School Years & First Job

A Memory of Lower Sketty.

I was born in Lower Cwmtwrch in the 1930s, but my memory of those days is not all that good, well a bit sparse! I was born in Brynderi Bungalow, they tell now that a new school has been built there on the old colliery site. I attended Gurnos School, as did my brother, Keith. I won't say that I liked school, because I did not. The "Whipper In" was a man who's name was Mr Joseph, he had a bike, and he was a constant caller at our house!! My father, Mr John Dvid Best, was a fine figure of a man, well respected in the area, he worked at the Tinplate works in Gurnos Cross, as did his father and his elder brother, George Best. When the tinworks closed down, I can't remember the date, my father went to work as a fitter at the smellting works in Llansamlet. My brother and I were brought up by wonderful parents, they were strict, but not too strict, we had to go to Sunday School, but never stuck to the same one, if Bethania had a better trip in the Summer we would leave Bethel and start going to Bethania for eg!! Some days, if the weather was nice and warm we would go fishing or swimming in the River Twrch, but later in the week my mother would meet someone from the Chapel who would ask her "Why didn't the boys attend Sunday School last Sunday? It would be look out then when she came home!! So we would be marched up to the door of the Chapel the next Sunday!
I must say that I did have a wonderful childhood, very little money but we made our own enjoyment, without harming anyone, I say it now often, that the era in which I have lived was/is the best times that ever was, we could go for our annual holiday, a week in Newport at our Auntie's house, or a week camping in Caswell Bay, and not even lock the back door, close it yes, but not lock it! Would anyone do that today? As Ryan said, "Never in Europe".
The war Years were exciting times, my grandfather was in the Home Guard, as was my father, but my grandfather, who was a Colour Seargent in the Welsh Guards, was like Captain Mainwaring. He was in charge of the Drill Hall, which was very close to our house, in fact it was the other side of our garden fence. One of the main events that I remember of that hall was, now and again there would be a dance held there, usually on a Saturday night, and on the Sunday morning my brother and I would have to go and help to clean the place up, and we had to collect all the fag ends, open them up to put all the tobacco in a tin, and if it was the time of year for the coltsfoot plant (a yellow flowered plant belonging to the tobacco plant ) we had to collect the leaves of the plant (it grew on the old coal tip at Brynderri), then dry the leaves in the oven, rub them into tiny particles, and mix it with the tobacco from the fagends, and my grandfather would smoke it in his pipe.
When I left school I started work with DG. Mabe & Sons, they were coal merchants, they're yard was very near to the Engine Sheds and Goods Yard, which was roughly were the Aubry Roundabout is now. At my tender age it was very hard work, six days a week in all weathers and a massive pay at the end of the week of £1.10 shillings ( £1.50 ); the pound for my mother and 50p for me, I was rich at last!!
A year later my brother Keith joined the Royal Navy, and a year after that I too joined the Royal Navy, seven years later we both joined the same ship, and what a life we had together travelling and visiting far away places.
So great memories of a great life that started in Lower Cwmtwrch.

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