Bomb Blast `siding` Margaret Street/Victoria Street.

A Memory of Treherbert.

I recall as a young boy of 7 or 8, that I was among a group of friends playing on the siding at the bottom of Margaret Street. We, as friends, found the bomb on the Rhigos Mountain and carried it back to the siding and were throwing stones at the bomb, in an attempt to explode it!. After a short while, I had a call of nature and left the siding, went up the Gooly to my grandparents back door and used the toilet. As I was in the toilet I heard a loud explosion and saw a huge column of smoke rising from the area of the siding. I ran down the Gooly to witness many adults, including my grandfather, and my father, with other men trying to help the injured who had been caught up in the blast. My father caught sight of me and ran to pick me up and after given me a hug, he gave me an almighty slap on my backside and told me to go to my grans. I later found out that many of my friends had been severely injured as a result of the blast, and I was told of the unfortunate death of a friend. My father stressed upon me the stupidity of throwing stones at a bomb and my good fortune that my need for the toilet saved me from what could have been injury or death. I have searched details of this event for many years without succes and still wish to search for more detail of the event; year, date and results of any press data. My father and grandfather kept a chicken farm at the top of William Street (The Field) that has partly been taken over by the construction of the Treherbert Rugby Field. Many of us as youths used to play on the Black Tips and the Cows Tip and during the war. When the Yanks were biletted with our relatives, we used to follow them from their headquarters near the Treherbert Park, up the Rhigos Road as they took part in their training and manouveres for the war. It is likely that we, as a gang of youths, found the bomb after such an exercise, but as I am unsure of the exact date of the bomb incident, I can only guess that it was during 1943/44. My search continues as does my gratitude to nature, for my call of nature at the time of the blast. I left the Rhondda in 1952 in search of a career in the RAF and served for 24 years, followed by 25 years in Local Government and eventual retirement in 1977. My life in Devon is wonderful but I still feel the need to return for a break at my sister`s home in Cwmparc, and the Rhondda, where my memories of youth are soon returned as I wander the area, especially the Tynewydd area and the Rhigos. I see much change in the Valley with the planting of the pine trees that hide the mountains we once roamed as kids. I recall, too, my freinds from my school days
and the gang of friends I had from the 'siding'. My regards to all that remember me. My next visit is eargerly awaited for the annual concert of the Treorchy Male Choir in March 2013 with whom my brother and nephew are Choristers.