Bitches’ Brew

In which The Author is in seasonal mood

Depending on your particular reality tunnel, it’s either Hallowe’en, or Samhain, or Nos Cyn Gaeaf, as we say in Wales. This last one is particularly interesting, as it translates as ‘the night before winter.’ It tells you a lot about the old Celtic calendar, doesn’t it? In spite of that, it’s been unexpectedly mild for the last couple of days – and dry, for the most part. In fact, today is set to be the warmest 31 October in the UK records. Go figure…

I had to go to the Jokecentre earlier (see The Return of the Circumlocution Office) as I’d managed to confuse myself after last week’s shenanigans. I was called almost immediately, and I apologised for missing yesterday’s appointment. As it turned out, it had been rescheduled again without my being notified, and I was actually due there today. Apparently they’ll be changing everyone’s schedule soon. I can’t wait.

I returned to the Library and did a bit more work on the Street Names Project. I emailed Geoff E. this week, with an idea for a title that had come to me while I was having a bath. He liked it, so I’m using it as a working title at the moment. It also gave us a convenient shorthand – BBC – to save us typing it out in full. I really like the title of Geoff’s forthcoming book, The Men Who Marched Away, but TMWMA is a bit of a mouthful to say out loud and an awkward bugger to type.

As I told you in A Little Economy, I went through the Aberdare Urban District Council 1945 housing condition survey a couple of weeks ago. It occurred to me afterwards that there might have been a similar survey undertaking by the old Mountain Ash Urban District Council. I asked Denise in Aberdare Library, but there was nothing stashed away behind the scenes. Bearing in mind that the two authorities were separate entities until 1974, I wondered whether a similar report might be stored in the library there.

At lunchtime today I jumped on the train and headed for Mountain Ash itself. My first port of call was a grid of large houses behind St Margaret’s Church. As well as a housing condition survey, I’d been hoping to find an original street nameplate attached to one of the houses there.

In Trecynon, where I live, you can still see a number of cast-iron street signs which were originally put up by the Aberdare Local Board of Health. They’re very distinctive, with an interesting shape and rather old-fashioned lettering.

I already knew that there are still a few old signs dotted around Mountain Ash, like this one which I found on a previous exploration. I’d been hoping to find one in particular, which would be perfect for the ongoing project.

However, in Caegarw I drew a blank. I photographed the modern RCTCBC street sign all the same, as I’ll need it later on.

I made my way back into the town centre and headed to the library. Unfortunately, I’d somehow managed to leave myself a ten-minute window before they closed for lunch (seriously!) I explained what I was looking for, and the librarian looked rather lost. She hunted through a filing cabinet for a while, pulling out old MAUDC documents which probably haven’t seen the light of day in my lifetime, but we drew another blank there. She suggested that I tried the Glamorgan Archives. I’ll probably email them first, as I don’t fancy another wasted journey.

I caught the next train up, jumped off at Cwmbach, walked as far as the ASDA roundabout, crossed the footbridge over the A4059, and headed along Gasworks Road into Aberaman. There’s a street which I had a feeling might be marked by one of the old signs. Rather to my frustration, I found a couple of the ALBH signs in the side streets, but not the one I particularly wanted. I walked the whole length of the street, so I would have found it if it was there.

On the other hand, I did pass up one photo-opportunity for reasons of taste and decency. Halfway down one block of terraced houses, I found a house which had been decorated in grand style for today. The front door and window were painted with fake blood in a scene reminiscent of The Shining. A couple of doors away, I found a leaflet which was headed, ‘See what the Blood of Christ can do for you.’ It was very tempting to photograph them together; then I realised that I’d probably offend a good many friends by posting it online, so I changed my mind.

This particular leaflet was presumably part of the religious onslaught which has been a feature of the Aberdare scene today. On my way from the library to the station, I bumped into my pal Adrian T. He told me that he’d just ‘run the gauntlet’ of a couple of young Mormons, who were accosting people outside the bike shop. When I say ‘young’, I mean really young. I think it must be a condition of the Latter-Day Saints that you qualify as an ‘Elder’ as soon as you start shaving.

Further along the street, there were a couple of women handing out copies of The Watchtower as well. I spotted a gang of them on the Gadlys yesterday, too. I suppose they must have all girded up their loins in time for today’s pagan festivities. It would probably have been quite interesting to stick around and watch the God-off between the Mormons and the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

And, of course, in time for tonight, the witches have emerged as well. Not only did I have a close encounter with Clare the other day, as I told you in Meanwhile, at the Bus Station. Yesterday, I was walking through town and bumped into a friend of mine with his current squeeze – Jenny. I said ‘hello’ to him, but as it was raining, we both hurried on. I only caught a glimpse of Jenny as she walked past, but she was looking fairly rough. I realised that I’d probably had a lucky escape when I deleted her last text unread, early in January 2010. I spotted Clare again earlier, hanging around on Junkie Corner with a few prime specimens of Aberdare lowlife.

So far, though, Gema has yet to turn up to complete the unholy trinity of Fucked-up Almost Ex-Girlfriends. She actually unfriended me on Facebook after I posted the photos of my day out with Rhian in London. Personally, I thought that was taking stupid arguments to the next level. Maybe I shouldn’t fuck my luck by mentioning her. To increase the chance of her making an appearance today, Rhian and I have just booked our next day out in London.

Then again, I’m probably fairly safe for the time being. Apparently the Bi-Psycho has been banned from another pub recently. It must be only a question of time before she ends up on Pubwatch, and everyone can rest easily for a while.

Just in case, though, I’ll be heading home before the fun really gets underway. I’ll be locking the door as soon as I get home, closing the curtains, and displaying my South Wales Police ‘No callers, please’ sign in the front window. It’s always better to be safe than sorry when the forces of evil – and assorted crazy female near-misses – are out and about, after all.

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Never Volunteer …

In which The Author goes above and beyond
the call of duty

In the last seven days I’ve acquired over a dozen new books, read most of an unpublished book in minute detail, taken over two hundred photographs, visited four war memorials, and been to church twice in as many days.

I’d been hoping for a fairly quiet week. Fat chance!

My friend Geoff Evans is a very keen historian with a broad range of interests. I told you about his enormous collection of theatrical memorabilia in Television Killed the Variety Star. I mentioned then that he’s been toying with the idea of compiling a book about the old theatres and cinemas of Wales, based on his extensive knowledge of the subject.

That’s just one publishing avenue which Geoff’s explored over the years. He’s contributed articles to the Cynon Valley History Society’s semi-regular journal Old Aberdare, and others to Merthyr Historian; he compiles Hanes, the society’s quarterly newsletter; he’s also written accounts of St John’s Church and St Elvan’s Church in Aberdare, a history of the Aberdare Rotary Club, and co-edited an anthology of writings about the Cynon Valley, amongst other things. As you’ve probably guessed, since his retirement, he’s been able to devote a lot of his time to his hobbies.

In For the Fallen I explored the myth about Aberdare’s so-called ‘cenotaph’, the war memorial in Victoria Square. Geoff and I were talking about that entry several months ago, and he told me that he’d been ploughing a similar furrow for some time. He was very grateful to learn that my correspondence with the War Memorials Trust had saved him from pursuing the same line of enquiry.

I didn’t know it at the time, but his latest project is a history of the war memorials within the Cynon Valley, designed to coincide with the centenary of the First World War. At some point during my visit to Geoff’s home in June, I seem to have (been?) volunteered to proofread the entire book.

In the meantime, my ongoing Vanishing Valleys project has taken me to towns and villages throughout South Wales. On my travels I’ve photographed numerous memorials to servicemen from the local areas. I’ve been familiar with a lot of them for years, of course; others are relatively recent discoveries. In particular, the ‘cenotaph’ in Aberdare and the Clock Tower in Hirwaun have been part of my mental landscape for as long as I can remember. However, it’s only recently that I’ve taken the time to take a close look at them, and others which I’ve passed hundred of times over the years.

The monuments in this first batch of photos were erected by public subscription, to honour the ‘lions led by donkeys’ who never returned home from the Great War for whatever reason. Most of them are in pride of place in the towns and villages; one or two are a little bit harder to find. They all have heartbreaking tales to tell, as I’ve been finding out for myself over the last month or so.

The freshly-laid wreaths at Aberdare, Armistice Day/Remembrance Day, 2012.

The war memorial, Hirwaun

The war memorial, Hirwaun (detail)

The war memorial, Abercynon

The war memorial, Abercynon (detail)

The war memorial, Llwydcoed

The war memorial, Llwydcoed (detail)

The war memorial, Penrhiwceiber

War memorial, Penrhiwceiber (detail)

I know it’s not in the Cynon Valley, but this is one of my favourite recent discoveries. I love the understated dignity of the memorial at Trelewis, near Nelson.

The war memorial, Trelewis

This next one was new to me until a couple of years ago. The war memorial in Mountain Ash is especially beautiful. It’s some distance from the town centre, in Duffryn Woods, alongside the minor road to Cefnpennar. Surrounded by mature trees, approached by a narrow path from the Gorsedd Circle, it almost feels as though it’s been transported from the battle sites of France. Representing Britannia triumphant over ‘Might’, it’s a striking and emotive piece of work. Unfortunately, the bronze panels were stolen in 2008, and the restored version apparently does not reflect its original glory.

The Gorsedd Circle, Mountain Ash, with the memorial visible through the trees

The war memorial, Mountain Ash

The war memorial, Mountain Ash (detail)

In addition to the ‘cenotaph’ and the local memorials, there are (or rather were) a number of rolls of honour throughout the valley. Some of them survive, but others have been lost over the years. Here’s one example:

The Aberdare Urban District Council & Education Committee Roll of Honour used to be on the frontage of the old town hall in High Street. I took the original photo when it was still there. When the building was being renovated a couple of years ago, it was relocated to the foyer of Aberdare Library.

The Aberdare Urban District Council Roll of Honour, outside the old town hall

The Roll of Honour in its new home at Aberdare Library

The AUDC Roll of Honour (detail)

Until I mentioned the subject some way into my Vanishing Valleys project, it hadn’t even occurred to me that Trecynon doesn’t have a conspicuous war memorial. It turns out that there’s a Roll of Honour in St Fagan’s Church, a few minutes’ walk from my house. I still haven’t been along to check it out. It’s on my ‘to do’ list – along with about three hundred other items. Priorities, priorities …

To my mind, though, Aberdare’s most impressive war memorial isn’t the one in Victoria Square. A six-metre slab of granite on a traffic island is all very well, but it doesn’t give you the full story. The memorial which really fleshes out the bones is in St Elvan’s Church, the magnificent Victorian Gothic edifice which dominates the skyline of the town centre.

I hadn’t been inside St Elvan’s for about thirty years, so when Geoff told me that he’d been researching the stories behind the memorial there, it piqued my interest. A week ago, I decided to call into the church. St Elvan’s has been open to the public on Saturday mornings throughout the summer, and it seemed like a perfect opportunity to see the memorial for myself.

By now, I’d enlisted Clint. Geoff’s own photos weren’t great (as he’ll readily admit), so I roped in our resident Photoshopper to lend a hand. We met up in the Chapel of St Michael and All Angels, which was added to the church in 1911 and formally dedicated as a war memorial chapel in 1919. Here, finally, I saw the inspiration for Geoff’s current project.

These great oak panels list the names of 222 men from the Parish of Aberdare who died in, or shortly after, the Great War. As Geoff himself has written,

The men … came from all sections of the community, and the list of casualties include coal miners, bank clerks, a solicitor, a cellist in the orchestra of a local theatre, a landowner, a local hairdresser, fondly known as ‘Snips’, teachers, tram drivers, local footballers, and four former public school pupils. These men once walked the same streets we use today, were members of local churches and chapels, sang in local choirs, took part in sporting activities, attended the town’s cinemas and enjoyed the society of local pubs.

Clint and I spent ages in the church, taking hundreds of photos between us and chatting to Fr Robert Davies and his wife Christina. I’ve known Fr Robert by sight for years, and we’ve shaken hands at a couple of funerals, but we’d never spoken in detail until last Saturday.

They’re a fantastic couple, very approachable and welcoming. They told us about their recent holiday in Greece, where they’d made a point of visiting the graves of three Aberdare men who fell during the campaign there. Christina studied photography at university, and we chatted for ages about the good old days, where we really had to be conscious of the cost of film and processing. Clint has missed his true calling; he should have been a crime scene photographer, as he found every nook and cranny of the church.

They gave us the run of the building, and Fr Robert even took us up a very narrow spiral staircase into the tower. Here, we came up close and personal to the clock and the eight mighty bells. You definitely need a head for heights to venture up there! Unfortunately, the clock mechanism is enclosed in a timber surround to protect it, but the resounding hollow ticking filled the small chamber.

Clint is a steampunk enthusiast, as I’ve mentioned previously, and Fr Robert is a SF fan too. Just the small part of the workings which we could see was fascinating, and strangely out of place in the year 2014. We were in the room as it chimed the quarter. It was quite thrilling to hear the hands move, and the steady winding of the chain to strike the bell. I’d like to record the sound there one day, as it’s a really atmospheric space.

After spending a good couple of hours exploring the church, Clint and I thanked Fr Robert and Christina for their hospitality, and headed back into town. When I got to the pub, I realised I’d left my glasses behind. I walked back round to the main gates, but they were locked. I rang the vicarage, explained what had happened, and Fr Robert offered to come back into town and help me search for them. Fair play to him. I told him there wasn’t any great rush, and arranged to meet him after the service on Sunday morning.

Thus it was that I paid my second visit to church, less than twenty-four hours later. When I poked my head in at lunchtime on Sunday, I thought the parishioners had decided to mark the centenary of the war by re-enacting the Battle of the Somme. A few people have told me that Fr Robert is keen on incense, but I hadn’t taken them at their word. I made my way through the clouds of smoke and greeted him as he was chatting to some of the older worshippers.

He ushered me in and I started retracing my steps through the church, but to no avail. I told him that they’d probably turn up, and made a note of my phone number in case someone handed them in during the week. While we were chatting, I mentioned that the only other place they might be was in the bell tower. The leader of the ringers happened to be within earshot, and said that he’d spotted a glasses case on the parapet of the bell room. He unlocked the door to the spiral staircase and returned a minute later, holding my glasses.

By now I’d written my phone number down, so I gave it to Christina anyway, in case she thought of anything which I needed to bring to Geoff’s attention. I might even have got the gig for proofreading the Parish Magazine – although, as my friend Gareth remarked when I bumped into him the next day, the compilers probably won’t change the habit of a lifetime.

On Thursday I made my way to Abercynon, back up to Penrhiwceiber, and thence to Mountain Ash. I needed to re-shoot the memorials which I’d lost in the Great Hardware Crash of 2008. I’ve also pencilled in a visit to Ynysybwl some time in the next couple of weeks, to check out the memorial there.

But not next Saturday.

On 13 September, Geoff’s giving a talk about his research, in St Elvan’s Church, Aberdare, at 2 p.m. It’s part of the Rhondda Cynon Taf Open Doors initiative, during which historic buildings throughout the county borough welcome visitors from near and far.

By then, Geoff, Clint and I should have a pretty much completed book to take to the printers. The Cynon Valley History Society have agreed to publish it, and it’s due to hit the shelves on 11 November, which is Armistice Day, of course. We’ll have to take a trip to Dinefwr Press at Llandybie to talk through the technical details, of course, but it’s great experience for us all. Clint and I will even get a mention in dispatches.

All I have to do in the meantime is to stop Geoff from adding any more new material. I’ve already promised to collaborate with him on a second revised edition, to mark the centenary of the armistice. At this rate, we might actually finish it by 2018. Watch this space…