Singing In Rhos

A Memory of Rhosllanerchrugog.

The great thing about Rhos as far as I am concerned was the fantastic wealth of singers in that village (it was the largest village in Wales). I lived at that time in Rhostyllen, a couple of miles away from Rhos, and I loved going to the Miners Welfare Club, especially on Sundays. Wales on Sundays was dry in those days so all the men in the area went to that club for a drink at dinner time (clubs were exempt from the general no drinking laws)- that is lunch time to all the rest of the UK. After a few pints of beer and a game of bingo the whole place would erupt with marvellous male voices singing as though they were one huge choir. I would usually be in the company of my dad (I was the non drinking driver in those days), and he having an exceptionally good voice would be asked to get up on the stage and give a solo rendition of one or two of his songs. When men got up on the stage to do this, almost perfect order was given by others in the room, there was an air of respect for those who had the capability and the guts to stand on stage alone. except for the pianist of course. This went on for many years until the pubs in Wales were allowed to open on Sundays - and that killed off the club as described above because the men started going to other places and slowly the numbers dwindled. Today nothing is heard by way of singing in Rhos except in choir rehearsals and some concerts and the spontaneous, rousing, singing has gone ... but it's still in my memory and will stay forever.

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