75 Crwys Crescent

A Memory of Upper Boat.

My name is Paul Griffiths and I lived at the above address from 1942 until 1951 when my parents moved to Braintree, Essex. Some of the fondest memories of my childhood were spent at Upper Boat and we lived at the last house in Crwys Crescent next door to Roger Thomas and his parents.
I can still remember the black out curtains and being rushed into the air raid shelter where hot cocoa in thermos
flasks were supplied with biscuits.
Does anyone remember Guy Fawkes when a huge bonfire we built up and a night to remember with potatoes put in
the embers?
Brian Pardoe and Terry Cooper were my amongst my best friends and my girl friend (we were going to get married and have lots of dogs and cats) was dear Margaret Meek, I know all the children and where they lived and Maureen Stagg's father had a TV antenna on the roof long before I knew what a TV was.
In my mind's eye I can still walk down from our prefab through our little community and see the old neighbours and
children as they were so long ago.
Who remembers the snow storm of 1948 with snow to the roofs of the prefabs? Also, large urns of milk delivered
where the pylon stands and house wives would come with jugs to be filled? Brian Pardoe and myself put tadpoles
in an urn which caused quite a stir when they were served up with the milk! Another time we diverted the course of
the stream above the prefabs sending it down the hill into the community! Walking down in all weathers to catch
the school 'bus and who remembers the traveling cinema which showed films every Saturday for children and
parents on a Friday night in the hall below the canal bridge. Also, the Christmas show with all the latest toys which
most of us could only look at and dream as nobody had the money for such luxuries back then.
Standing at the railway junction on the rare occasion we took the train to Cardiff or Pontypridd and seeing that
enormous locomotive bearing down and having to be helped up into the carriage. The double decker was never
so much fun and I always hated having to stand for what seem forever at the main road opposite the old Carmel
chapel which we attended.
I have fond memories of the old swing gate to enter the meadow and which was still there on my last visit.
That wonderful canal which was every child's dream to catch a red breast or minnow, with frogs, toads and
lizards walking up the road every morning in the summer. My sister and I made a frog's hospital out of shoe boxes but none of the patients ever survived.
I returned in 1957 on my scooter from Essex and took Margaret to Pontypridd for a sundae and returned again in
1962 with my wife and young son. We took the 'bus from Cardiff and Mrs. Meek made us dinner. Margaret, Anne,
Heather and Eddy had all moved away and our old prefab was empty. A few years later we returned again but by
then all the prefabs had been demolished. I tried to find the Meek family but was never successful.
In 1987 I returned for what would be my last visit and there were trailers where the prefabs once stood but the air
raid shelter was still standing.
We now live in the mountains of western Maryland but my thoughts ever stray to those wonderful years at Upper
Boat with memories in abundance. I remember when we moved to Braintree my sister and I were homesick for
dear old Upper Boat for the longest time where the fields and mountains were our playground and it was safe for
children to play all day long in complete safety.
Should anyone who remembers me wish to get in touch I should be delighted to hear from them.
Paul