Author Topic: The Home Guard in Rhos  (Read 3399 times)

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Offline Michael

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The Home Guard in Rhos
« on: December 03, 2012, 08:03:59 pm »
   Hello everyone, A rather long but true story about the Home Guard in Rhos around about 1941/2.
   
   I grew up in the flat over Barclays Bank in Rhos,  my father was the manager. So I had the run of the place outside opening hours. An interesting discovery one evening.  There, stashed away in a corner, was what was obviously a sort of machine gun. Looked old, was on a tripod, lots of heavy bits attached to it.   Out of sight of customers, I'm glad to say.

   My dad was in the Home Guard. I found out that he had been entrusted with looking after this bit of equipment. In those far
gone days people trusted bank managers!!!

  Anyway, this gun needed three people to operate it. One aimed it
 and pulled the trigger. A second person stood alongside and fed a belt which had the bullets in pouches into the barrel of the gun.  A third person stood alongside with a large supply of water which he fed into a jacket which surrounded the barrel to prevent the barrel overheating.  The water splashed out into a bucket on the floor.   I know. One practice evening someone didnt turn up, so my dad got me from upstairs in the flat to come down and pour in the water.

   STOP LAUGHING YOU LOT.  This was a first world war machine gun and was being put into action again after 25 years rest.

   Now, I expect some of you will be wondering, why should Everard Road in Rhos need a machine gun. Well I'll tell you where it was meant for.

  Drive out of Mochdre towards Llandudno Junction. Around 400 yards before the road dips down towards the Black Cat roundabout, on the left there is a lodge or gatehouse at the entrance to a privately owned unmade track which leads to a private property. The track actually goes over a bridge which goes over a lane from the Black Cat roundabout and heads towards Bryn  Maen.  On the right hand sign of this unmade track there are bushes and a row of trees. Thats where this machinegun was destined for.

  So, what on earth would anyone want a machine gun up there for? I hear you all saying.

   Well, those of you old enough, think back. No roundabout, little or no black cat, definately no A55 as it is now, no flyover. But--an absolutely perfect view of the existing bridge over the railway.

   The thinking was, the Germans invaded around Holyhead from Ireland, made their way safely along the coast heading towards England, that is, safely before they came up against my dad and his machine gun as they crossed the bridge.

   And, maybe, even me with my one gallon can of water   Mike


Offline DaveR

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Re: The Home Guard in Rhos
« Reply #1 on: December 03, 2012, 08:08:00 pm »
Great story, Mike!  $good$


Offline Yorkie

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Re: The Home Guard in Rhos
« Reply #2 on: December 03, 2012, 08:15:46 pm »
Ah, Everard Road!  Everything one needed in one short parade.   Barclays for some money, Newtons for the vegetables, Cutlers for the meat, and Westwells for the booze!   All now sadly gone!
 Z** ZXZ
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Offline Ian

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Re: The Home Guard in Rhos
« Reply #3 on: December 04, 2012, 07:10:50 am »
Quote
The water splashed out into a bucket on the floor.   I know. One practice evening someone didnt turn up, so my dad got me from upstairs in the flat to come down and pour in the water.

MY father was a navigator on Lancasters in the War and he once brought a friend home some time after the war who had been a pilot on Dakotas in the Far East.  Apparently, the Dakotas had been 'retro-fitted' with machine guns, not originally intended for aviation use, and these were placed in the sides of the fuselage and operated by a gunner.  Anyhow, if they had to use them when in flight, the guns would become - as MIke says - extremely hot, but were cooled effectively on one side by the air flow, resulting in a slightly curved barrel in the direction of flight.  Slowly, as the gun barrel would deform, the gunners would have to aim to the right of whatever they were shooting at...
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline Fester

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Re: The Home Guard in Rhos
« Reply #4 on: December 04, 2012, 12:07:24 pm »
Excellent accounts men!

Now, Mike, do you have any recollection of the Engineers taking up sections of the decking on Rhos Pier to prevent any sea-borne Nazi invasion?
My book about Welsh piers say that this happened early in 1940.
Fester...
- Semper in Excretum, Sole Profundum Variat -

Offline Michael

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Re: The Home Guard in Rhos
« Reply #5 on: December 04, 2012, 01:20:32 pm »
     Fester, I will reply to you tonight. I need a laptop to give you the full answer. In the meantime, ponder on the fact that still, after 70 years, I still wake up at night with bad dreams

Offline Fester

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Re: The Home Guard in Rhos
« Reply #6 on: December 04, 2012, 06:36:06 pm »
OK Mike, and don't forget to answer that bloody quiz question you set ages ago!
Fester...
- Semper in Excretum, Sole Profundum Variat -

Offline Michael

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Re: The Home Guard in Rhos
« Reply #7 on: December 04, 2012, 08:39:03 pm »
    Hello Fester, I suppose this should really be a between members message, but the pier bit may be of interest to other forum members.  As to the quiz, Ill have 2 have a look at that. Provided I can find my question Ill put the answer up there.

   Back to Rhos pier.  Yes, there was a fairly long section of the decking taken away by someone, I dont know whether it was the Engineers or who.  From memory probably around 20 to 30 yards.     But the ironwork either side was left.  The RSJ was probably around a foot wide, then more ironwork below it connecting to another RSJ, but this one had only about 6 inches showing because the vertical iron was connected (welded?) to the middle.

  And that is how the pier was left. The decking was never replaced and eventually the pier was pulled down.

  Now to the nasty bit, and my bad dreams.  War over I imagine, the craze amongst the local lads was birds eggs. In particular seagulls and pidgeons. There were shelters at the end of the pier, obviously good nesting places because no human or animal could get access to them.

  So, off we went, five or six of us intent on getting over the big divide. One or two brave ones with a good sense of balance, like a tightrope walker, walked swiftly across the top RSJ.   They must have had good balance --- otherwise they would be dead. Lots of large nasty rocks lay below.  The more nervous ones, me included, climbed down on to the 6 inch section and edged across holding on to the ironwork which connected the two sections.

  Not too bad, climbed up onto the cut off pier. Of course, one slip and we would have been goners.  But then, I realised I was going to HAVE to do the same thing again to return. Thats when panic set it.

  Needless to say as far as I recall all the eggs were broken.   Mike     P.S.  Of course the decking was removed to stop any seabourne invasion.


Offline Yorkie

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Re: The Home Guard in Rhos
« Reply #8 on: December 04, 2012, 09:26:14 pm »
Rhos Pier in 1934
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Offline gaztrucker

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Re: The Home Guard in Rhos
« Reply #9 on: September 02, 2017, 09:18:27 pm »
hi did some demolition work woodland road west in the bay upon breaking through into the cellar of the property two items were found i recovered a ww2 greatcoat badged : home guard colwyn bay cp1 my colleague recovered a ww2 royal navy duffel coat there was various markings painted on the cellar walls which makes me think this property no 19 may have been used by the home guard in ww2 the greatcoat was given to adrian who now has it on display in his home front museum in llandudno