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Latest update - 20th October 2017
I know this photo very well and have seen it in a book about Swansea.
The woman looking at the officer is Gillian Hardy (deceased) and the girl with the headband is Delyth Hardy. My mum and sister!! The man is not known to me.

Best wishes,
Ian Hardy

(Now living in NYC)
20th Oct 2017

A late message from 'Juan Miguel' in Spain (Catching up with emails - Jeff -

"Merry Xmas to you and all the 'Boys/Girls' at Swansea Narpo. Things great here, just finishing the Olive Harvest in my little area, so hopefully big eats for Xmas around here!!!! (NOT Olives, though.............)

Just attaching a photo that is possibly going into the local Spanish 'rag'. The smallest and biggest British Ex Pats in the area. I still have the problem when the Spanish that don't know me think I'm going to eat their kids or something. Most around here call me 'Juan Miguel', which is their version of Ian Michael, my Christian names. I'm proud though to say they have accepted us here. (You know me, they had to...........................!!!!)

Anyway, all the very best to you and all.
Ian (Lurch) 1697".

Swansea Fire - 1932

Hello Jeff,

Earlier, I was reading the memorial plaque to the two officers who tragically lost their lives fighting a fire at 37 high street,in 1932. Out of interest, I had a look at one of my old maps and found it was just through the Tower Lane where the job centre is now located, a stones throw from the police/fire station.

It was two separate buildings at the time, the job centre is now number 37 and 38 High street. The only paper cutting I found of the day was from Shepton Mallet (see below) I dont know why there was not a local one, I'm sure there is one somewhere! See below for a ' birds eye' view of the building and the cutting - they must have arrived at the fire very quickly as it also was on their doorstep.

Best wishes

Paul Gibson
12th Sept

One of the 'true stories' about the Gorseinon Apple Tree
Pictured is the late Bruce Evans – and Station Clerks Julie Felstead and Marie Gorman in the rear garden of Gorseinon Station where there is a very productive apple tree planted many years ago by an officer who had previously lived in the Station .The ownership the tree was a matter of some dispute; some believed that the apples were the property of all officers working at the Police Station and this resulted in many plates of tart and bottles of fine apple Calvados being produced.  Frequent nocturnal visits were made to the tree and many a helmet full was recovered. 

It was eventually ruled that all apples still attached to the tree were to remain in the ownership of the Senior Officer and that all windfalls could be collected by officers of all ranks and treated as personal property. 


This remained in force until one hot summer round about 1976 when conditions favoured the growth of fine apples but which did not result in them falling from the tree!    A certain Officer decided to create a windfall of his own by throwing a heavy concrete garden pot against the tree trunk to shake free some apples. He missed the tree and the pot was last seen passing through a privet hedge concluding with the sound of breaking glass! 

Because of where the sound came from the officer was mortified to think that he had damaged a police vehicle but on examination Police vehicles parked behind the hedge were undamaged. However, upon a further look revealed that the pot had smashed through the windscreen of his own car. We are not in the game of embarrassing anyone but we are grateful to 2 former Gorseinon personnel – Rita Collinson for the picture and Terry Townend for the story.
It was not Terry’s car!!

March 2016

A few of the small shops that traded on the hill before the days of Tesco - Facebook
Roy Kneath - Swansea your story - January 2016

1 West Grocer Rhondda Street
2 Trevor Rosser Butcher Rhondda Street
3 Ben Davies Grocer Rhondda Street
4 Ben Davies Bakehouse Rhondda Street
5 James Davies Baker (Front Shop) Rhondda Street
6 Gough Rhondda Street
7 William ‘Hon Kong’/later became Gambold for milk Grocer Rhondda Street
8 Bill Bowen later Fenders Greengrocer/Milk Rhondda Street
9 F. Gambold Milk shop Rhondda Street
10 Mr Brayley Fish and chip shop Cromwell Street
11 Bowring Grocer Cromwell Street
12 Perkins Bakers shop Norfolk Street
13 General shop Norfolk Street
14 John Andrew Baker Norfolk Street
15 Parley Chemist Norfolk Street
16 Dallings Shop (Faggots & peas, cakes) Norfolk Street
17 Dallings Market Garden Primrose Hill
18 Mrs Gammon Newsagent Norfolk Street
19 Co-op Shop Norfolk Street
20 General shop Norfolk Street
21 Davies Bros. Greengrocer Norfolk Street
22 Whitlock Boot & shoe repair Primrose Street
23 Thos. Madge Post Office Terrace Road
24 Blanchett Butcher and General grocer Terrace Road
25 Evans Newsagent Terrace Road
26 General Stores Terrace Road
27 Howard Boot maker Harcourt Street
28 G.R. Thomas and Co. Coal Merchant Harcourt Street
29 J.B. Yeo Butcher Terrace Road
30 Geo. Shepherd Boot Maker Terrace Road

A wedding in 1962. The bride had been a policewoman, getting married to Tony Hiscock, but in those days if they wished to marry they had to resign. She is accompanied in the photo by 5 policewomen in uniform, who it is believed are Swansea Borough officers. Has anyone any idea of the identity of them, it's believed that the one on the left is Freda Williams!

This photo was taken from an Emmanuel School magazine dated November 1962. (Photo courtesy of John Thomas - November 2015)

Update - 29th November
Regarding the recent wedding photograph published on the web page, the happy couple were Mr & Mrs Tony Hiscock. Mrs Hiscock is ex pw 6 Pam Mabe. The other policewomen in the photograph are from the left -
PW 4 Brown (now Freda Williams), PW 8 Sheila Knight now Court and residing in South Africa, PW 3 Audrey Vincent whose husband John was a serving Swansea Borough officer at the time, PW 7 Betty Dagnell who married Onllwyn Jones who was previously a Swansea Borough man and lastly PWS 2 Alice Adams who transferred to the Hertfordshire police as an inspector and retired with the rank of superintendent. (Phew!!!!! Ed)

Thanks very much to Wynne Thomas for the above information.

See many more 'Blasts from the past' on our
Brand New Facebook page...

1st Sept 2015

Update - 8th Sept
We have been overwhelmed by the response to date and a little unprepared as we have not as yet had the opportunity to discuss ground rules which will be discussed at committee level at our next Narpo meeting, to be held at Cockett Police Station at 7pm on Monday 21st September. Any person wishing to attend this meeting is welcome to do so - please do contact us first so that we can arrange entry to the police station.

Any feedback will be most welcome, as this is a new venture to us and a challenge. We value your feedback, so don't hold back, tell us what you want, as our aim is to make this facebook account into an interesting and enjoyable tool which will be used and enjoyed by all.

Thanks everyone.

Where the buffalo roamed..hywel bennett/glyn houston - believed to have been filmed in 1966.
Yet another Blast from the past - Some of our the members will remember this being filmed near the police station in Alexandra road, in the arcade and on Clifton hill...some police scenes in there and some of the members may even have been grabbed to be in it.

National Eisteddfod of Wales - 1926
Click on the photograph to view a short video clip of a Tram and a Police Officer at the Eisteddfod.
(No sound) Full film here

Fascinating glimpses from the past!

From a website called BFI, here are some stills and videos (no sound)

Fire engines coming out of swansea central in the 1950's and the rebuilding of Swansea. There are a few police officers in it.

"I've had a good look at the film now Jeff and there are quite a few officers dotted around especially the "new" shop openings, maybe some of the retired ones will even spot themselves.

If they type swansea in to the search they will see some other swansea films and one with an officer at the 1926 eisteddford in swansea briefly policing the crowd pictured left"

Here is the actual link for the 1926 (policeman in singleton park) Eisteddfod.

Kindly submitted by Paul Gibson
July 2015

Memories of Cwmbran
by Nigel John - June 2015

Cwmbran closed down as a training centre in 2006 and has since been disused and abandoned.

The site has now been sold,
soon to make way for housing!

A lot of members probably trained at PTC Cwmbran. I did my training there between January and March 1980.

I recently made an emotional return, 35 years after I left. Luckily for me, there was demolition staff on site who gave me a guided tour. A lot of the former buildings including the dormitories have been demolished but the main building is still standing.

I have just received a copy of " to guard my people" by Walter William Hunt.
This a picture from the book dated 1897. In the picture there is a sergeant to the right hand side sitting with his stripes on his upper arms, to the left are other sergeants with their stripes on the lower arms with what i think are three
feathers just above the stripes.....do you think any of the members know why this is? My guess is the ones to the left may be from the Glamorganshire Constabulary???? but i'm not sure!
Paul Gibson - June 2015.

NB. Feedback very welcome please, to any Narpo Committee member.

Glais rugby club circa 1963/4 with Elwyn Davies in photo.
At that time several police officers played for the club, and I have a sneaking suspicion that the person in the back row, extreme right is Gareth Jones. Let me know if I am right, and also the identity of any other policemen in the team!

Contributed by Phil Taylor - Nov 2014

I believe this photograph depicts Escorting the Mayor to church. My father, the halberdier with the medals
up, was Wally Williams 143. This was obviously before his promotion to sergeant and that I am pretty sure
was before my mother died in 1963.

Regards,
Bob Williams
(Grey Phillips will remember me from Swansea Council and as The Marriage Man)
October 2013

Believed to be Dai Salmon's Funral 1962/1963 - Bryon Tucker
(Kindly contributed by Bob Williams - Oct 2013)

Sugestions to identify some of the Officers - thanks to all who have contributed!
I think the Halberdiers were Bert Addison(103),Bill Sears(105),Eyfryn Hmer, Aubrey Oliver(180), ? , Bill Elliott(37),
From Adrian Crocker
Bert Addison, Bill Sears, Aubrey Oliver, Ray Evans, Willie Carroll(commisionaire) and Wally obviously
From John Huxtable
Sgt Bert Addison left hand side 1st PC Bill Sears 2nd Efryn Hamer Right hand side 2nd PC Jeff Smith 3rd Ken Elliott -
From Viv Martin

Edna Jenkins 100th Birthday Celebration - October 2013
On 24th September 2013 one of our members - Edna Jenkins - celebrated her 100th Birthday. She is the widow of a former Metropolitan Officer " Reg Jenkins". On retirement Reg returned to his home town of Swansea where he and Edna became active members of the Swansea Branch prior to his passing .One of their sons, Peter, is also a Narpo member.

At the Birthday party, Gifts and Cards were presented by both our Branch and the Metropolitan Narpo- the Swansea presentation made by Bryon and Vera Tucker and the Met represented by Richard and Elaine Cook.

Bryon Tucker -Swansea Narpo (Oct 2013)
.

Bryon & Vera Tucker making a presentation

Roger & Elaine Cook making a presentation

Group photograph - (Copyright - Evening Post, Swansea)