From

Mandy Edwards [Jenkins] Canada
Barbara Martin Maidenhead Berks.

I found your site today what a treat. I lived in the village up until I was fifteen. At first we lived at Craig -y Celiog Farm which is down past the Castell pitch. Then we lived in Park Close and finally we moved to Gwynda which is right above the Dorallt. I was back in Wales last year and it saddened me greatly to see how much the village had changed. All my family still live in the Cwmbran area. My sister still lives at Craig-y Cello Farm. In fact my aunt and uncle used to run the Dorallt pub then lived in the bungalow (Craig-y Nos) next door.

I would like it very much if you would post my message I would love to get in touch with some old friends from Henllys School. Do you know if Fairwater Comp has an Internet site, as I would also be interested in locating some friends that I had there?

I love your pictures of Henllys School and the Church, is there any way I can purchase these? I have some prints of Old Cwmbran but the ones of Henllys naturally would have more meaning for me. My Mother checks on a regular basis with the man who sells prints in the in-shops but has yet to have any luck. Please give my regards to your family and I would welcome any news of them. I saw and spoke to Mrs Hill when I was home last year.

Bye for now

Mandy Edwards nee Jenkins

P.S I now live in Canada

George Martin is my father, he is now 96 yrs old and lives in Ascot, he spent nine years in India, working as an engineer. I can remember my mother mentioning Annie Crimmins. As I was only six when we left the Henllys my memories are few and somewhat haphazard. My parents built the first road down to Pandy Bach with the help of friends and anyone who could be persuaded to lend a hand. I can remember the day one of the shale lorries accidentally ran over our dog, Bruce. I can remember the big whooping cough outbreak and mother trying to persuade, with little luck, families to take their children to have the new-fangled vaccinations. It was a lovely school, I was allowed to start on my fourth birthday, we learnt our letters and number writing on slates, what a great idea, as our mistakes were just rubbed away! On my fifth birthday, we had a party to which all the school came. I've had ten schools in ten years, so remembering names is a problem, but if you have some names of pupils from 1949-54, between us we should remember some of them.
One more memory for your memory lane is the day of the Queen's coronation, which we watched when the first television, most of us had ever seen, was brought into the school, and we each had a coronation mug. I also remember the Lewises who lived in the first house up from the school on the way to the Pandy, and was also a friend of my mother.

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