Grace Ellen Jones 1885-1961

[mull]

Wow Annie that's a blast from the past .

Photo was taken July 1951, at Ripley Avenue, Ford, Liverpool.

 Left to right  Auntie Gwennie, My mother Myfanwy, Little brother Gareth and me.

Auntie Gwennie was then living in Orme road Bangor, her husband Daffydd was a Police detective, and I had been staying with them for 6 weeks because my mother had an extended stay in hospital.  For 2 weeks before that I had stayed with Nain and Uncle Hugh at Tan Y Wal Penrhynside, and attending Nant Y Gammar School. Remember going to school with the other kids on a tram.
Nice to be in touch with you and hope you stay safe in this stormy weather.

If Chad is following this, Nice to hear from you again. Sorry to hear about your daughter and hope things have a good outcome for you all.

[Hugo]

Hi Mull,  hope that you and Mrs M are ok and that you haven't had any storm damage up there

I've just attached some photos that may bring back memories for you.     The first two are of the trams that used to take you to school and the third one is of Bodafon School.    The headmasters House is the building on the right and the school is straight ahead.  Apparently it is still a good school nowadays.

[Hugo]

I thought that you might also like to see this.    It's a posting by Jelly Bean on the 16th August 2015

I attended Bodafon School from 1952 to 1960. We had 3 classrooms, Infants, Standards 1 and 2 and Standards 3, 4 and 5, after which it was the dreaded Eleven Plus! My first teacher was Miss Griffiths and she was one tough cookie. When she taught us to write, she would patrol the aisles of desks and if your index finger was not flat against the pencil (ie, if it was bent up) she would crack you over the knuckle with a ruler! Imagine doing that these days! But I remember her with great affection and remember the day she finally retired.
I wonder of there is anyone out there in Three Towns Land that remembers that day too? I can identify a few of these pupils, but some names are lost in the mists of time! Any takers?

I think that the young girl presenting the flowers to the teacher was Janet Bootam who lived in Penrhynside,   Sadly Janet died in her 50's, far too young

[Hugo]

           I forgot to include a photo of Bodafon School.     The school is straight ahead and the building on the right is where the headmaster lived

[ckirkrph]

Hello everyone.  Yes, I was just catching up on here. My daughter is done with the chemotherapy and is in remission. What a long road that was. Looking forward to getting back to research.

[mull]

Hi Hugo, We are all well up here, just been  rough weather over the weekend.

First storm Friday, southerly, loosened the steel garage roof. Spent all day Saturday trying to make it secure.
Second storm Sunday, "Corrie", Northerly, started peeling it back from the other end. Spent all day Monday removing part of it and making it secure.
Garage has been resembling lace curtains and I want it rebuilt. Had a local builder around about 6 months ago who is going to do the job but seems he is not short of work, so we will have to wait.

Rough up here again this morning with ferries cancelled and forecast later in the week is poor. Looks like there is a chance to get over to Oban shopping on Wednesday then that is it.

Pleased we have a new manager and the FSW is now history. Onwards and upwards.
 

[Annie]

Hi there to Hugo, Mull and Chad
Chad - glad to hear my photo brought back memories for you.  It is in my collection of photos which I managed to keep after Taid and Nain passed away (so Richard Benjamin Jones and his lovely wife Elizabeth Jane JOnes).  Of course mam and dad had them for ages, and once they passed on, I felt they needed to be looked after as they held so many memories about our past.  We have lots of photos of Gwennie, and actually I do remember her, we seem to have seen more of her than anyone.  I think she and Taid (Richard Benjamin JOnes) had quite a special relationship,   I also personally remember how she seemed to suffer hugely from asthma.

Anyway we also have survived the two storms that recently passed by.  Usually it is quite brutal here on Anglesey, and outside furniture needs to be tied down or pushed into sheltered corners, but surprisingly the recent storms were not quite as bad as anticipated, and we seem to have been relatively unscathed, though I am in no doubt that there may be more storms to come.

Like you Mull I often spent time with my grandparents, Nain and Taid, in Sunbeams LLandudno.  In about 1963/64 I was sent to live with them whilst my mum and dad moved house - from Chester to a small  village in Flintshire.  The house they bought at auction was semi-derelict, and so my brothers when to stay with my paternal grandparents, whilst I was sent to Llandudno to spent a few months with Nain and Taid in Sunbeams, Howard Place, Llandudno.  The autumn school term of that year I went to a school in Llandudno  I don't remember what it was called, but I know I walked to school, by myself, through a little alleyway off howard place, and along Cwm Road and it was a small primary school on the left hand side.  It had a field next to it, with the donkeys grazing who normally worked on the beach.  It was an all Welsh speaking school, so I went from a school that had been all English in Chester to starting afresh on my own at a welsh speaking school.  Somehow I managed very well, as I enjoyed my time there and returned at the end of the term to live with my parents and brothers.  Nain and Taid LLandudno , were very special people

[mull]

Many happy memories of Uncle Dick and Auntie Jane.
Remember he was a great football fan and can remember going with him to watch Llandudno FC when they played on the Council Field, now ASDA. He used to recall going to Goodison Park and watching Dixie Dean score for Everton.
About 1950 I must have said I would like a sheepdog. Uncle Dick was still working as a postman then and Fferm between Craig y Don and Llanrhos must have been on his round as he got me a puppy from there, bringing it over on the train to Liverpool. We called him Cymro and he lived to be 15 years. I have had Border Collies ever since, the last as Search and Rescue Dogs with SARDA.

[Hugo]

Hi Annie,  I lived near that Welsh School that you mentioned in Cwm Road.    As you leave Howard Road turn left and and walk down Cwm Road, the building is on your right because on your left was the football field belonging to John Bright Grammar School..   
I remember the donkeys that were there and the guys who looked after them and there was also a large ditch near there that flowed towards the railway line.
Directly in front of the school and also in front of the entrance to Hywel Place ( directly across the road to Howard's Road ) was a railway line.    This line ran to the gasworks which was just beyond Ysgol Morfa Rhianedd.    The line may not have been in use when you went to the school

http://www.ysgolmorfarhianedd.org.uk/

[Annie]

Hi Mull.  Well nice to hear that you have such fond memories of my lovely grandparents.  In my eyes, they were extraordinary special people.  I can just imagine him turning up with a puppy for you.  and yes, he loved football, and often went with my dad and brother to watch Llandudno FC. 

I seem to have a lot of photos of your family!   I am wondering if these are photos of you.  They were clearly taken at the bac of our home when we lived at 81 Dickinson's Drive Chester.  There is one with Auntie Lell , and I am sat on her knee, and is it you in the photo?  That photo includes Nain and Taid (Aunitie Jane and Uncle Dick)and my older brother David.  And the other one I think may be you and your mother, David and me?  But I could be wrong?

[Annie]

The other photo

[Annie]

Hi Hugo
I remember the large ditch by the field with the donkeys and the football field belonging to the John Bright Grammar School.  The school and field were directly at the back of my grandparents house in Howards Place, and we could hear the school children out playing when it was lunch breaks etc.  Often stray balls came over the wall into the back garden, a great thrill at the time!
I remember the gas works too, though not the railway line.  I don't think it was working at the time i was there.  I will look out some photos of the area at that time and post them.  I have a lot of photos of LLandudno that belonged to my grandparents, where is the best place to share them Hugo?
Thank you

[mull]

Hi Annie,

Thanks for posting them photos. I can confirm the first is with my mother also you and your brother, the second is with my Nain, Grace Ellen or Auntie Lel as you called her.

I have no recollection of them being taken and I wonder what the occasion was for the family get together ?

 About that time Nain stayed in Tan Y Wal and we stayed in Liverpool although my father worked in Chester. I can recall being "dragged" around Chester house hunting. The house hunting came to nothing and my father managed to get a transfer back to Liverpool.
After retiring in 1976 my mother and father moved house to Llandudno.

[mull]

Hi Annie,

Have sent you a message if you look in there.

[Hugo]

Hi Annie,   I was having a chat on Thursday with my youngest brother who was born in 1959 and he has no memory of the railway line going to the Gasworks either.    It must have stopped and the rails removed before he was in primary school.
Anyway I couldn't remember that narrow entry that you mentioned but when I went on Google Street view I could see it quite clearly.

I had to go to Llandudno this morning so I decided to take some photos of Howard Place and hope they bring back some more of the nice memories that you have shared with us.
The first photo is of the entry going in to Cwm Road, the second of Howard Road looking towards the entry and the third was taken from the entry.    I don't know which house was Sunbeam but most of them are now numbered
In the photo of Cwm Road straight ahead is the new John Bright School, it has been relocated to where the old Gasworks once was.
Ysgol Morfa Rhianedd is actually next to John Brigh's school now and has expanded greatly since it was first built.
My memories of the school that you went to are of a small portacabin(s)  but you would remember them better than I do

That was a kind offer to share those photos of Llandudno and what better place to show them than on here as we would all love to see them.    If you need any help then I'm sure the Administrators on here will help