Winds Remembered

Walking up the valley thinking of the past, the old man walked steadily on until he reached the Heather covered slopes, before stopping to rest and look around the timeless landscape. Remembering how years ago he had lived on these slopes for fourteen days, whilst on Army training, living off the land, with some hundred […]

Where Do Wild Ducks Nest?

The three young boys scoured the banks of the river, risking a soaking, clambering out over the water on over-hanging trees, wading back to check possible nesting sites. They were in search of a wild duck’s nest. This was the one that eluded them all spring. All other water birds like the moor hen had […]

When the Whitehouse wooed the Welsh

It was a battle for the White house where thousands of Welsh speakers played a key role. While today George.W.bush, and John Kerry target ethnic groups such as Hispanics, almost 150 years ago their counterparts focussed on Welsh emegres. Abraham Lincoln canvassed settlers from Wales in 1860, with up to 100,000 election pamphlets printed in […]

Wartime Romance

Standing on the beach on the French coast at Dunkirk, dirty, hungry and totally exhausted, being alternately machine gunned by German aeroplanes and shelled by German Artillery, in that part of the war in 1940 when all seemed lost, I was completely unaware that I would soon meet someone who would prove to be the […]

To Bribe A Policeman

London was seething with excitement, crowds filled the pavements and open spaces, all determined to have an enjoyable time. Policemen, all on long spells of duty, laughed and joked with everyone, answering impossible questions, especially from the visitors from abroad. Accents of all nationalities seemed to flow past, just as if you were taking a […]

The Welshman who became known as the Tregynon Texan

This story came to light when researching items on Welshmen who had emigrated from their native land. Tregynon a small village in Mid Wales, just a few miles from my birthplace. Almost 140 years ago a young railway worker set out to America to seek his fortune , finally going on to build thousands of […]

The Vintage Calvados

My host smiled as she handed me the bottle, ‘ Treat it with respect, use it as a medicine, not just for pleasure’, her words spoken in the strong earnest manner of the French farming community of the Calvados region of France. It transpired that this was one of the few remaining bottles, which her […]

The Tree Revisited

The last year or so of my schooldays slipped by so quickly. One or two episodes still remain as sharp as ever in my memory. Summer time lunch breaks, and a mad dash up past the station, into the fields to Carno Brook, a tributary to the River Severn. ‘Last one in is a sissy.’ […]

The Rock

Gibraltar was a completely new posting for a Guards Regiment. Our normal postings were London, Windsor, Aldershot, and the Middle East. Not being a ‘good sailor’ meant that the sea voyage became sheer hell. Seasickness from almost the first day confined me to either the ship’s rail or the heads. In a comparatively short time, […]

The Hidden Boy

School was enjoyed especially football and all sports. The one fly in the ointment was music lessons. Singing caused me more heartache than everything else combined. Totally tone deaf, unable even to harmonise, always the inevitable ‘You lad, you, you,. and you. I can do nothing for you, out into the yard, pick up all […]

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