Wartime Prefabs At Upper Boat.

A Memory of Upper Boat.

I have just read a memory of this extate from Brian Williams, I lived there from 1943 to 1945, at which point my father returned to his pre-war workplace at Croydon Airport.

I remember a Brian Williams, I wonder if its the same one? We lived in Crwys Crescent and I, too, spent those years on the Griffin Farm - but not at the same time as Brian.

Gelliearion Farm (spelling?) it was, and belonged to Reginald Griffin who lived in the Mill House facing the bottom of Dynea Road. He was part of the Cardiff business Noah Rees & Griffin. The two sons were Colin (the elder) and Clive. Clive's birthday is 6th June - D-Day. I understood that the farm was run by relatives, at least he always referred to Mrs Meyrick as "Bopa" or Auntie.

"Old" Johnnie always did the ploughing and harrowing behind the two mares, Bonnie and Nesta, plodding along with his old Welsh sheepdog, Fan, in the trail. He sewed all seed by hand broadcast.

Harvesting was again a two horse affair with reaper/binder. Clive and I used to stook the sheaves and, later, turn them. Later the thresher arrived; this was the arrival of a tractor and threshing machine.

Sheaves were loaded onto a 4 wheel trolley cart with the two mares in traces led by one of us while the other usually stood on the load stacking it at increasing height until it was ready to be taken to the farmyard where the belt-driven machine would be running.

The farm work was carried out by Fred (Johnnie's son?), Ben (until his death by electrocution when he climbed a pylon on the mountainside) and Desmond. They were joined by a landgirl, Olive, who subsequently married Fred. When that happened another landgirl, Peggy, arrived.

If my memory is right, Brian is a year or two younger than I so he probably started going to the farm after my return to Croydon.

It must have been 1943 or 1944 when the canal burst its banks just below Upper Boat. That signalled the end of the canal as one of our playgrounds!

In all I spent just over 5 years in that area, half of them at Upper Boat. My friendship with Clive and experience s with his family on the farm effectively changed my life so that there was no way that I could settle in a suburban postage stamp garden, I have been fortunate to enjoy views of open spaces from all of my own homes to date.

I know that Colin Griffin has sadly died of cancer and hope that Clive, at 81 now, is enjoying his life.