Whitchurch and Llandaff Living

AAtt tthhee hheeaarrtt ooff tthhee ccoommmmuunniittyy Issue 10Oct/Nov ‘10

The nights draw in as we nestle down for autumn. Across the villages, kitchens are busy creating warm dishes with the mellow fruits of the season.

EEnnjjooyy yyoouurr AAuuttuummnn IIssssuuee ooff WWhhiittcchhuurrcchh aanndd LLllaannddaaffff LLiivviinngg

FREEWHITCHURCHAND LLANDAFFLivingWHAT’SINSIDEBiography:Roald Dahl -Llandaff’s Son

History: NorthCardiff at War

Memories ofMelingriffith

Out and About:Caerphilly

Missing But Not Forgotten

Pets’ Page

Recipes

Autumn Walking

Local News

Crossword

Welcome

Whitchurch and Llandaff Living

Whitchurch and Llandaff Living & Rhiwbina LivingEditors/Advertising: Patric Morgan & Danielle DummettAddress: 222 Pantbach Road, Rhiwbina,

Cardiff CF14 6AGTel: 07772 081775 and 07974 022920Email: [email protected]: www.livingmags.co.uk

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of thecontents, the publisher cannot accept any responsibility forerrors or omissions, or for any matter in any way arising fromthe publication of this material. Every effort has been made tocontact any copyright holders. Whitchurch and Llandaff Living isan independent, apolitical publication.

Advertising booking and copy deadline for Issue 11 - 12th November 2010. Issue 11 publication date - earlyDecember 2010.Whitchurch and Llandaff Living is published 5 times ayear.

3, 4 NewsThe latest news from the area

5 LettersLetters to the Editors

8 BiographyRoald Dahl

13 Missing But Not ForgottenThe Story of Francis Grimshaw

15 Pets’ PageLocal vet Chris Troughtonanswers your pet questions

16 HistoryHow North Cardiffcoped during WWII

22 Out and AboutVisit Caerphilly

25 Autumn WalkingAn autumnal walkthrough the woodsat Rudry

27 Memories of Melingriffith

29 Recipes

31 Crossword

Welcome to your Autumn Issue ofWhitchurch and Llandaff Living - theofficial magazine for Whitchurch,Llandaff and Llandaff North.This November marks the 20th anniversary of the passing of Roald

Dahl, perhaps Llandaff’s most well-known son. We chart theincredible life-story of the man whose imagination and skill hasinspired and entertained millions across the globe.Our front cover depicts the War Memorial outside Whitchurch

Library. Guest writer Clive Tucker tells us the story of one of themany names on the Memorial - that of his great grandfather, FrancisGrimshaw. Read his story on page 13.Our history feature takes a look at how our area dealt with day-to-

day life during the dark days of World War II.Page 22 tells the story of nearby Caerphilly, whose historical roots

can be traced back to Neanderthal times. If you fancy wrapping upwarm and heading out for a walk to blow away the cobwebs, why nothead out to Rudry for an autumn walk? Be sure to wear sturdyfootwear and maybe take a flask of tea with you to keep you warmalong the way.Reader Les Gibbon recalls his memories of Melingriffith on page

27, and we’ve got some rustic recipes to keep you busy in thekitchen this season. Plus of course, we’ve got all the latest newsfrom the area.Don’t forget that you can keep up-to-date with all our news and

features on our webspace - www.livingmags.co.uk/blog.Enjoy your autumn issue of Whitchurch and Llandaff Living, and

remember to support your local advertisers who keep our magazinesalive! See you in December.

Editors

WelcomeCroeso

Patric and Danielle

with Bill Farnham

The Mervyn Road WhitchurchNeighbourhood Watch, whichincorporates Warren EvansCourt, was successfullylaunched in August and is nowup and running. Other areas ofWhitchurch have expressedinterest so hopefully these willcome to fruition in the nearfuture.There is mixed news

regarding the Whitchurch andTongwynlais NeighbourhoodPolice Team. We are verypleased to welcome PC PaulTebbut who has now joined theteam, but sadly, we sayfarewell to PCSO ChristinaWatkins who has retired. Shewill be missed greatly and Itake this opportunity on behalfof everyone to thank her forher hard work and dedicationover the years. We wish herand her family every successin the future.The date of the next PACT

meeting in the Whitchurch andTongwynlais area is 26thOctober at the CardiffInternational Hotel,Tongwynlais at 7pm. The lastmeeting of the year will takeplace on the 7th December inthe new WhitchurchCommunity Centre, OldChurch Road, starting at 7pm.The next meeting of the

Cardiff West NeighbourhoodWatch Association is on 15thNovember at FairwaterConservative Club, Ely Road,Llandaff, starting at 7pm. Amember of Trading Standardswill be our guest speaker forthe evening.

News

NEIGHBOURHOODWATCH UPDATE

CAR PARK CHANGES PAYING DIVIDENDS


Traders in Whitchurch havereported an upturn in tradeafter a three-hour parking limitwas introduced to the village’smain car park.One shop owner told LivingMagazines:“We had terrible problems

with people bringing their carsinto the village, parking up thefor the day and taking the businto town. It meant thatshoppers who were coming into

the village had nowhere topark. With the new limits, wehave noticed an improvementin sales, which can only begood for the village.”

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS APPEAL CALLS FOR HELP

A group of traders inWhitchurch is calling on thegenerosity of its shoppers andresidents to help with itsChristmas lights this year.With the big Christmas lights

switch on scheduled for mid-November, traders are hopingto have raised the £8,000needed to transform theirvillage into a winterwonderland.George Lazarou, who runs

LaZarou Hair Salon, and who isheading the project, told LivingMagazines:“This is about the community

coming together and enjoyingChristmas. We have collectiontins at the Post Office inWhitchurch, and around the

village. We are asking peopleto donate so that we canwelcome people to our villagethis Christmas. We would liketo think that people’s generositywill be repaid if we can drawChristmas shoppers toWhitchurch. Shopping locally isso important to the future of thevillage.”But he went on to voice his

concern about the lack ofcommunity spirit from someareas:“I hope it doesn’t happen, but

I feel that some shoppers willbe disappointed due to the lackof support from a number ofbusinesses in the village. GEHealthcare have kindly donatedover £2,000, while WhitchurchBuilders Supplies along withJames and Jenkins have alsohelped us, and we are verygrateful to them for that. I hopethat others can come on boardand help us turn our village intoa place to attract visitors fromfar and wide.”Wednesday 17th November is

the date for the diary this yearwhen the Christmas lights willbe officially switched on.

Whitchurch residents andparents from English andWelsh medium schools havewritten to Cardiff Council toformally object to the latestschool reorganisation plans. The objections were

submitted in response toCardiff Council’s publicationof legal Statutory Noticesdetailing their intention to:• Close Eglwys Wen and

Eglwys Newydd PrimarySchools and replace theseschools with a new English-medium primary school in thepremises currently sharedbetween Eglwys Wen andYsgol Melin Gruffydd.• Transfer Ysgol Melin

Gruffydd Primary School intothe premises currentlyoccupied by Eglwys NewyddPrimary School, to be used astwo forms of entry Welsh-medium school.It is understood that over

5,000 objections have beensubmitted. Council officialsstated that they would not beacknowledging individualletters.

Whitchurch was the cream ofthe crop in this year’s CardiffIn Bloom competition.Twelve winners or runners-

up, varying from front gardensto school premises wereawarded the prestigious title, run by Cardiff Council.

Merthyr Road, the mainshopping thoroughfarethrough Whitchurch, won thecoveted Best CommercialStreet Award, while the AraratBaptist Church were awardedtheir prize in the Best KeptPlace of Worship category. The Cardiff in Bloom

competition aims to makeCardiff a brighter place to liveand work.


News

A Llandaff woman is fightingback after plans at a nearbyschool have left her businessin jeopardy of closing down.Teresa Dupuy, who runs

Jazzy Jungle Play Centre inLlandaff, fears that multi-millionpound plans for the nearbyCathedral School have takenplace without consideration forher business.Teresa told Living Magazines:“I first found out about the

school’s proposal to buy TheMemorial Hall, the building thathas housed Jazzy Jungle forover 15 years, through atelephone call from TheCathedral towards the end of last school term. Theyinformed me that I may hear‘rumours on the Llandaff grapevine’ that the Cathedralhad agreed to sell the hall, butthat it was only at thenegotiation stage.“Further investigations have

led me to understand thatthese negotiations have beengoing on since beforeChristmas. At no point has TheCathedral seen fit to let meknow what was happening.”

Family, friends and fans offormer Cardiff City star BrianClark gathered outside StMary’s Church in Whitchurch inAugust to pay tribute to one ofthe true gentlemen of thesport.Over 300 people attended thefuneral service for the formerCardiff City forward who diedon 10th August at the age of67.

Brian will probably be bestremembered for his goalagainst Real Madrid in 1971. Cardiff City fan Gareth

Partridge told LivingMagazines:“He was a City legend and a

real gent. He never gotannoyed with us having a drinkand reminding him of ‘thatgoal’. He will be greatlymissed.”A wreath from Tottenham

Hotspur manager HarryRedknapp graced the floraldisplay. Redknapp had playedalongside Clark atBournemouth in the early1970s.Brian died at Whitchurch

Hospital after a battle with aform of dementia.

RESIDENTS VOICESCHOOL OBJECTIONS

HUNDREDS GATHERFOR SEND OFF

LLANDAFF BUSINESSUNDER THREAT

CARDIFF IN BLOOM SPROUTS WINNERS


Letters to the Editors Keep your letters coming!Address on the inside

front cover

Letters

Dear EditorsMy great-grandfather, Francis

Grimshaw is remembered onthe War Memorial oppositeWhitchurch Library. As one of the 73,000 soldiers

with no known grave, he isalso commemorated at theThiepval Memorial in NorthernFrance. In 1932, the Imperial War

Graves Commissioncompleted the Great SommeMemorial. The ThiepvalMemorial forms part of this,and hosts a Visitor Centre witha theatre, an exhibition and fullfacilities for the thousands whovisit there each year.

I have visited Thiepval on anumber of occasions. On mylast visit, I became aware of acouple called Ken and PamLinge of Northumberland, whowere seeking to establish adatabase of photographs ofthe missing soldiers. I providedphotographs of Francis, andthe family he left behind.These now form a growingdatabase of some 7,000images which can be viewedby visitors to the Memorial’sVisitor Centre.2012 will see the 80th

anniversary of the Memorial.From July to November 2012,there is to be a major free

exhibition at the Historical DeLa Grand Guerre MilitaryMuseum at Peronne, relatingto the men commemorated. The theme will be of

remembrance and theintention is to tell the story of asoldier who went missing oneach day of the 141 days ofthe Battle. Mr and Mrs Lingeare acting as co-ordinators ofinformation and they haveselected Francis Grimshaw asthe soldier to feature for the2nd November. Other than the photographs I

have provided, I have littleother information on Francis.The Museum would like toinclude any personal objectsor items which might aid theportrayal of Francis’s story. Iam afraid that I have beenunable to assist in this regard.I wonder however, if there are

any older readers of LivingMagazines with memories ofthe Grimshaw family whomight be able to contributematerial or indeed, theirrecollections of the family. Iknow the passage of time isagainst us, but I would be verypleased to hear from anyonewho can help.Mr and Mrs Linge continue

their fine work in compiling thedatabase at Thiepval. Theycontinue to receivephotographs. Anyone wishingto submit material may contactthem at: [email protected] Clive TuckerLlandaff North(Read Francis Grimshaw’sstory on page 13)

Dear EditorsI received a link to yourmagazine website in anemail recently, only to findthat a new release of themagazine had beenproduced and posted on theweb site. Subsequently,photos and articles that areof interest to me in aprevious issue are no longerable to be viewed.It would be interesting to

have a look back atprevious issues as it is notalways possible to keep upwith what’s happening. Asyou will gather from mysignature, getting a physicalcopy is not an option.Is there a link where we

can access the pastversions of the publicationor a mailing list (forelectronic copies)? It would be interesting toread information about theplace that I spent 11 yearsas a child growing up.Chris CriddleMelbourne Australia

Editors’ Response: We have been uploading allour issues to a websitecalled www.issuu.com. OurNorth Cardiff website has alink to most of our backissues. Here is the link:http://livingmags.co.uk/blog/archives/665We aren’t able to email

copies of the magazine dueto its size, but you candownload, or read themagazine online.

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Biography


Fantastic Mr. Dahl

Arguably Llandaff’s greatest son, Roald Dahl is still considered one of theworld’s finest authors. Twenty years after his death this November, his bookshave been translated into almost 50 languages and sold millions globally

Roald was born on 13thSeptember 1916, atVilla Marie, Fairwater

Road, Llandaff to Norwegianparents Harald and Sofie.Harald and Roald’s elder

sister Astri died when Roaldwas just three years old,leaving Sofie to bring up herfour children, as well as hertwo step-children. Roald wasSofie’s only son. Her love forher children was to leave alasting impression on Roald. He later wrote: “[My mother] was a rock, a

real rock, always on your sidewhatever you’d done. It gaveme the most tremendous

feeling of security.”From the age of seven to

nine, Roald attended LlandaffCathedral School. His timehere was an unhappy one andhe described his memories ofschool in his book Boy.Perhaps the most well-known

anecdote to come out of histime there was the infamous‘Great Mouse Plot of 1924’.Roald and four friends planteda dead mouse into a localsweet-shop owner’s jar of gob-stoppers. Roald had long hada grudge against MrsPratchett, who Roalddescribed as ‘sour’. MrsPratchett exacted her revenge

by getting Roald caned by theHeadmaster of his school. Shewatched the punishment,laughing as she did.Roald loved his sweets.

Sherbert Suckers were one ofhis favourites. He wrote that: “The sherbert fizzed in your

mouth and if you knew how todo it, you could make whitefroth come out of your nostrilsand pretend that you werethrowing a fit.”It was perhaps this heady

mixture of confectionery,comedy and cruelty that sowedthe seeds of creativity inRoald’s mind that was tobloom in later years.

Biography


Roald and his family movedacross the Bristol Channel toWeston-super-Mare when hewas nine, where he attendedboarding school.At the age of 18, rather than

go to University, Roald set offto Newfoundland with thePublic Schools’ ExploringSociety. He then got a jobworking for the Shell oilcompany in present-dayTanzania, but at the age of 23,war broke out. Roald drove600 miles to Nairobi, where heenlisted in the Royal Air Force.His height (he was 6’8) was aconcern for the medical doctorbut Roald was taken on as apilot. He was assigned to No. 80

Squadron, flying GlosterGladiators, the last biplanefighter aircraft used by theRAF. To his surprise, Roaldfound that combat training wasnot provided. Yet despite this,in September 1940, he wasordered to fly his Gladiatorfrom Egypt to Libya and onto80 Squadron's forward airstrip30 miles south of MersaMatruh in Egypt. ApproachingMersa Matruh, Roald foundhimself running low on fuel andnight was approaching. Worsestill, he could not find theairstrip and was forced into anemergency landing in thedesert. His wheels caught arock, causing the aircraft tocrash. Roald suffered afractured skull and a brokennose which temporarily blindedhim. He managed to draghimself away from the blazingwreckage and passed outbefore being rescued. By February 1941, Roald was

fit for flying duties again. Hissquadron was now equippedwith Hawker Hurricanes, whichRoald flew into combat after

only seven hours flying in one.After some very close scrapesover the skies of Greece,Roald was eventuallydischarged after sufferingblackouts caused by his earliercrash. He was posted inWashington DC, and beganwriting about his adventures.His first published workappeared in the SaturdayEvening Post. It has beenreported that Dahl was actingin the capacity of intelligencegathering, passing oninformation to MI6. In 1946, Roald was finally

discharged from the RAF, andwith five aerial victories to hisname, was considered a flyingace.His writing began to take off,

Roald penning many shortstories. His first story forchildren, The Gremlins,touched upon RAF fighterpilots’ claims that there werelittle monsters on their wingswhich they blamed forproblems that cropped up.In addition to his children’s

books, Roald was also craftingstories for adults. These weredarker in tone, and becamerenowned for their macabreplots and twists. These stories

were the basis for TV’s Talesof the Unexpected, which werescreened throughout the1980s.In 1953, in New York City,

Dahl married the Americanactress Patricia Neal. Theyhad five children - Olivia,Tessa, Theo, Ophelia, andLucy but in November 1962,Olivia died of measlesencephalitis at the age ofseven. He was to laterdedicate his book The BFG toher. Roald and Patriciadivorced in 1983, Roaldmarrying Felicity Crosland inthe same year.By now his stories had been

best-sellers in many countries.Several of them had alreadybeen turned into screenplays -Charlie and the ChocolateFactory was one example.Roald had also co-written thescript for Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang with Ken Hughes. A lot ofRoald’s stories reflected hischildhood memories, withadults commonly beingportrayed as nasty and cruel.In 1990, Roald was

diagnosed with the rare blooddisorder, myelo-dysplasticanaemia. He wrote that year:“I have been feeling sleepy

when I shouldn’t have beenand I am without that lovely oldbubbly energy that drives on towrite books and drink gin andchase after girls.”Roald died on 23 November

1990, aged 74. He was buriedat St. Peter and St. Paul'sChurch in Great Missenden. In September 2009, a blue

plaque was unveiled inLlandaff by his widow Felicityand his son Theo. The plaquecommemorated the shopwhere ‘The Great Mouse Plotof 1924’ took place.

Roald in the RAF

My great grandfather FrancisGrimshaw, who resided at Tyn-y-Parc Road, Whitchurch, isone of the missing soldiers ofthe Battle of the Somme, whichwas fought between 1st Julyand 18th November 1916.During that period, the British

Army suffered nearly 450,000casualties with 57,000 on thefirst day alone. Francis was aLance Corporal of the 9th

Battallion, Welsh Regimentand was lost on 2nd November1916.Aged 38 years, and a father

of four children, it is a cruelirony that he did not have toenlist. Like many men of thetime, he no doubt felt a senseof patriotic duty. And so it was,that he left his family and workas a trimmer at the MelingriffithWorks to go to war. His losswas devastating to his wifeMargaret and their fourchildren Dorothy (mygrandmother), Haydn, Donaldand Maisie. Margaret wasforced to take in washing tosupport the family. My ownfather talks in glowing terms ofa lady he remembers as lovingand hard-working.Francis is remembered on the

War Memorial oppositeWhitchurch Library. As one ofthe 73,000 soldiers with no

known grave, he is alsocommemorated at the ThiepvalMemorial in Northern France. Located at one of the key

sites on the Somme battlefield,it was designed by Sir EdwinLuytens and was unveiled in1932 by the Prince of Wales. Itremains one of the mostimpressive memorials on theWestern Front and can beseen for miles around.

MissingBut not forgotten

By Clive Tucker


People’s History

How many hoursof sleep should acanary get?

Often when we want to knowthe ideal conditions in which tokeep our pets, the answer canbe found if we look at theanimal in its naturalenvironment. Canariesoriginated in the CanaryIslands (which is why they’recalled canaries!), which areconsiderably nearer to theequator than we are, and theday-length there is between10-14 hours all year round.Canaries sleep when it’s dark,so in the wild, they havebetween 10 and 14 hours anight. Domesticated canariesthrive best if they have thesame sort of regime. Irecommend that your canaryshould be kept in the dark forabout 10-12 hours every night,so cover his cage with a thickdark cloth every evening, andremember to take it off again inthe morning.

How do I stop mycat from jumpingonto the cooker?

This is something you reallyneed to do from an early age –always discourage your kittenfrom jumping up to yourkitchen work surfaces, and sheis not likely to jump up onto thecooker either. Often people liketo feed their cats up on a worktop, so the dog can’t steal thecat’s food. For reasons ofbasic hygiene, I think it isadvisable to do this only in autility room, not the kitchen.If your cat is jumping on the

stove now, it must be becauseshe has found some reward fordoing so. She probably doesn’tdistinguish between stove andwork surfaces – it’s all “up” toher. Do you feed her up there?Do you pet her if she jumps upwhen you’re working there? Isshe there en route to a highperch on top of the cupboards?Whatever the motivation forjumping up is, you mustremove it to stand any chanceof successfully retraining her.Having removed her reward forjumping up, you may find thatall it needs to end thebehaviour is some gentleadmonishment on a fewoccasions. If she persists, oronly does it when you aren’tthere to tell her off, a milddeterrent may help. A squirtfrom a water pistol usuallyworks well – it is unpleasant forher but not painful, and as longas you don’t make a lot of fussat the same time, she willprobably associate theunpleasant experience withjumping up onto the worktop,not with your presence.

Can you feedcanned dog foodto cats?

Dogs’ and cats’ nutritionalneeds are surprisinglydifferent. In the natural (non-

domestic) situation, dogs areprimarily meat-eaters but alsoscavenge and eat all sorts ofother food. Consequently, theirdigestive system can deal witha wide variety of food types.Cats, however, are purecarnivores and require a dietwith a lot of animal protein andfat in it. Their digestion andmetabolism doesn’t handlecarbohydrates very well, unlikedogs, and they require highlevels of some amino acidsand other nutrients which dogsdon’t need. Most dog food(canned and dry) containsmoderate amounts of meat,bulked up with cereals, as thisis the cheapest way to providea balanced diet. This isunsuitable for cats as theprotein levels are too low,carbohydrates are too high andfor cats, there are often lowerthan optimum levels ofvitamins, amino acids andessential fats. Conversely, catfood would provide goodnutrition for a dog, but becauseit is very rich, could causedigestive upsets and weightproblems.


Pets

Local Pets Our Pets Page gives you the chance to put

your questions to your local vet, ChrisTroughton of the Heath Veterinary Group. Drop us a line if you have a question for

Chris to [email protected]

Pets’ Page is sponsored by the Heath Veterinary Group

History

From the moment thatHitler invaded Poland in1939, its impact was felt

almost immediately over athousand miles away in NorthCardiff.September 1939 saw the

start of the great evacuationsfrom the major cities of Britainfor fear of bombing. Millions ofchildren, expectant mothersand the blind were sent tomore rural locations for theirsafety. North Cardiff wasconsidered safe enough, andbegan taking its share ofevacuees. Ann Sullivan who lived in

Thornhill recalls:“A double-decker bus arrived

at our house one day. It wasfull of evacuees. My motherwas told to go out andchoose one. She decidedshe’d get a five year old ascompany for me. She broughtthis little girl into the houseand the bus waited outside.Once inside however, thislittle girl just stood there andscreamed and cried.“I couldn’t understand why

she was crying - I was tooyoung to understand. Someof these children must havebeen mentally scarred for lifewith experiences like that.Mum had to take her backand we got Doreen instead.She was a young girl aboutten years old and had been

bombed out inBirmingham.”Rationingbegan in lateSeptember1939, and sotoo did whatwas calledthe ’Phoney War’. Public places, such as

cinemas and theatres wereclosed. The Monico Cinema inRhiwbina was transformed intoa communal air raid shelter,while gas masks were madecompulsory. Rhiwbina’s village shops kept

their residents stocked as wellas they could. Smart’sGarage, which was based onHeol-y-Deri closed its small


North Cardiff at War70 years ago, britain was at war with germany. the country��sexistence hinged on the contributions of each and every in-

History

zoo but the tea gardencontinued to providerefreshments for those fromCardiff who were heading to the Wenallt - a populardestination in those days.The Home Guard

(established in 1940 as theLocal Defence Volunteersunder the Secretary of StateAnthony Eden, but laterrenamed under Churchill)provided an invaluable serviceto the residents of NorthCardiff, rescuing victims ofbombing raids, clearing rubble,guarding damaged buildingsand putting out incendiarybombs.Pill boxes were set up in the

area for guard duty, which wasundertaken by able-bodiedmen from the ages of 17 to 65who were not in militaryservice.Rhiwbina and Whitchurch

had their own Home GuardBattallion called the 11thBattallion A Company. Thebattallion comprised of men ofvarying backgrounds fromengineers to bricklayers. Butby 1943, 25% of civil defenceworkers were women, whoacted as air-raid wardens,medical services and theWomen’s Royal Voluntary

Service, who helped look afterrefugees from all over Europe.The Royal Ordnance Factory

in Llanishen was the temptingchoice for Nazi bombers in1944 due to its output ofmunitions. The factory had alarge population of femaleworkers and the work washard and unrelenting.Employees worked eleven ortwelve hour shifts, makingguns and ammunition for thearmed forces.The factory took a hit in the

spring of 1944 from an anti-aircraft shell. 33 people wereinjured and nine were killed.

Rhiwbina’s Wendy Housewas set up as an Air RaidWarden’s Post, run by MrBassett of 18 Y Groes. Air raidtrenches were built alongHeol-y-Bont but were laterabandoned after theyrepeatedly filled with water.Blackouts, aimed at preventingGerman bombers fromrecognising landmarks fromthe air, were introduced.Windows had to be blackedout and all traffic had to run onreduced lights. This didhowever cause an increase intraffic accidents. Bob Lewis was a small boy

during the war. He lived onPantbach Road, and washidden under the stairs of hisfamily home when it was hit bya Nazi bomb.“We didn't hear it coming but

we felt it when it arrived. Thehouse shook violently; thefridge stopped; pots fell fromshelves, bricks and masonryfell down the stairs. Therewere a lot of noises but nobig bang as such.“Nos.131, 133, 135 and 137

were totally wrecked. Ourupstairs bedrooms were

open to the skies and full ofrubble - we would not havesurvived if we had stayed inbed. There was a car on itsroof at the bottom of thegarden and our car had beencrushed in the garage by theweight of the sub-soil.“I remember the two candles

that still burned brightly afterthe raid, even though theroom was wrecked.”

Further bombing occurredon Wenallt Road andWhitchurch School, but NorthCardiff got away with littlebombing compared to otherareas of Cardiff.By law, all residents of the

UK had to carry a gas mask.Stirrup pumps were installedacross North Cardiff to assistwith putting out fires. Whitchurch Hospital also

played an important roleduring the war. It becameclassed as an ‘EmergencyHospital’ in 1940 andremained that way until theend of the war in 1945. Itlooked after civilian patientsbut also took D-Day casualtiesand those returning injuredfrom the front lines of NorthernFrance. Patients would bebrought to the hospital by trainvia Cardiff General and theCoryton line.

Whitchurch and Llandaff Living Information partly provided by the Rhiwbina Civic Society

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Out and About

Caerphilly’s history goesback nearly 250,000years when what we

know as Neanderthals scouredthe plains for food and shelter.Leaving little impression on

the landscape, it wasn’t untilthe Ice Age glaciers retreatedin 7,000BC, that what we knowas modern humans beganestablishing settlements. By4,500BC, the settlers hadcleared a lot of the forests thathad existed in the area usingstone axes. Within the nextmillennium, they had startedproducing pottery and had builttrackways that linked them toother part of the valleys. Over150 burial communalmonuments from this time stillexist in Wales, although nonehave been found in Caerphilly.By 2,500BC, metal was being

used for the first time intooling. Bronze in particularwas being utilised to createweapons, as the discovery ofan axehead at Rudry confirms.The forests continued to be

cleared and farming spread tothe uplands. Bronze Age burialtombs still pepper Caerphilly’sridges today. They can befound at Cefn Gelligaer,Mynydd y Grug aboveYnysddu, Twmbarlwm and onMynydd Eglwysilan. Theyappear as small mounds ofstone and earth.By 1000BC, the peaceful

settlements were beginning toexperience unrest. Climatechange forced settlements toprotect their fertile lands. It isthought that the Silurescontrolled a lot of the area atthis time. Over the followingfive hundred years, they builthillforts such as the one atCoed Craig Ruperra.In 43BC, the Romans landed

on British soil and within thenext four years, had taken allof Britain east of the RiverSevern. Needing a boundary,they formed their westernfrontier here, and the Silureslaunched many raids againstthe Romans, angered at the

Romans’ advancement. By 57AD, the Romans had

had enough and begansilencing the Silures withinvasion. It took 13 years tocomplete.The Romans then set about

creating a network of road andforts across Wales. A fort wasconstructed at Gelligaer thatwould have housed athousand soldiers. This can beseen today on the roadbetween Cardiff and Y Gaer,near Brecon.The Silures were integrated

into Roman life, following inthe footsteps of others that hadsuccessfully been conqueredand integrated into the Romanway of living. This wascommonly known as‘Romanising’ and was a keyaspect of Roman success.But by the end of the fourth

century, the Roman grip onWales, and Britain, wasloosening. Attacks by theBarbarians were causingdifficulties and the Romans


CCaaeerrpphhiillllyy


found themselves abandoningits territories and withdrawingtroops back.A great deal of uncertainty

and turbulence filled thevacuum that had been left bythe withdrawal of the Romans.Various factions struggled forpower. In the latter half of theeighth century, the Anglo-Saxon King Offa ordered theconstruction of an eartherndyke that seemed to cut off‘Wales’ from England.

By now, Morgannwg hadevolved as an administrativearea. The King of Morgannwgwould often visit the variousareas of the ‘cantrefi’ and bewined and dined by the locallords. It is probable that one ofthese locations was at IsCaiach.By 1266, 20 years after the

Battle of Hastings, all ofEngland was under completeNorman rule. Norman lordswere encouraged to push intoWales. One such lord, Robertfitz Hamo launched incursionsfrom his base in Cardiff andtook most of the lowlands. Hewas hesitant not to make anyattempt on the higher groundsthough, having come offsecond best once in a raid onGelligaer in 1094.Over a hundred years later,

the Lordship of Glamorganwas in the hands of theDeClares. DeClarecommissioned the building ofCaerphilly Castle to counteractthe threat by the Lordship ofSenghenedd. A stand-offbetween Earl Gilbert deClareand Llewellyn ap Gruffydd, theWelsh Prince of Wales ensued.Ap Gruffydd’s patience finallyran out and he attackedCaerphilly Castle. DeClare’sarmy managed to fend off the

attack and ap Gruffyddbecame increasingly underthreat from the Anglo-Normans. He retreated toBrecon and never set foot inCaerphilly again.By the end of the 12th

century, the Welsh Church hadgained influence and had setabout creating dioceses.Caerphilly fell under theDiocese of Llandaff. Therefollowed a substantial build ofnew churches, whichcontinued well into the 14thcentury. St. Barrwgs Church inBedwas is a good example ofa church built at this time andretains a lot of its original buildand features. The Cistercians,of Norman origin, lived a life ofpoverty and silence and in1179, they built LlantarnamAbbey, four miles to the east ofCaerphilly. Outlying farmsprovided sustenance for themonks. One such farm waslocated at Cefn Rhyswg.Edward I was crowned King

of England in 1272, andimmediately set about flushingout the Welsh. Llewellyn apGruffydd and his brother, nowforced back to North Walesrebelled, but paid the ultimateprice. In 1294, after muchsimmering resentment, theWelsh attacked Caerphilly

Castle and burnt the town. Twenty years later, in 1314,

Llewellyn Bren instigated arevolt. He gathered an army often thousand men whobesieged Caerphilly Castle andleft the town in ruins. A greatbattle took place at Cefn Onn,where Edward’s men joinedthe local Anglo-Norman lordsin crushing the rebellion. Brenwas captured and imprisonedin the Tower of London.Caerphilly as a town began to

flourish around the time ofOwain Glyndwr in the 15thcentury. Over the followingcenturies, trades such as wooland iron developed. Abercarnwas one of the locations of afurnace, and coal to fuel thefurnaces was mined onCaerphilly Common and fromRudry Woods. By the end ofthe 18th century, the coalindustry had revolutionised thearea. Canals and roads cutthrough the landscape, andwith it came the population.Churches, shops and schoolssprung up to cater for the newinhabitants of the area.Motorised transport and theintroduction of electricity duringthe early 20th century broughtabout many of the changesthat still exist today inCaerphilly.

Out and About

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Start your autumn walk in thecar park of the Maenllwyd Inn.There is a picnic area, whichnow that the colder weatherhas arrived, should berelatively quiet. There will be afootpath if you turn right at thispicnic area. Negotiate the stileand head up the path thatleads up into the woods. Power lines will be overhead

as you move up the path forabout a kilometre. Stay on thistrack – (this is the RhymneyValley Ridgeway footpath) andyou will pass through a gate,over a stile and the path willlead up to a wire fence. Followthe path that continues alongthe ridge. The fence should beon the right. There will beanother two stiles to passbefore you arrive at a roadwhere you will see Cefn OnnFarm.

Turn right onto theroad, walking for justunder a kilometre.You will arrive at aT-junction, havingpassed throughanother gate.Cross the roadand head throughthe car park. You

will now see Mynydd Rudry infront of you.Take the path to the right of

the hill and follow the path tothe top. Here you will be ableto see views of the area’sautumn colours. Head right todescend the path again, andcontinue on the path, keepingthe wall to your right. The wallwill end at the gate. Follow thedownhill path. There will nowbe a hedge on your right. Follow the hedge as it bears

right and before long, the pathwill lead you into a short lane.Pass through the gate hereand turn left onto the road.Head down the road. Crossinto Edward Thomas Closeand pass through the kissinggate which you can find afterthe last bungalow on the left. Head over the field in a north-

easterly direction to the cornerof the field. You will pass undera power line and arrive at abridge which crosses a stream.Pass through the kissing gate

here and you will see a secondkissing gate on your left, whichyou will also need to passthrough. You will shortly arriveat a T-junction. Follow the pathhere. A pond will be on yourleft. Pass over the stile andfollow the fence. There will bea house on your left. There willbe a second stile to negotiate. Turn right and follow the track

here. You will soon comeacross a signed public footpathwhich you will find on the right

between the houses. Turn rightinto the main toad. WaterlooTerrace should be on your left.Pass over the stile here on theleft before the sign and followthe fence for another 40metres or so and then turn left. Follow the fence and look for

the stile in the hedge. Onceyou find it, pass over it and youwill come to a small stream.Turn immediately right whenyou arrive at a thicket of treesand then you will soon turn leftand head uphill to the fence atthe top. Follow the hedgealong to the right, and head tothe stile and gate ahead.Cross over the road and then

over another stile. Go directlyahead, uphill in a south-easterly direction, (ignoring thegate path to the right) to therock formation. Continue in asouth-easterly direction forabout 250 metres to the gate inthe far left hand corner of thefield. Continue south east onthe track and through thesecond gate.Head across the field,

following the track and passingthrough a third gate. Head leftup the gradient. You will seePenhow Farm on your right.Head to the gate in the fenceat the edge of the woods andfollow the path to the foresttrack. Ignore the path on theright. Turn right and follow the track

to the T-junction. Head rightalong the forest track for about400 metres and leave thewoods at the gate on the right.Head left down the road forabout another kilometre backto the Maenllwyd Inn.


Autumn Walking

AAnn AAuuttuummnn

WWaallkk

iinn RRuuddrryy

We cannot accept any responsibility for any matters arising from your walk. Please respect the countryside by following the Countryside Code.

Wrap up warm and head toRudry where you can

experience the crisp delightsof autumn.

You will need to head to theMaenllwyd Inn, which you

can find by travelling east onthe A48 out of Cardiff, thenturning left onto the B4288.

Sturdy footwear is highlyrecommended as this can bea challenging walk, especially

in wet weather.

Memories of Melingriffith

Iwas born in October 1933 atNo.7 New Houses,Melingriffith.

The houses were condemnedaround this time and we allmoved out in 1935, along withresidents of Sunny Bank. Idon’t remember living there,but my mother told me storiesabout the houses. They were‘two up, two down’; rents werefour shillings and a ha’penny.My mother liked summer

days; people passing,especially cricketers on aSaturday afternoon who wouldstop and have a chat. Not longafter my parents moved inthere, we had a nasty fire. Mymother had been ironing andhad forgotten about the iron. Itwas the cricketers who ranfrom the sportsfield to help putout the flames. Some receivedmoney as they had ruined theirwhites. Mother didn’t like thenights there as my fatherworked nights a lot at theworks. My aunty, Loma Pudge,came to live with us forcompany. She hated the ‘black

pats’ - the black beetles that came in with

the coal. They came out assoon as dusk arrived, andcovered the walls and ceilings.She also told me of a huge

spider that came out mostevenings and walked along thepicture rail. Neither of myparents could bring themselvesto kill it. The day I was born, itnever came out and was neverseen again! My mother also told me that

the women fetched water fromthe well more than the men.They used to hitch up theirskirts but the men would gettheir trousers wet unless theywore wellies as the water fromthe well constantly gushed outin those times. The water wasalways really cold, even on thehottest days. Getting to sleep was a

problem, as you could hear themice running around the attic.One night, my parents couldhear ‘clink, clink, clink’. Dad litthe lamp to find a mouserunning around in a mug thathad a spoon in it. Dad was Head Boy of the

‘cold rolls’ at the age of 14. Hethen became a foreman andafter the death of Ivor Mercy,was made Foreman of theTinplate Works until it closed in1957.The well is still there. I’ve

tried several times to get itcleaned out and rebuilt. A lonevoice perhaps. Maybe if we allgot together, something couldbe done to save it. It’d be wellworth it as it was built in the18th century. I believe it wasbuilt by the Harfords who alsobuilt Sunny Bank and NewHouses.A famous sportsman, Jack

Peterson, HeavyweightChampion of Wales, who wasfriendly with Dad, would oftenbreak his run and pop in for afew minutes. He’d pick me upand juggle me about on hisknees, before heading backout to continue his run.


Memories

by Les Gibbon

Jack Peterson

Autumn Salad400g (14oz) butternutsquash1 small frisée lettuce,washed40g (1½ oz) lamb's lettuce,washed85g (3oz) Blue Vinneycheese, rind removed55g (2oz) walnuts, roughlychoppedSalt and black pepper2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil2 tbsp walnut oil1 tbsp sherry vinegarHalve the squash lengthwaysand scoop out the pith andseeds. Peel each half, then cutinto 3mm (⅛ in) slices. Transfer the slices to a

saucepan and add plenty ofboiling water. Bring to the boilfor 30 seconds, drain in acolander, then run a cold tapwater over to cool. Set aside todrain.Tear the frisée into a salad

bowl. Add the lamb's lettuceand mix briefly.Crumble the cheese over the

salad, then sprinkle with thewalnuts and drained squash.Add salt and pepper to taste.

Put both oils and the vinegarinto a small screw-top jar,cover and shake vigorously toemulsify. Trickle over thesalad, toss gently to coat, thenserve with granary bread.

Beef and PumpkinStew1 beef topside roasting joint1 litre beef stock500ml water4 tbsp polenta (coarse orfine)8 red potatoes, cut in half1 onion, quartered750g fresh pumpkin2 ears sweetcorn, cut intothirds1 carrot, cut into thick slices1 small red pepper, seededand cut into pieces1 stalk celery, cut intochunks1 leek, split in half, then cutinto pieces1 tsp minced fresh oregano1/4 tsp mild paprikasalt and freshly groundblack pepper to tastegenerous handful coarselychopped fresh corianderCut the piece of beef into 6

large chunks (one per serving).Place the beef into a largesaucepan; pour in the beefstock and water. Bring to theboil over high heat, thenreduce heat to medium, coverand simmer until nearly tender,

for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.Stir the polenta into the stew

along with the potatoes andonion. Cover and simmer for15 minutes. Cut the pumpkininto six serving-sized pieces,and add to the stew along withthe sweetcorn, carrot, redpepper, celery and leek.Simmer until the vegetablesare tender, adding more waterif needed to barely cover. Stirin the oregano and paprikaduring the last five minutes.Season to taste with salt and

pepper. Ladle into servingbowls, and sprinkle withchopped coriander.

Apple Betty500g thinly sliced apples60ml orange juice100g plain flour200g caster sugar1/2 tsp ground cinnamon1/4 tsp ground nutmeg1 pinch salt125g butterPreheat oven to 190˚C/Gas 5.

Lightly grease a 23cm pie dish.Place sliced apples in the piedish. Sprinkle with orangejuice.In a medium bowl, mix the

flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmegand salt. Rub in the butter untilthe mixture resembles coarsecrumbs. Scatter over theapples. Bake in a preheatedoven for 45 minutes. Servewarm.

Recipes


Autumn is the time of year to bring the best of the harvest into the kitchen.Across our villages, casserole pots will be bubbling on the hobs and warm cakes

will be rising in the oven. Here are a few recipes to whet your autumn appetite.

Across1. Festive celebration5. Of high quality9. Morning grain10. Hillman’s little one12. Is in the past13. Redheaded tuber14. Red fruit16. King-like18. On the bed20. Visualise21. Requirement22. Jealous24. Top of a sphere25. Lodger’s payment27. Not read29. Finished31. Mode of gettingaround33. Fantastic fireplace36. Start something

38. Place of dwelling39. So be it41. Unconfirmedreport43. Variable lightswitch45. Getting on a bit46. Woof47. Don’t make me cry48. He says it - do it49. Explosive

Down2. Naughty thing3. Bubbly water4. Like an eagle5. Don’t move6. Pilsner beer7. I love shovels8. Straits11. Procedure

15. Hold on for theride17. Gone fishing in thegarden19. Want to come?20. Lots of legs in thesea23. Ride the wave24. 80s band theynamed twice26. All the people28. Creative pastime30. Since the smallyear32. Proceed slowly34. Meandering water35. A deer37. Fish40. Male relative42. Not over44. Wax or wane?

Last Issue’s Answers

Across1 rumbling; 6 sleep; 8 slick;10 below; 11 savour; 12 teabag;14 envelope; 17 dark; 18 raining; 20 oversight; 22 relief; 23 dab; 24 adapt;25 plug; 27 tor; 28 everyone;31 rose; 33 gadget; 34 grey;35 his; 36 cartwheel; 39 insane;42 via; 43 cash; 45 timber47 rye

Down2 mallard; 3 lowly; 4 guttering;5 blob; 7 level; 9 cage; 13 anvil;15 never; 16 posh; 18 refuge;19 go; 21 indoors; 23 day; 25 producer; 26 my; 29 end;30 daylight; 32 elegant;33 gravy; 37 river; 38 whinge;40 arab; 41 ever; 43 car; 46 me


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Whitchurch and Llandaff Living

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