Chronicles of a Vicarage Childhood

Outside, in the world beyond the vicarage, interesting things were happening, Eluned Rees recalls.

One of my first memories was being lifted from my bed, late at night, carried in a blanket to the black Ford Popular and travelling from Llwyndafydd to Aberporth. My parents wanted me to witness something exciting which was taking place in the Projectile Development Establishment there, I think, or that there was something such as a rocket being launched. I don’t remember what it was, but the most exciting thing was being out in the dark night.

The next worldwide occurrence that I remember was the Cuban Missile crisis. I was too young to understand things, but felt the tension and worry in the house as we listened to the news on the radio. Before television, and of course before 24/7 news as it would be today, we got our news from Alvar Lidell on the Home Service and from the Western Mail. Things would be so different now; we would all watch at any time of day on our phones.

Every Friday night, we went to the Youth Club in Llangyndeyrn Church Hall and one night, November 22nd, 1963, we returned home to learn that John F. Kennedy had been shot dead. The saying goes that everyone remembers where they were when JFK was killed. The world was in shock but, strangely, I don’t remember much about the murder of his brother, Robert.

By 1966 I was in the Grammar School and in a school assembly one morning we heard news of the Aberfan disaster. Many of our teachers were from the South Wales Valleys and all of them, sitting in a row each side of the girls, were in tears. We sat quietly on our bottoms on the cold floor, as usual, in stunned silence. By now, we had television at home. I don’t think that we, in Wales, ever really got over that tragedy. Since then, I have met several men who, as strong young boys, were taken out of the local secondary school and taken to Aberfan, given a shovel and set to work. Just think of the effect that would have had on them.

In the summer of 1969, apart from the nonsense which took place in Caernarfon(!) man landed on the moon. We were staying in a caravan in Limeslade, near Mumbles. To be honest, we were both much more interested in spending time playing the machines in the amusement arcade and getting friendly with two lads who worked there, and let us play for free. Shame on us!!!