Evacuee in Cefn Hengoed
During the Second World War my family were evacuated to Cefn Hengoed. Two of my brothers were with the Hughes family, two with the Palmers and two of my sisters with the Jones Famly. We arrived in 1941. Being one of the youngest, I was with my youngest sister, my mother and my father and we stayed on Haywards Farm. Dad was working in an ammunition factory at Glasscoed. When I was old enough I started school at the Derwendaeg Primary school. Before the end of the war the whole family was living at number 5 Chaple Terrace. After the war we stayed until 1947 returning to London on the 31 August. It is now almost 60 years since we left. I passed through the village in 1984, the farm had gone and houses had been built on the site. I hope to return again this year, I have many happy memories of those days.
Memories Links
See more memories of Cefn Hengoed
Add a Memory for another place
Tips & Ideas
How does Cefn Hengoed feature in your personal history?
What are your best memories of Cefn Hengoed?
How has Cefn Hengoed changed over the years?
Share memories about your local community, its history and people.
Comments
4 comments have been shared so far in response to the memory "Evacuee in Cefn Hengoed".
Why not get involved and post your comments using the comment form below.
Comments
RE: RE: Evacuee in Cefn Hengoed
Did you happen to know Mrs Gibbey who has evacuees during the Second World War? She lived in Gelligaer Road in the middle of the village. She was very fond of the boys who came to stay and spoke of them often to the rest of our family.
Comment from Nichola Coleman on Sunday, 3rd May 2009.
RE: RE: Evacuee in Cefn Hengoed
Memories of 1939-44... I was a London evacuee, my mother was a Londoner and my father Rees Williams was from the village, he was in the army. I stayed with my Gran Eynon who lived at 42 Hengoed Avenue.I went to the local primary school with my friends Johnny Roberts and Roy Dolloway, who married my cousin Doreen. Mr Roberts was like the Pied Piper when he took a group of children every Sunday morning out for walks while the mothers cooked the Sunday dinners. I can remember when the Penallta pit hooter went and the men came home all black and singing sometimes. We had to trek from the school to the village hall for our school dinners, also when they started the woodwork class we were bused to Ystrad Mynach in the morning and had to walk back at dinner time. I have a nostalgic memory of the ice-cream man when he visited the village on his motorbike and ice-box sidecar smelling of petrol. We used to go to a lady called Granny Walker who sold us a candle to put in a jam jar while we played in the street at night. When there was a good dance at the Fleur-de-Lis you used to hear the girls singing as they were coming back up the path at night.
Comment from Raymond Williams on Friday, 15th January 2010.
RE: RE: Evacuee in Cefn Hengoed
My great gran was Mrs Gibbey of Gelligaer Road, Cefn Hengoed and Granny Walker who sold the candles was her mother in law. I believe Mrs Gibbey took care of 2 evacuees from Birmingham but there is also talk of another evacuee from London, Ian Rees, who came to live with my gran for a while. She was a lovely woman, quite a character and a strong member of the village community. She had a daughter, Maud, and my grandfather Jack who was in the Royal air force. Her eldest daughter was sent away to Bath to work. I remember my gran telling me how upset she was as when the 2 boys from Birmingham left, they didn't want to leave, and so decided to follow the railway tracks as a way to return to Wales! However my gran was in work when the boys returned, the authorities at the time decided that instead of calling her out of work (so she could comfort them)to simply return them on the next train to Birmingham - this really upset her.
Comment from Nichola Coleman on Tuesday, 9th February 2010.
RE: RE: Evacuee in Cefn Hengoed
I posted a memory of a person named Carney who I knew, lived in Chapel Terrace, in the Hengoed page of this website.
Comment from Cyril Phillips on Tuesday, 10th August 2010.