Oral History collection: cassette tape containing copies of recordings of oral history interviews made by members of the Oystermouth Historical Association with Miss Betty Bevan (born 1917?, Mumbles) interviewed by an unidentified interviewer about early life in Mumbles (side B) and Vivian Ace (born 1918, Gower) interviewed by an unidentified interviewer about early life in Gower (side A) (see transcripts, T 13/7a and 8a).

This material is held atWest Glamorgan Archive Service

  • Reference
    • GB 216 T 13/7b-8b
  • Dates of Creation
    • 1985-1986
  • Language of Material
    • English
  • Physical Description
    • 1 audio recording on cassette; also digital copy in MP3 format, poor sound quality

Scope and Content

T 13/7b: [00:24:14] Person of Interest: Mrs Button, born in Swansea, lived in Mumbles for 57? years. [00:24:37] Location of Interest: School, Llanelli?. [00:24:49] Location of Interest: Friends from Bishop Gore, Limeslade, Uplands. [00:25:33] Childhood: Games played at school; swimming, walking, gardening . [00:26:12] Occupation: Netting fish/ fish shop. [00:00:02] Occupation: Fish sold in Swansea, fish shop. [00:00:15] Occupation: Grottoes for fishing. [00:00:18] Transport: Steam train. [00:00:33] Location of Interest: Swansea Docks. [00:01:20] Occupation: Gardening? Work in a shop. [00:01:50] Occupation: General Assistant. [00:02:07] Experience: Mumbles in the war - during the bombing. [00:02:32] Entertainment: When she was not working; gardening, long walks, boats?. [00:02:50] Entertainment: Liked going to Scotland, and Devon? . [00:03:58] Entertainment: Gower stud team? Club. [00:04:30] Occupation: Oyster fishing. [00:05:17] Entertainment: Fishing. [00:06:40] Location of Interest: Where the tennis courts are now, cinema - arcade, Newton Road. [00:08:20] Location of Interest: Shops - post office, Kemp's, grocery shop, sweet shop (tennis courts, boots). [00:08:55] Location of Interest: Mumbles of Davies. [00:09:07] Location of Interest: Shoe repair shop, Butcher's, Garage. [00:09:30] Location of Interest: White Rose pub, Mumbles. [00:09:57] Location of Interest: Cash Hardware shop, Mumbles. [00:10:19] Location of Interest: Ross's Butchers; pastry shop in Mumbles. [00:11:49] Location of Interest: Toy shops in Mumbles. [00:12:02] Location of Interest: Cinema in Mumbles. [00:12:37] Person of Interest: Miss Morris, shop in Mumbles. [00:13:25] Location of Interest: Chemist in Mumbles. [00:13:37] Religion: All Saints' church, Mumbles. [00:13:59] Education: Sunday school, Mumbles. [00:14:14] Location of Interest: Library, Mumbles.

T 13/8b: [00:24:39] Experience: Every village had an old cottage where youths would meet to play cards. [00:25:18] Location of Interest: Pony and trap to Gowerton Mart on a Tuesday. [00:25:33] Location of Interest: Oldwalls, drinking . [00:26:06] Experience: Practical joke to horse and cart, on man drinking in the bar. [00:26:16] Experience: Youths of the village congregated every night. [00:01:49] Food: Bake potatoes in the fire. [00:02:18] Location of Interest: One storey cottage, Port Eynon. [00:02:30] Experience: Played tricks - putting a hen down the chimney. [00:02:38] Transport: Cars, 1920's, advert in the paper. [00:03:39] Transport: Test driving cars. [00:03:43] Transport: Everything carried on the local bus - [monkey?]. [00:03:55] Transport: 15-seater bus, 16 year old brother started driving the bus. [00:04:25] Occupation: Father did mechanical repairs - Garage in Reynoldston, repairing buses - stones in water tanks . [00:04:45] Location of Interest: Bus starting from Oxwich Green, Castle grounds, hill. [00:05:15] Person of Interest: Jenkins family - three bothers. [00:05:55] Crime: Baskets on top of the bus on the way to Horton - parcels went missing due to younger Jenkins brother being a thief. [00:06:30] Experience: Ladder on back of bus - Jenkins brother would climb up and throw parcels off the bus to collect afterwards - caught him on top of the bus. [00:07:00] Religion: 70/80 years ago - Local preacher, would come from Swansea to preach in the chapels in Gower. [00:07:49] Transport: Come down to Gower in the morning on horseback. [00:08:27] Religion: Preacher procedure - conduct morning service, lunch at local house, evening/afternoon service, then tea, and then ride back to Swansea. [00:08:37] Person of Interest: Jenkins family - 3 brothers - Mrs Jenkins lived next door to his grandmother. [00:09:29] Religion: Each member of the chapel would take it in turns to feed the minister. [00:10:09] Person of Interest: Preacher went to Mrs Jenkins' house for lunch - beef, and they were going to have Christmas pudding . [00:10:25] Food: Boys had eaten the Christmas puddings. [00:10:29] Person of Interest: Younger Jenkins brother, thief, caught on post office premises and put in jail. [00:10:58] Person of Interest: Other two Jenkins' brothers were very clever - castrated all lambs. [00:11:06] Religion: Oxwich Green, Preacher. [00:11:21] Experience: Oxwich Green Chapel, put pony in stable - played pranks on the saddle . [00:12:05] Transport: Buses, Port Eynon, Oxwich. [00:12:30] Occupation: Nets put out to catch fish. [00:12:44] Experience: Fish taken to Swansea Market via bus to be sold to fish mongers - 6 foot long conger eel. [00:13:12] Location of Interest: Penmaen. [00:13:33] Transport: Buses, a key on back axel for safety. [00:14:16] Occupation: Blacksmith made keys for the buses. [00:14:29] Occupation: Driving the buses. [00:14:40] Location of Interest: Oxwich, tree trunks on the beach. [00:15:50] Location of Interest: Little Reynoldston, Llangennith. [00:16:34] Location of Interest: Tracks to Bury Port. [00:17:08] Location of Interest: Oxwich Bay, Three Cliffs. [00:17:30] Location of Interest: Centre of Gower. [00:17:57] Location of Interest: Small village green held the fair. [00:18:27] Crime: Last place in Gower that hanging took place: Hangman's cross, for sheep stealing. [00:18:49] Occupation: Postman. [00:19:23] Food: Fresh animals for Christmas. [00:20:00] Transport: Bus service. [00:20:15] Person of Interest: Doctor Peter Jones. [00:20:56] Occupation: Surgery - uncertain. [00:21:53] Occupation: Doctors farmed as well. [00:23:11] Occupation: Local farmers. [00:24:00] Occupation: Post mistress, parsons, teacher, policeman.