Harry Baxter Darnell, Laddies Rest, The Warren, Gronant. 1930 1940s

A Memory of Gronant.

My grandfather was Harry Baxter Darnell, he had a bungalow on the Warren. My mother, brother Donald and sister Vera stayed there during the 2nd world war. My mother was Nellie Crossley (nee Darnell), I was born in 1945, my grandfather died in 1947 and he is buried in the cemetry above Gronant. I have many letters from my mother to my father, who was in Manchester on War work; she tells of going up to the convent for marmalade, and of a Spitfire crashing with a young pilot in by the lighthouse. Donald and Vera went to the local school, my brother died aged 42 in 1972 and he told me it was the happiest days of his young life walking around Gronant with his grandad. The name of the bungalow was 'Laddies Rest', his friend John Sargenson lived next door (they built them together in the 1930's). My sister, now in her 70's, says they stood on the sand dunes and watched when they bombed Liverpool, but says they felt safe in Gronant..... My son now has a static caravan which he bought with his girlfriend - he didn't know anything of the family conections, only that my grandad lived there years ago. I was amazed when I visited it for the first time as it was near enough on the same spot as Grandad's place. I got goosebumps when I went to see the caravan, he had no idea it was the same place on Haven Site.... In the letters it says that my aunty Ann Darnell, Marion Sargenson and my mother used to sit around an oil lamp in the evenings knitting baby clothes and sold them locally. Harry Baxter Darnell died July 27th 1947 buried in Coed Bell Cemetery, Gronant, his obituary was reported in the Prestatyn Weekly. The bungalow was called 'Laddies Rest' because grandad had a Spaniel dog that died when he was building the place and he buried him under the doorstep......