Mavis Coles (1929 to 2005), sister of Wendy, wrote the following for newsletter of the Llancarfan Society.
Llancarfan Society - Newsletter 12, July 1988:
Growing up in Llancarfan in the 1940's by Mavis Coles
Growing up in Llancarfan in the 1940's by Mavis Coles
After I was born, my parents, Edgar and Lillian Coles made their first home at Penyrheol Cottage, Bonvilston. My father worked at Homrey Farm, St Nicholas, but we moved around a lot as he was a farm worker and we lived in 'tied' cottages. The first school I attended was St Nicholas. There is a photograph showing Penyrheol Cottage in Roy Denning's Vale of Glamorgan in Old Photographs, but the cottage was knocked down in order to widen the road in the 1930's. [See photograph below]
We came to Ford Cross Cottages in around 1940-41, as my father started work at Penonn Farm. He joined the Home Guard and was a bell-ringer at the church. My mother had two part time jobs, one as a tutor at Fonmon Castle and one at Bonvilston. She was also Clerk to the Parish Council of Llancarfan for a while. The Palling family lived next door to us at Ford Cottages and I particularly remember Mrs Palling because she made the most wonderful faggots when they killed a pig and, although I've tasted a lot of faggots since then, I've never forgotten them as there has been nothing to equal them.
For those of us who went to Rhoose School a bus came to the Church Hall every morning to take us. We had to get there early as it circled around as far as Whitton Rosser and Llantrithyd to pick up other pupils.
There was a busy social life in the village: dances, socials and whist drives at the Church Hall and fetes and sports days. We had a lot of charabanc trips. Young Farmers Club was held in the school - I remember one debate 'Which is best in a farmer, brains or brawn?'
Girl Guides meetings were held in a Chapel in Bonvilston.
Errands for my mother might include - cycling to Boverton for tomatoes; going to Bindings market garden (Ford Lane) for lettuce or vegetables; Mrs Pickett for strawberries; Mrs Sweet for apples (Beauty of Bath and Russet); Ford Farm for windfalls or eggs. Sometimes I hoed rows of swedes for pocket money.
The church was well attended. Rev. Evans took Sunday School - he was a dear old gentleman but we were very unruly (or was it just me?) and used to hide behind the altar and experiment on playing the organ.
A lot of time was spent at 'the den' where we used to light a fire and produce charred potatoes which tasted delicious. Saturdays were sometimes spent exploring the village and adjoining countryside, either cycling or on foot. There was plenty to see, foxes, dragonflies, and woodpeckers were quite common. We did a lot of fishing for trout and eels. Another favourite game was jumping streams and I'm not likely to forget when I got tangled up in barbed wire and had to be rescued by Mrs Alice Rees. I've still got the scars.
We also used to climb the trees and play cricket in the field opposite Dai Griffiths' wheelwright shop. Mr Griffiths used to walk up and down from his home to the field by the bridge with his cow 'Daisy'.
An event I remember vividly was the fancy dress Victory procession when the war ended.
I've got more scars on my feet from that, as I dressed-up as a gipsy and wore my father's hob-nailed boots. My feet were raw when I got home and took a long time to heal. I wonder if anyone took photographs of this procession? As I grew older, I joined other teenagers in cycling to other village halls for dances - you had to have a bike. We used to meet in the village or top of Pancross Hill and go to dances at St Athan, Bonvilston, Penmark, Peterston, Pendoylan, St Nicholas and sometimes Cowbridge.
In 1945 we had a double addition to the family in the form of my twin sisters. My mother had only prepared for one baby and had knitted a carrying cape with nearly 400 stitches but she immediately set to work and kinitted a second cape.
Eventually I left Rhoose School and travelled to Cardiff to commercial college to learn shorthand and typing. I travelled with Heather Morgan who also worked in Seccombes. We had to get up early to cycle to Bonvilston to catch the Cardiff bus and left our bikes in
Mr Thomas' shed at Penyrheol Cross. On dark nights we had to feel about for the right bike as others left their bikes too, if they wanted to travel by the bus. At the time I saw nothing unusual in this but I wouldn't like to do it these days. If we wanted to go somewhere in Cardiff, Capitol Concerts or the cinema for instance, we had to leave before the end to get the last bus, then get our bikes and cycle to Llancarfan.
It was at this time I remember a convoy of British soldiers driving through the village and American troops at Cottrell were also seen driving through. German and Italian prisoners of war appeared to work on the farms and there were some working at Pencarreg Farm who used to shout good morning to us on our way to work.
I remember the village having a lot of personalities, the list is endless and an account of their lives would make good reading. I hope someone will be able to write about them.
From Ford Cross we moved to Curnix Farm where my father became farm manager for Dan Evans. I will try to write about life there for a future newsletter.
After I was born, my parents, Edgar and Lillian Coles made their first home at Penyrheol Cottage, Bonvilston. My father worked at Homrey Farm, St Nicholas, but we moved around a lot as he was a farm worker and we lived in 'tied' cottages. The first school I attended was St Nicholas. There is a photograph showing Penyrheol Cottage in Roy Denning's Vale of Glamorgan in Old Photographs, but the cottage was knocked down in order to widen the road in the 1930's. [See photograph below]
We came to Ford Cross Cottages in around 1940-41, as my father started work at Penonn Farm. He joined the Home Guard and was a bell-ringer at the church. My mother had two part time jobs, one as a tutor at Fonmon Castle and one at Bonvilston. She was also Clerk to the Parish Council of Llancarfan for a while. The Palling family lived next door to us at Ford Cottages and I particularly remember Mrs Palling because she made the most wonderful faggots when they killed a pig and, although I've tasted a lot of faggots since then, I've never forgotten them as there has been nothing to equal them.
For those of us who went to Rhoose School a bus came to the Church Hall every morning to take us. We had to get there early as it circled around as far as Whitton Rosser and Llantrithyd to pick up other pupils.
There was a busy social life in the village: dances, socials and whist drives at the Church Hall and fetes and sports days. We had a lot of charabanc trips. Young Farmers Club was held in the school - I remember one debate 'Which is best in a farmer, brains or brawn?'
Girl Guides meetings were held in a Chapel in Bonvilston.
Errands for my mother might include - cycling to Boverton for tomatoes; going to Bindings market garden (Ford Lane) for lettuce or vegetables; Mrs Pickett for strawberries; Mrs Sweet for apples (Beauty of Bath and Russet); Ford Farm for windfalls or eggs. Sometimes I hoed rows of swedes for pocket money.
The church was well attended. Rev. Evans took Sunday School - he was a dear old gentleman but we were very unruly (or was it just me?) and used to hide behind the altar and experiment on playing the organ.
A lot of time was spent at 'the den' where we used to light a fire and produce charred potatoes which tasted delicious. Saturdays were sometimes spent exploring the village and adjoining countryside, either cycling or on foot. There was plenty to see, foxes, dragonflies, and woodpeckers were quite common. We did a lot of fishing for trout and eels. Another favourite game was jumping streams and I'm not likely to forget when I got tangled up in barbed wire and had to be rescued by Mrs Alice Rees. I've still got the scars.
We also used to climb the trees and play cricket in the field opposite Dai Griffiths' wheelwright shop. Mr Griffiths used to walk up and down from his home to the field by the bridge with his cow 'Daisy'.
An event I remember vividly was the fancy dress Victory procession when the war ended.
I've got more scars on my feet from that, as I dressed-up as a gipsy and wore my father's hob-nailed boots. My feet were raw when I got home and took a long time to heal. I wonder if anyone took photographs of this procession? As I grew older, I joined other teenagers in cycling to other village halls for dances - you had to have a bike. We used to meet in the village or top of Pancross Hill and go to dances at St Athan, Bonvilston, Penmark, Peterston, Pendoylan, St Nicholas and sometimes Cowbridge.
In 1945 we had a double addition to the family in the form of my twin sisters. My mother had only prepared for one baby and had knitted a carrying cape with nearly 400 stitches but she immediately set to work and kinitted a second cape.
Eventually I left Rhoose School and travelled to Cardiff to commercial college to learn shorthand and typing. I travelled with Heather Morgan who also worked in Seccombes. We had to get up early to cycle to Bonvilston to catch the Cardiff bus and left our bikes in
Mr Thomas' shed at Penyrheol Cross. On dark nights we had to feel about for the right bike as others left their bikes too, if they wanted to travel by the bus. At the time I saw nothing unusual in this but I wouldn't like to do it these days. If we wanted to go somewhere in Cardiff, Capitol Concerts or the cinema for instance, we had to leave before the end to get the last bus, then get our bikes and cycle to Llancarfan.
It was at this time I remember a convoy of British soldiers driving through the village and American troops at Cottrell were also seen driving through. German and Italian prisoners of war appeared to work on the farms and there were some working at Pencarreg Farm who used to shout good morning to us on our way to work.
I remember the village having a lot of personalities, the list is endless and an account of their lives would make good reading. I hope someone will be able to write about them.
From Ford Cross we moved to Curnix Farm where my father became farm manager for Dan Evans. I will try to write about life there for a future newsletter.
