. We had started to have some professional boxers come
to the club to train and Cyril Galley and Jackie Pottinger came to the club
but did not take any great part. Whether it was because of Billy’s concentration
on the boys from the valleys or because we were not recruiting lads from lower
Grangetown but a decision was made to move the club to North Clive Street. This
move split the club with some staying at The Marl and others moving to North
Clive Street. I stayed at The Marl because it was just around the corner from
where I lived.
Subsequently Billy Manning who initially stayed at the Marl left with Dai
Dower and some others to set up his own Boxing Club in Splott. The move to North
Clive Street had had the desired effect of recruiting more lads of whom a number
went on to win both Welsh and ABA titles. I rejoined Cardiff Gas Club at North
Clive Street in 1949 where I remained until I was called for National Service
in 1951.
Dennis Courtney, now living in South Australia, writes: The person
who ran the gymnastics at the Marl was Cecil Guy, and he used to instruct the
Cubs from the Baptist Church - 52 Cub group - in vaulting and general fitness
as well. We had a couple of older lads who played football come and train with
us, I can't recall their surnames, but they were Nick, Phil and Tommy who used
to go to uni and was a sprinter. The gymnast mentioned was Gwyneth Lewis. Mr
Guy at the time lived in Clive St and later moved to Llanmeas St. I used to
go to the Grange Council School with his son Glyn and am still in contact with
him. I used to go to a boxing club but I am sure now whether it was in Earl
St or Amherst St lane. Tommy Plumbley who lived near us in Cambridge Street
got me interested in it. I didn't stay there long as they were more interested
in the older boys and we were left to or own devices.I remember in the summer
Vera Francis who took the cubs, would give us a treat and we would all march
from the church down to the Gasworks field to play cricket. Also on a Friday
evening I would take our dues to the church and pay The Sons of Temperance.
It used to be the fore runner of the health service. I used to go to the Ebenezer
Gospel Hall in Corporation Rd and one of my Sunday School teachers Mr Elliott
was collecting so it must have been a combined church insurance type thing.
´
A presentation evening at Cardiff Gas Boxing Club, in St Barnabas Church Hall,
North Clive Street December 1949. As you look at the picture Jack Payne is receiving
the cup on the far left. George Bale is receiving the cup on the far right.
A hundred years of baseball
BY TONY HICKS
The 2007 season saw Grange Albion Baseball Club - the longest standing and
most successful club in Wales - celebrate its 100th birthday.
To commemorate this feat, a local schools tournament was on The Marl, which
was won by St Paul's. Then Grange Albion played a Combined Wales/England team
- a match which was drawn and later a centenary dinner was held.
Grange Albion baseball club came into being in 1907 by taking over the fixtures
of the disbanded Penarth Road Methodists team. The club's first league match
took place in May of that year away to Llandough in the 2nd Division of the
Welsh Baseball Association League. They won the 2nd Division in that first year
and have gone on to enjoy considerable success since.
Move your mouse over the photo to reveal the line-up from the 1989 WBU Cup
finalists. Back Row - Charlie Kinsey, Dean Pesticcio, Chris Green, Haydn
Mould, Gary Jones, John Jones. Front Row - Anthony Roberts, Daren Young, Mark
Jones, Stephen 'Spuda' Grainger, Geoff Poole, Les 'Lula' Jeremy, Tony Hicks.
Indeed,
aside from being the longest serving team, Grange Albion are also the most successful
team in Welsh Baseball history with a record 28 premier league titles won. In
addition, the Club has supplied the Welsh national team with more players than
any other team.
In later years, the ladies team was formed and they too have had many successful
teams. Whilst the Club is rightly proud of its history, it is determined to
do all that it can to ensure that this great, amateur sport continues to have
a future and it is hoped that their centenary celebrations will help nurture
the next generation of boys and girls that will enjoy the game.
For further information on the club, go to- www.grangealbionbaseball.co.uk
New players most welcome. Please email grangealbionbaseball@hotmail.co.uk
The 1948 Dewar Shield winners - who were undefeated. Back Row - L Smith, A Lloyd, J Brimmell (Snr), H Dimond, D Spargo. Middle Row - D Lloyd, W Lewis, G Smith (Jnr), E Deakin, T Williams, L Smith, S Lloyd, J Brown, T Rose.
Front Row - D O'Leary, M Purchase, F Hayes, H Rowland, A Noyes, T O'Leary.
We meet also at The Grange Albion Sports & Social Club at 144 Paget Street
Grangetown, CF11 7LA. Tel: 029 2025 0761.
