The Richard Burton Diaries (239 page)

5
ITMA
, an abbreviation for
It's That Man Again
, was a very popular wartime radio show, starring Tommy Handley (1894–1949).

6
Britain suffered its severest frost for 45 years in 1940. Snow remained on the hills around Port Talbot until the end of February.

7
Cecilia or ‘Cis’ James, née Jenkins (1905–93), Richard's sister, married to Elfed James (1900–79), with whom he lived at 73 Caradog Street, Taibach.

8
This refers to the Taibach and Port Talbot Co-operative Society. Their central premises were at 4–16 Commercial Road, Taibach. Elfed James was to serve on its management committee. Richard was to work there as a draper's assistant after leaving school in April 1941.

9
Albert ‘Sandy’ Powell (1898–1982) was a British comedian and film actor famous for his catchphrase, ‘Can you hear me, mother?’

10
The Plough field is a sports ground, immediately north of and adjacent to the Talbot Memorial Park.

11
Mrs Jackson was Richard's next-door neighbour in Caradog Street, and was originally from Gloucestershire. Richard was friends with her son Billy. Dr Marshall was the local general practitioner, who lived at 1, Grange Street, his house both consulting room and dispensary.

12
A rugby union match. Aberavon lost 7 points to 16 in a match the
Port Talbot Guardian
thought ‘one of the most exciting and interesting played on the ground this season’.

13
Dots in the original.

14
Joe's was Joe Morozzi's ice-cream parlour on Talbot Road, officially known as ‘Berni's’.

15
‘Mam James’ – Elfed James's mother. She lived at 3 Inkerman Row (since demolished), immediately behind (uphill from) Caradog Street.

16
Noddfa Welsh Congregational Chapel on Commercial Road, Taibach. Noddfa had been established in 1933 following a schism in Gibeon Welsh Congregational Chapel (which was near the Picturedrome, between Gallipoli Row and Alma Terrace) and had moved into its new premises in November 1939. Both chapels were Welsh in language.

17
Baglan is a settlement lying to the north-west of Port Talbot, approximately three miles from Richard's home in Taibach.

18
‘My mother’ must refer not to Richard's natural mother (who had died in 1927) but to his sister Cis. Cis and Elfed were second cousins, both great-grandchildren of Rees Morgan and Hannah Davis, who had lived in Pontrhydyfen. They shared common membership of Gibeon Welsh Congregational Chapel, Taibach, and married in 1927, only four months before they took in Richard following his mother's death. Cis had worked as a housemaid for the Handford family, drapers by occupation, who had a shop opposite the Talbot Arms Hotel, later a store on Station Road (afterwards the site of Woolworths). Elfed was a coal miner who worked at a colliery at Goytre. This was probably the Glenhafod Level, owned by the Glenhafod Collieries Limited of Port Talbot. Glenhafod Colliery was located in the bottom of the valley below the present cemetery.

19
‘Ray’ is Richard's friend Raymond Pike. Glen Parkhouse lived at 8, Mill Row, Taibach.

20
‘Eastern’ refers to Richard's former school, the Eastern Boys’ School, Margam Road, Port Talbot.

21
Richard means
Inspector Hornleigh
(1938), directed by Eugene Forde (1898–1986), starring Gordon Harker (1885–1967) and Alastair Sim (1900–76).

22
Uncle Ben James (1900–70) was Elfed's brother. His back had been broken in an underground accident at Newlands colliery and he was paralysed from the waist down. The game referred to is Monopoly, which began life in the USA and which was being produced by John Waddington Ltd in the United Kingdom from the late 1930s onwards.

23
Afan W. and Gwylfa P. Powell were identical twins who lived at 40 Caradog Street, Taibach. The Powells also attended Noddfa Chapel.

24
‘Sandies’ is Sanderson's barbershop, Commercial Road, Taibach.

25
Richard saw
The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle
(1939) directed by H. C. Potter (1904–77), starring Fred Astaire (1899–1987) and Ginger Rogers (1911–95).

26
‘Town’: Port Talbot.

27
Eddie Miles was a fellow pupil who lived in Somerset Street, Taibach, and who later served in the Royal Navy. Plum was the nickname of Royston Palmer, another pupil, who lived in Brook Street, Taibach, and who later became a teacher.

28
Repairing shoes using a cast-iron last.

29
Richard's cousin Marian James (1928—), the eldest child of Elfed and Cis.

30
Charles Dickens,
Martin Chuzzlewit
, first published 1843–4.

31
‘The Side’: the mountainside up behind Caradog Street. Elfed owned a glasshouse up above Inkerman Row East on the mountainside.

32
This probably refers to the practice of posting the team sheet for sports teams on the noticeboard. It is not clear whether Richard was simply not selected for the team in question or whether the game was cancelled because of the state of the pitch.

33
Union Pacific
(1939), directed by Cecil B. DeMille (1881–1959), and starring Barbara Stanwyck (1907–90).

34
‘Edie’ is Edith Jenkins (1922–66), Richard's sister.

35
‘Sis’ is what is written. He might have meant ‘Cis’, but as she was his sister (although he had already referred to her elsewhere as his mother) it is possible he meant ‘Sis[ter]’.

36
In fact four boys (aged between five and seven) had drowned when the ice on Dankyr Pond, on which they were playing, gave way, and one man (Mr Jenkin Powell, aged 58), who attempted to rescue them, also died.

37
Alan James was Elfed and Ben's nephew.

38
Evan Dummer, whose brother Edwin was married to Margaret Ann, Elfed James's eldest sister. ‘Gob’ is a slang term for spitting.

39
‘Noon’ often appears as short for ‘afternoon’.

40
Ben's wife, referred to by Richard as ‘Winifred’, ‘Winnie’, ‘Win’ and even ‘Wyn’.

41
Richard may be referring here to a part-time job as a newspaper delivery boy, which he had started at the age of eight.

42
‘Middles’ probably refers to the ‘Middle School’ team, as opposed to the ‘Seniors’. ‘B. County’ is Bridgend County School. Bridgend is a town 10 miles to the south-east of Taibach (1931 population 10,029).

43
Trevor George was a close school friend of Richard who went on to become a headmaster. He played rugby for Aberavon and was also a talented cricketer.

44
David Jenkins (1914–94), Richard's brother, a policeman, lived in the small town of Llantwit Major, 18 miles to the south-east.

45
Spies of the Air
(1939), directed by David MacDonald (1904–83).

46
Toffolux: a tube of toffees, made by Mackintosh's.

47
Alan Dummer, a relative of Dillwyn Dummer.

48
Presumably should be ‘Council schools’.

49
This is the first reference to Philip Burton (1904–95), teacher of English at Richard's school, who was to have a profound influence over Richard during the next few years, becoming his legal guardian in December 1943.

50
‘Blues’ and ‘Reds’ refer to blocks of streets in Monopoly. ‘Pall Mall’ is another street (coloured purple).

51
A précis-writing exercise.

52
Tonyrefail was a mixed industrial and market centre 16 miles due east of Taibach.

53
Dr John Caerau Rees DD, minister of Noddfa Chapel.

54
Richard's sister Hilda Jenkins (1918–95), who by this time was married and known as Hilda Owen. Neath is a town (1931 population 33,340) six miles to the north-west of Port Talbot.

55
W. H. Mayne was a local ironmonger, located on Station Road. Mr Owens was the woodwork teacher.

56
‘Dad James’ – Ben and Elfed's father. He was a deacon at Noddfa Chapel and also on the committee of the Taibach Co-operative Wholesale Society. Allan here but usually Alan.

57
‘County School’ – Port Talbot County School, the other grammar school in the town. Mr Smith was PE master at Port Talbot Secondary School.

58
The Co-op's savings scheme.

59
Mr Wyndham Wellington.

60
Richard's cousin Rhianon James, Elfed and Cis's second child (1931—).

61
Mr Rossiter's son was Bernard Rossiter. Peggy Davies was daughter of Ben and Win James.

62
Miss M. E. Best taught geography at Port Talbot Secondary School.

63
‘Footer’ would seem to suggest association football, as distinct from ‘rugger’ (rugby football).

64
‘Pop’ the headmaster (1935–43) of Port Talbot Secondary School, Mr Christopher T. Reynolds.

65
The scoreline suggests this was a rugby match.

66
‘Cwm’ meaning Cwmafan.

67
Richard's brother Ivor Jenkins (1906–72), a coal miner. Swansea (1931 population 164,797), then the largest town in Wales (Cardiff, the largest urban settlement, having acquired city status in 1905), is eight miles north-west of Taibach.

68
Leslie Charteris (1907–93) wrote a series of books featuring ‘The Saint’, later adapted for radio, film and television.

69
Gerry A. Mahoney, a fellow pupil, lived at 44, Brynheulog.

70
Brinley Phillips, a fellow pupil. Later played rugby football for Aberavon as a centre three-quarter.

71
At this time a try was worth three points, a conversion two, and a penalty goal three.

72
The front row consists of two props and a hooker.

73
Iestyn and Morgan were the names of school houses. Leisan was the name of Richard's house, Caradog the name of another. All were named after medieval Lords of Glamorgan.

74
The Plaza cinema was located at Station Road, Port Talbot.

75
Come on George
(1939), directed by Anthony Kimmins (1901–64), starring George Formby (1904–61).

76
Prince was a dog.

77
Herbert George Jenkins (1876–1923) wrote a series of books featuring the character ‘Bindle’.

78
‘Sideman to the hooker’ – what is usually termed a prop forward.

79
Cliff W. Owen or Owens, a fellow pupil.

80
Eric Lambourne, a fellow pupil who later became a teacher and a headmaster.

81
Ronald Butt, a fellow pupil, lived in Cwmafan. Freddie Williams (1926—) was to enjoy a highly successful career as a speedway rider with the Wembley Lions team in London, becoming world champion twice, in 1950 and 1953.

82
A special wartime rugby international was arranged to raise money for various charities. Wales played England at Cardiff Arms Park, losing by 9 points to 18. A return match at Gloucester in April saw another English victory, this time by 17 points to 3.

83
Talbot Athletic Ground, home of Aberavon Rugby Football Club, which was shortly to be converted into a site for barrage balloons.

84
Walter Vickery (1909–2000) was capped four times (as a Number 8) by Wales in 1938 and 1939, and captained Aberavon in the 1936–7 and 1945–6 seasons. Father George Vickery (1879–1970) had played for Aberavon and England.

85
Miss E. E. Griffiths (not Griffith) taught Welsh at Port Talbot Secondary School.

86
Stanley and Livingstone
(1939), directed by Henry King (1886–1982), starring Spencer Tracy (1900–67).

87
The Majestic cinema in Bethany Square in the centre of Port Talbot had opened in 1938. It may be what is today the Job Centre building.

88
‘T.H.’ – Thomas Henry, Richard's brother.

89
‘Cymanfa’ is a reference to a Gymanfa Ganu, a Welsh singing festival.

90
Possibly Nettie Phipps. There were tennis courts in the Talbot Memorial Park.

91
This was Easter Sunday.

92
There is no record of this film or anything resembling it showing in Port Talbot at this time.

93
The Plaza cinema had undergone refurbishment and was reopened (as Port Talbot's ‘new luxury super-cinema’) on Easter Monday. The building still stands in Station Road, although now derelict.

94
Sir Philip Hamilton Gibbs,
Realities of War
(1920, revised edn 1929).

95
Maesteg (1931 population 25,570), an industrial town in the Llynfi valley, about five miles east of Taibach.

96
Shipyard Sally
(1939), directed by Monty Banks (1897–1950), starring Gracie Fields (1898–1979).

97
Rees Bowen, a deacon at Noddfa.

98
Alun Thomas (1926–91) went on to play first-class rugby for Swansea, Cardiff and Llanelli. He was capped 13 times by Wales, went on tour with the British Lions to South Africa in 1955, and returned as tour manager for the Lions in 1974.

99
Eifion H. N. Davies, a sixth-former, who went on to become a headteacher.

100
Presumably ‘Oh My Darling, Clementine’.

101
A Maesteg to Port Talbot bus crashed on Tydraw Hill. One passenger died two days later from injuries suffered.

102
Bucket of dung, or cow and horse manure. Richard would collect this from the mountainside and sell it.

103
Auntie Hannah Oates, Richard's first cousin once removed.

104
Mary Ann Jones was an elderly neighbour who lived on Inkerman Row East.

105
Four Daughters
(1938), directed by Michael Curtiz (1886–1962), starring Claude Rains (1889–1967) and John Garfield (1913–52).

106
Colin T. C. Eynon, a fellow pupil.

107
Truda Cound was a fellow pupil and a skilled tennis player.

108
Dai Owen, Richard's sister Hilda's husband.

109
Presumably Arthur ‘Bonehead’ Jenkins. ‘Flicks’ is a colloquial term for the cinema.

110
The Gorilla
(1939), directed by Allan Dwan (1885–1981).