Pontllanfraith, Bridge and Old Mill c1965

It's all chicken feed!

Hello all, my name is Robin Harries, and in 1965 I was a teenager. Mr Moore (I think Len was his name) used to drive the Ford van and deliver to our farm (which was Cwmdraw Farm) with the chicken feed. He was a lovely man, and when you spoke to him about anything, which he thought was amazing, he would always reply by saying "Due Due Due" (I think thats how you spell it) which I have been told is Welsh for "God". Sometimes my father would need more corn because we had been to Abergavenny market and bought more chickens, so sometimes I would go with him to the mill. Then when I got older (18 years old) I went to Usk College of Agriculture, where I learned how to look after poultry. I then had my own poultry farm in Stroud with 45,000 chickens, I'm sure Mr Moore would have liked the order to supply all that chicken feed, many tons a week. I then started a company called Mr Welshegg,and I am sure many people in South Wales went to work on a Mr Welshegg egg! I sold the company to Mr Orchard in Caerphilly in 1978, and at that time I was selling about 35 tons of eggs a week, that's enough to make you crack up, and I'm not yolking, he he he! Well, that's enough for now, if you would like to hear more about me some time, please let me know, but that's all i can tell you about the Moores of the old mill. Yours, Robin

The Miller's van in this photo.

I travelled with Mr Moor, the miller, in this Ford van as he went from house to house selling grain food for chickens etc.  I also paid a weekly visit to the mill which charged our accumulator acid battery that powered our wireless (radio).  I recently visited the mill and spent an enjoyable hour being shown around and seeing an actual copy of the distress message sent out by the Titanic which Mr Moor picked up, after it struck the iceberg in 1912.  My home was in Brynteg Avenue and I now live in Northern Ireland.

Gypsy Camp

As children in the Summer we would walk from Ynysddu to the swimming pool in Pontllanfraith. We would walk along what was known as 'the old road'. As we approached the Mill we would look to the right. If we saw dogs we knew the Gypsies were camping in the old Quarry. We were afraid because of the'old wives tales' about Gypsies. We would then very quietly go over the Bridge passed the Mill instead of passing the Camp! Longer way to the Pool but as far as we were concerned safer!

WW2 - Pontllanfraith

My paternal grandfather, Joseph Cook, lived at No 24 Newbridge Road, Pontllanfraith and to avoid the bombing where we lived in South London, we stayed in his house.
I was too young for school, but my brothers, Joe and Pat attended the local primary school, during our stay.
I recall my brothers setting fire to the gorse bushes on an area of land which the local kids referred to as "the common", and that the fire engine was called to put out the fire!
Ken Cook