When I Was 10 Years Old

My mother was Lavinia Stephens, born in 1909 in Ynsddu, she was one of twenty one children, only ten of whom survived. Seven were girls, Rachel, Martha, Olive, Blodwen, Gwynne, Gladys and my mother. Their three brothers were Bill, Ivor and Cliff. Their parents' names were Ann (born Edwards) and Bill, and I believe that they lived in Bridge Street. All the men were miners, with young Bill in addition to his mining job, helping to sink a new pit. My mother remembered his sisters taking his boots off when he returned home exhausted! My aunty Blodwen became a midwife in Monmouth, where her husband was Mick Roche, and their only son, Christopher, still lives in Wonastow Road, Monmouth. I would like to visit Ynsddu this year, and would love to meet anyone who knows of the family. They also had links with the Colliers, who had a garage, I think on the outskirts of Newport. A few years before my mother died in 2001, in Exmouth, Devon, I recorded several conversations with her, which I will listen to before I visit. Please do get in touch if you know anyone who may have known the family. My name is Eileen Wragg, tel.01395 273474, email Eileen.Wragg@devon.gov.uk